Broken Skid Plate Bolts

So after getting my truck stuck a while ago (http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/of...stuck-tacomas-lets-see-em-45.html#post3460665) I noticed I had a couple leaks from the front dif. oil seals. To go about replacing these I had to remove the skids. Upon doing so, I noticed that both of the welds were broken on the nuts that the front two skid bolts screw into, requiring me to cut them off. Also two bolts on the 3rd skid (trans skid?) broke off inside of the cross-member while extracting them!

My question is, assuming I can drill these bolts out (any ideas on doing this), are there any replacement bolts I can use that arent so frail -where can I get them??

Has anyone had broken skid bolts(I know the welds breaking on the front has happened to several people)?

/replaced my oil seals fine (no leaks now), but want to get that third skid on for some wheeling this weekend .

 

good excuse for an upgrade.

 

If I bought a new skid it wouldnt really solve the problems I am facing at the moment. I wouldnt mind getting one, but my question was are there some better bolts to use, becuase the current ones suck balls. If I got the aftermarket one it would look like this:

 

they make bolt extractor tools and they can be rented from autozone/advanced auto.

 

I had one of the smaller diameter bolts that secure the rear mount on a front skid break off once. It broke off flush with the frame. I took a random nut I had laying around and welded them together, then used a large wrench and backed it out. It was pretty tricky to get the weld good enough to hold, if I remember it took 2 or 3 tries before it was strong enough to back the remnants out. You just have to be careful not to weld everything to the frame as well.

 

Yeah I wish I could weld; gonna take a class or something one of these days!

So far what I have done is drill a hole in the remnants of the bolt and used an extractor bit to try to take it out. No luck yet, will try again once I can recharge my dewalt battery (no power still due to the hurricane)

 

Your screwed....TRADE IT IN.......

 

If you can't extract it, drill it out and tap some new thread.

 

you can get some good quality hardware from an actual hardware shop. But really the issue is more that the skid plate is meant for skids, not resting your truck on

 

I wish the damage was from wheeling. The bolts came off when I was loosening them with a socket wrench to take of the skid. Cheap ass bolts are cheap!

 

rusted? right size socket? go get some good stuff, ace has never let me down.