I got 3 of the 4 bolts holding the winch itself down. the passenger side rear bolt just will not go in. i tried through just bumper and winch plate with the bolt and that is fine, i tried the bolt through bumper into winch plate then into winch and that is very tight, i have to force it through into the winch hole. when I try to install the nut, it just wont work. i tried different nuts and bolts as this was the first hole I tried to use and then ended up getting 3 corners done but the last one just wont work no matter what.

it almost feels like the hole in the winch is not correct, whether its too small and then when the nut is installed it wont line up.

anyone had this before and would it be safe to drill into the winch itself and widen the hole slightly???

any ideas appreciated

 

well it is fixed. tapped the nut in with a hammer and screwdriver. looks like the coating prevented the nut from sliding all the way in. took all of about 30 seconds.

I do have to give the credit to David at Northridge4x4 for the tech advise and whom I bought the winch from also. Thanks again David!