OK, so rather than bore you with the details, let's just say that I, hypothetically, buggered a 14mm bolt on the underside of my car whilst trying to install, say, a Spoon X-Brace.

Can anyone offer suggestions for removing a buggered bolt. Note: the head of the nut is in a location where it is slightly recessed, making access with a quality box wrench impossible (hence the issue).

Someone at Tochigi went a little crazy with the impact wrench and now I've got a big problem... I really don't want to have to chisel the head and drill the bolt out...

Please help.

 

oddly enough, this isn't the first time a buggered bolt has appeared. I guess the lesson to be learned is check for buggered bolts before getting the X-brace. Ugh!

I believe the only way you can do it is by drilling it out. Even if it were to come out cleanly - you wouldn't be able to reuse it, would you? Maybe after getting it re-threaded. But if you need to take it down (as some have stated) everytime you change the oil, then it might be more hassle to work around it than its worth.

 

That's what I'm afraid of Randy. I don't think the bar needs to come off for oil changes, based on my observations. I just HAVE to get that damn buggered bolt off. I'm kind of intolerant of imperfection and it also really, really, really, pisses me off when an inanimate object refuses to cooperate with me. The bolts gonna come off and the X-brace is gonna go on, it's just a matter of how to do it.

I was hoping I could find some sort of schnazzy socket that would put more torque on the sides of the bolt, versus the corners (which obviously don't exist any more...)

Woe is me.

 

doesn't craftsman have a socket set like that? i know i've seen infomercials. check sears hardware.

or when my bolts got messed up when i brought my car in for service the mechanic fixed my x-brace.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by josh3io
[B]doesn't craftsman have a socket set like that?

 

There's the rub. For any of you who have installed the brace or looked under the car at the four bolts that come out when one installs the brace, the bolts mount through four suspension plates which are kind of concave in shape. The location of these bolts provides decent access for a socket, or maybe a small box wrench, but anything with a large mouth (Vise-Grips, etc.) forget about it.

 

have you tried a metric crescent wrench? I hear that works well. <g>


p.s. - I'm gonna check those bolts this weekend even though I'm not planning on the X-brace for another few weeks.

 

I have those Metrinch sockets that are supposed to grab the sides of a fastener as opposed to the corners. These may work, and to save you the expense of purchasing the whole set I can mail you mine to use. It is worth a try! E-mail if interested.

 

This probably wont help...

but there was a commercial on a while back about some sockets that had like pins inside of them that conformed to the shape of the bolt head...

you could use them on metric or standard (hence, only 1 set of sockets) and they even claimed to work on rounded off bolts...

FYI, I dont have a set of these and will probably end up wondering someday what the number was... as I am sitting in the same boat Hootsama is...

 

Ah! That's the stuff that my foggy mind has forgotten...

I think the pin dealie is the way to go. Now I gotta find one. mdigrappa, thanks for the offer. I may be contacting you. In any case, I will provide an update ASAP. I doubt that I will be able to cope with the sight of the x-brace sitting in my garage for too long.

Thanks for the advice, everyone.