Stuck Skid Plate Bolt

This or take it to a shop. Idk how you ended up doing that to the bolts to begin with. That takes some skill.

 

Tack weld a nut on the end of it so you can get it off and then replace the bolt

 

if you don't have access to "many" tools I think you aren't going to get that off yourself. is there an old guy in your neighborhood that knows how to work on stuff? that would be the cheapest & quickest option at this point. looking at the pictures the washer & bolt head are tight against the plate, so it doesn't look like it was cross threaded - and that's good. if you have access to a grinder grind the head of the bolts off. do not use a cutting wheel. when you grind it bear down hard on the head of the bolt so it glows red. hopefully that will expand the threads and contract enough to break the bond. the bottom line is you need remove the bolt head. looking at the pictures I think the bolt head & washers and not the threads is where it's stuck. once the head is gone get some oil on the threads - pull the dipstick and wipe some oil off with your fingers and wipe it onto threads. let it soak for a couple of days - your truck will work fine without a skidplate - and try the visegrips again. I bet the bolt comes right out. and if not it's time to drill and / or cut. that is something that needs to be done on a lift.

 

also: acetone and automatic transmission fluid mixed 50% for rust bustin'

 

Zinc or stainless?

 

Never use a crescent wrench or especially vice grips on a bolt like that. If a socket won't work, those two are only going to mess up the head. A 1/2 ratchet with 18" of pipe in it will remove (or break) the toughest bolts. I'd hit that with a fair amount of heat after filing the head back to shape. For future, PB blaster and an impact is the first choice. If you dont have to tools to do it right, you will only end up here again.

 

thanks everyone for the help and support, came off after a good two day soak in PB and a GOOD socket on an impact. 12 point socket did the trick.

 

Shop monkey probably hand cross-threaded and used an impact to run it up.

 

I’ve been dabbing a little anti-seize on my skid plate bolts since I had my ‘97 4Runner. Had the same thing happen. It’s a harsh environment down there. Anti-seize and torque to spec.

 

Glad it worked. My personal experience with PB blaster as a penetration oil has yielded very poor results.

Aerokroil for the win! It is magic

Liquid wrench second

 

Still heat the fuck out of them anyway even though they're out, to teach 'em a lesson.

 

Since you don't seem to have access to the level of heat needed, ask a plumber friend to borrow his BF pipe wrench, WD-40 it for 2 days and then use the wrench. Been there, done that. It has saved my bacon a couple of times.

 

FWIW, I found that any time a bolt is stripped or a screw from removing flooring is filled with cement/grout, vice grip it tight and rotate to unscrew.

 

...dude this is TacoWorld... there is probably a thread being started about 5W20 vs. 5W21 oil, highly unlikely theses poor folks have such ability.

 

Are you even eligible to make a comment like that?

 

actually it seems like the people with the most posts are the biggest weenies of them all...

 

@chris4x4 @MTgirl @JimBeam

Dude just called you guys a weenie...

 

I hate Kroil with a passion, I call it migraine in a can cause I get an instant headache. It seems to work pretty good though but I still use PB Blaster

 

Kroil is the bomb