I thought I would ask local before posting in under the hood.

So, I'm installing my newly acquired MUZ Whiteline X-Brace.
Car's on jack stands & I got the 4 bolts off.

I think I've got it all lined up and start tighting the new bolts
when the front right one doesn't seem to be going in straight.

I back out all bolts and try lining it up again.
front right bolt still doesnt want to go in straight.

It's getting late, so I start putting the old bolts back in.

Looks like the front right nut is stripped.

Any suggestions on how to fix the mess I've created?

 

Try running a thread chaser or tap in the hole .This should fix you problem as long as you didnt pull the threads out.

 

Tom,

loosen the two other bolts on the front gussets, the plates will now move and let you line the holes up better.

The gusset plates are part of the mounting points toward the front of the car.
You take out one (of three) of the bolts holding the front gussets to install the xbrace, just loosen the other two.....life will be easy


Jeff

 

I think the bolt just isn't seated right. I can still see threads so I think if I can somehow straighten it, I can still use it. I'll probably try again on Saturday when I have more time.

Thanks!!

 

The car is not perfectly level... and the bolt holes are not in the "ideal" position.

Try to get the car as level as you can... then follow the suggestions above IF the bolt holes do not line up perfectly.

Another suggestion... catch the bolts in the holes with one or two threads. Having them very loose, may allow you to "catch" that last bolt.

 

I was able to get the bolts in the holes when it was loose.

Then I started to go back and forth tightening a little on each.
It was going fine, but then the front right bolt seemed to get out
of alignment.

If I could do it over, I would have made sure the bolts on the front
were secure but somewhat loose, then rubber mallet the back
into place to get those bolts on. Since the back mounting area
is cupped it would line up pretty well.

We'll see how it goes.