Stripped a T30 bed screw, any advice on which screw extractor & bit size to use?

I have a nice set of LH bits that are almost always my go it. 90% of the time don't even need an extractor. An angle grinder would do it yes, without finesse in such a hard to reach spot. Jb weld a bit to the screw though? Hahahahaha

 

Some of these guys hate torx bolts because they are using HF torx bits . I walked around HF for an hour just to see and the only things I considered was zip ties and some gloves for the garden . In the end I couldn't do it and left empty handed .

 

what brand are your LH bits? I have snap-on at work and they suck. Looking for another set.

 

Quick fix, I’d slot that bolt in 3 seconds then use a flat head. No more that 30 seconds to fix

Brand doesnt matter much with torx, ive ruined enough torq bits or bolts to hate them. Jeeps are put together with torx. The problem with torx is there just isnt enough surface area to support the torque needed to tighten or loosen in some cases.

 

I disagree, torx has way more meat and surface than any other screw type fastener, it’s actually the only indentation type faster that will work well with an impact. Way more surface area in contact with the bit than Allen, Phillips, (square) Robertson, flat blade. Only thing better is a 6 sided bolt, but that’s not going to work on many places you use an inserted drive. Having quality torx bit, and torx faster is key though.

edit they actually make oversized torx bits for the shit fasters some manufacturers use. Sounds like Chrysler uses crap, like Ford and some other American manufacturers.

 

Cool story. I’ve literally replaced everything that was torx and couldn’t be happier. You are the only person I’ve ever met that likes them. Must have never worked on a Jeep before.

Everything is capable of being stripped, rounded or whatever. Unfortunately it seems I and others I know only ever have issues with torx.

Anyways it’s moot torx suck and no words here will change that for me.

 

Interesting bit...
Henry Ford tried to get exclusive licensing for Robertson's screw. Robertson declined; Phillips did not.

 

Believe it or not if that’s the only tool you have it’s doable. Repetitive light taps. I prefer a 16 oz claw hammer though in case I want to get it back out.

 

I drilled off the bolt's head. Removed the other bolts, took off the rail to gain access of the remaining bolt and removed it with a bolt extractor:

ARES 70016 - Damaged Bolt and Stud Extractor Tool - Grips and Removes 1/4" to 1/2" Studs - Ideal for Broken, Rounded Off, Painted Over, and Rusted Tight Bolts

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GKEBG9I?ie=UTF8

 

I did the same thing too. Was a switching between the bakflip and the bed rails for my rtt, there was one that gave a lot more resistance than the others and that sucker stripped bad.

 

All in all these bed rail screws suck lol. Some screws came out like nothing and some were tightened like no tomorrow

 

Grind it off ur only hope

 

I'm not sure what brand they are, I think I got them at Tacoma Screw, which you probably don't have wherever you are. Look for cobalt bits.

The Irwin tools set might actually be pretty good

 

yep, that was my experience exactly. All but 1 was effortless. Would love to replace it with higher quality hardware but really don’t want to pull that one again haha

 

It’s not a “story”. I was replying to why you say torx are shit. You are wrong, there is more surface area on torx than other similar fasteners, and as such they can take more torque.
Now, we can’t help user / tool / faster quality or error, and as I previously stated, until I got decent torx bits, I hated them.

 

Opinions arent wrong. No need to be so ignorant, the rotational surface area is no more than those tiny star points. Thats not a lot of surface area. I've bent every brand of torx bits up to T-50, unfortunately those little star points are super weak. I can conversely say that I have never rounded an 8/10 Allen. Maybe you are referring to the little 1/4" jobs like a T10-15 that you hand tighten with a screw driver to 5-10 ft/lbs. We have different experiences and can agree to disagree

 

I did exact same thing. i used slightly too small of a torx bit.
-Dealer sells the screw. I bought 3. I Keep two in the glovebox for next time or if a buddy has a nexttime! I also bought a full craftsman torx set.

 

I added a box to bed and wanted to remove the third bed rail on the bulkhead since it would be blocked. I destroyed one screw head so I left it there. At this point, if anyone can remove the stripped screw I’ll give that person the bed rail.

 

DM me if you want me to refer you to a local shop lol

 

Many times. He seemed initially uncomfortable with a rotary tool or an extraction kit, so thinking outside the box. Called creative problem solving, not bad advice.