Stuck Skid Plate Bolts

Impact?

 

Impact is really great for breaking bolts and taking on and off lug nuts. Heat is always the correct way to take off a bolt without destroying it or the treads on either part.

 

There you go torch the shit.

 

Antiseize the crap out of the new bolts

 

X2

 

Yeah I was dreading the "putting back together" part. But I am gonna make sure when I take them off next time for a new set to match my future bumper, I won't have to worry about them.

I was just unlucky that what ever Toyota Dealership mechanic who did the radiator, was terrible, I bet he didn't even give them bolts a love tap, even a little lube would have suffice. Of course I am assuming my sister's husband had his radiator flushed sometime in the first 80k miles.


All I know is, when I get a new vehicle I go through everything and redo all the stuff, and I do it myself. Last time I went to a lube shop, I asked for all my liquids to be filled with an oil change. I was 5-10 minutes away from Snowbird when my car started overheating because they didn't fill up my radiator, which I knew was low, that is why I asked for it to be filled.

Luckily I knew a classic trick, and cranked my heater on max, and barely made it unharmed. That trick I learned from my friends brother. He does it when racing his Honda. That last stretch to Alta/Snowbird has back to back steep hills, with little and less pull off spots, and with the traffic behind me on my way to Oktoberfest, it was a sticky situation, and more annoying than getting those bolts off.

 

Well, when you do all you can physically and it still ain't working even after torching it, going the impact wrench route was fine by me, he was basically only doing the impact wrench cause he wanted to try it once before we got drastic. Like I was pointing out earlier, we were basically going to break them off right after he gave them a try.

It is all about having the right tool for right job. My friend had his compressor out cause he was painting the valve cover for his Honda. So he tossed on the wrench attachment, and used his much better sockets.

 

Propane torch is not what I'm talking about though. propane torch isn't hot enough. You need Oxy ace. As I've said before, when working on rusty shitty or stuck loctite bolts I ALWAYS use the oxy ace torch and never once has it failed me.

 

I know you're done but I read some comments and wanted to give some potential future advice.
If you round the head off don't drill it out... you're a lot better off finding a shop that will weld another nut or bolt to the head and impact it out.

 

What is the thread size/pitch on the skid plate bolts?

 

I'd guess an m10x1.25

 

Meh I don't find this very practical with smaller bolts like the ones that hold on skid plates. Big bolts you are not likely to shear yea that's a much better option. But the small stuff, If you have a welder available I would give it a shot. Other than that hammer the next size impact socket onto the rounded bolt. Generally if its not free from heat and impact its going to shear regardless, and you will be drilling it out anyway.

 

Zombie thread but I was looking to see if anyone had a stripped out x member hole and found this

Funny thing about those factory fasteners - I bought my truck with a bolt broken off in the middle factory nutsert for the bumper / skid. I welded a nut on to it and broke the bolt when I tried to remove it - not at the weld.