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Stuck Seat Belt Bolts

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rsmithtesiusa

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1990 K5 Blazer - need to swap out back seat belts. Have tried everything to get bolts out. They are a "star" bolt head Have done all of the following:
Soaked with all brands of penetrating oil for days
Heated with a torch
Hit them with sledge hammer
Tried turning backwards in case reverse threaded
Have broken 4 pneumatic impact sockets
Busted knuckles with every manner of cheater
bar.
Repeated all of the above many times complete with beer, cursing, and voodo hex.

What do I do now????
 
haha I busted 3 torx bits last weekend doing this same thing, I said eff it ill just bed line around them lol. :waytogo:
 
Do you have a welder? If so, weld a big nut on top of the bolt and try getting it out that way..big ratchet or impact on it. Worst case I guess you drill it out
 
As mentioned, welding a nut on top can work. A welding blanket can protect the area.

Drilling is a less messy option, but time consuming.

You might also, before drilling it out, cut a slot through the head, making it into a flat-head screw. You may then be able to use a big honkin screwdriver to get it out. If you need more torque, a piece of flat steel stock through the slot might get what you need.

Also check underneath, if you can get at the area; I seem to recall something like Loc-tite on the underside from the factory. Donno how you'd get a torch in there, especially near the gas tank, but it's a thought.

-- A
 
The floor bolts on my 91 were like that, I welded a big bolt to them and used my impact to get them out.
 
Im guessing by the fact he asked what kind of bedliner im using he has the interior out..... also do you reallllllly need it out?? I said screw it its not worth my time.
 
On my 83 there was regular bolts. My impact snapped everyone off clean. Works for me since I am putting 4 points in and don't have to fill the hole
 
jekquistk5 said:
On my 83 there was regular bolts. My impact snapped everyone off clean. Works for me since I am putting 4 points in and don't have to fill the hole
Click to expand...

Hes talkin bout the rear seat. All my front bolts oddly enough came out no problem with a 3/8 socket wrench, but those back seat belt ones are the devil lol
 
I have had folks give me strange looks when I bring this out.

NO, not that.

Talking about this.
http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-29200-Hand-Impact-Tool/dp/B0002NYDRG

Obviously its not in the same league as pneumatic impacts, or even electrics.
But, it has one advantage that they don't. When you use it, it not only delivers a strong twisting motion like a regular impact, but it pounds straight down into the bolt.

Its more effective on a screwheaded connector like those Torx bolts than a regular hex head because there is no downward force on them.
Although sometimes it will help with them too. The trick is that the sudden blow relieves some of the stretch tension on the bolt and helps break loose any corrosion.

Hammering the bolt with a hammer before using a regular impact helps, but this applies a torque at the same time.
 
Fordum said:
I have had folks give me strange looks when I bring this out.

NO, not that.

Talking about this.
http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-29200-Hand-Impact-Tool/dp/B0002NYDRG

Obviously its not in the same league as pneumatic impacts, or even electrics.
But, it has one advantage that they don't. When you use it, it not only delivers a strong twisting motion like a regular impact, but it pounds straight down into the bolt.

Its more effective on a screwheaded connector like those Torx bolts than a regular hex head because there is no downward force on them.
Although sometimes it will help with them too. The trick is that the sudden blow relieves some of the stretch tension on the bolt and helps break loose any corrosion.

Hammering the bolt with a hammer before using a regular impact helps, but this applies a torque at the same time.
Click to expand...

Those work great. I've had one for years. Sears sells them for like $25 and every one I've been in has them in stock. Very useful tool to have around, even if it's seldom used. Good call J:waytogo:
 
I was reading through this thread with the intention of getting to the end and posting that. I agree, its not going to be used all the time but its incredibly handy for getting stuck hardware loosened up without stripping the heads.
 
If you get one, smack it 4-5 times straight on before using the twisting motion to loosen the bolt. It should jar the threads enough to free it right up.
 
Just about every time we'd try removing a seat belt bolt at the junkyard,it resulted in several busted T-50 Torx bits and wounded knuckles...GM's were the worst,they used some killer blue locktite on them,even heating the nut up cherry red didn't always help them come out,more often than not they would just snap off,or rip the welded nut right out of the floor--not a big deal on the junker donors floor,but you dont want your "good" floor ending up that way!............................................................................................................................................................................................................we got some out using a long pipe wrench after boogering up the torx head hopelessly and busting a few bits off...we tired of wasting costly bits on them,so we started using a cold chisel to just chop them out of the floor and let the customer deal with getting the nut off!....
 
I spray with wd40 or any rust spray and heat with hand torch and they come right off no problem
 
The nuts for the rear seat belts are right near the edge of the wheel well and no where close to the tank. The problem is the seat belt bolts are open to the elements where the rear seat hinge bolts come out easily because they are in a shielded type of tube nut that protects the threads. I am going to remove my belts as I am doing my restore but one has a Torx tip broken in it already. I can roll my body right up to heat the nut pretty easily. I will usually take a blunt nose impact hammer tip and use that on the side of the nut with a heavy piece of steel to back up the other side. In almost every case this technique will let the bolt come out without any heating what so ever. I use this same technique when removing brake lines hammering the union between two lines or the area of the caliper/wheel cylinder where the line goes in. Most times I can unscrew the line right out without twisting due to the rust. Works great on in line lift pumps also. If the pump is bad it doesn't matter if you hammer the nut on the pump end. Just use some stout steel to back it up then moderately hammer it. You will be able to just unscrew your fuel lines and not have to replace pump and lines too. Try it, you'll be amazed. (I thank my brother for this tip as he was a professional mechanic for years who learned how to make money when "flagging" time.)
One more tip: When you have a bearing race that either you can't get out of a hub or gearbox cover because there seems no way of getting anything behind it to pry or drive it out this is what you do. Take a arc welder and rod and just run a bead of weld right around the middle of the face of the old race. Don't hit the edges of the hub or anything like that, you are just putting a bead of weld on the race itself. When you have run a good bead all the way around it, just flip the hub or gearbox cover over and the race will fall out easy as pie (you might have to tap it). The bead shrinks the metal of the race away from the hub. I have done this many times and recently did this on the races of an old HD motorcycle front wheel. You should have seen the owner's expressions as I was telling him what I was going to do. When I was done he couldn't believe it and now tells everyone "his" technique for getting out stuck races! On another note, you can use just a tig welder but the results are not as good. It will shrink the race but not as much. You will be able to move it enough to get under it and out with some small hooks.
 
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