Stripped out Torx bolts for Flux Offroad Light mounts

[Cloaked_TJ06]

Good Afternoon everyone , I am in the process of installing the Flux Offroad Light mounts and the torx bolts will not come out and I guess they are seized in and I even tried using an impact and stripped the hell out of the bolts . I do have the hand impact driver from harbor freight which didn't work unless I'm doing it wrong . I also have a Dremel and was thinking about making a slit in the torx bolts for a flat head and going from there . Anyways I thought about buying the bolt extractors but heard a lot of 50/50 info on them that aren't good so I guess Ill pass on them . if anyone has any ideas let me know because I decided to pause on it for now before I mess It up even more lol

 

[mrblaine]

Good Afternoon everyone , I am in the process of installing the Flux Offroad Light mounts and the torx bolts will not come out and I guess they are seized in and I even tried using an impact and stripped the hell out of the bolts . I do have the hand impact driver from harbor freight which didn't work unless I'm doing it wrong . I also have a Dremel and was thinking about making a slit in the torx bolts for a flat head and going from there . Anyways I thought about buying the bolt extractors but heard a lot of 50/50 info on them that aren't good so I guess Ill pass on them . if anyone has any ideas let me know because I decided to pause on it for now before I mess It up even more lol

Best answer is to carefully drill the heads off and start over.

 

[Dylan_See_TJ]

I have used ones like these (https://www.acehardware.com/departm...MI3ffzyMuGkgMVeTQIBR1XtyIIEAQYAiABEgKT0fD_BwE) on a whole bunch of those torx body bolts in the windshield frame, doors, tailgate, etc., and largely been successful. I usually predrill a hole into the core of the fastener, making sure that it's as straight as possible, and then pound the extractor in with a small hammer before twisting it off. If you go through a couple steps of sizes, you can probably get them off without too much trouble, so long as you're careful drilling them out. Oh, and, speaking from experience, be very careful not to drop the bracket inside the windshield frame; it's a royal PITA to get them back up to the bolt holes.

EDIT: I see you're somewhat against using screw extractors. That makes it a lot trickier to remove bolts from tricky places like that. With something recessed (I assume we're talking about the M8x1.25 Torx-Head bolts that sit flush in the windshield frame bracket?) it's pretty hard to cut a new head that you can turn with regular tools. If it were my rig, I'd give the extractors a go, but it's clearly your call. Just my $.02.

 

[GATORB8]

If they're painted on like the door hinges, there's a good chance the head is stuck and not the threaded portion of the fastener.

At this point, I'm a semi-pro hinge bolt fucker-upper, and I do what @mrblaine recommended and drill off the heads. (drill the center of the head with a large enough bit to cut it off of the threaded shank).

If you use extractors, DO NOT break them. Tool steel is hard to drill.

Once the heads off, you may be able to simply spin the shank out (or in) with a bit.

 

[Wildman]

I just welded a nut to mine & removed them.

 

[macleanflood]

I just welded a nut to mine & removed them.

Seconded...

-Mac

 

[Wildman]

Seconded...

-Mac

I have pictures in my build thread but my best guess is they're around page 400-450 but can't confirm that.

 

[Cloaked_TJ06]

If they're painted on like the door hinges, there's a good chance the head is stuck and not the threaded portion of the fastener.

At this point, I'm a semi-pro hinge bolt fucker-upper, and I do what @mrblaine recommended and drill off the heads. (drill the center of the head with a large enough bit to cut it off of the threaded shank).

If you use extractors, DO NOT break them. Tool steel is hard to drill.

Once the heads off, you may be able to simply spin the shank out (or in) with a bit.

View attachment 666168

they are painted on and I even tried using the hand impact and didn't budge worth a damn . i also am good at fucking shit up too so you're not alone lol . so pretty much all I gotta do is drill into it a bit and then cut a slit and remove the bolts that way ? 3 out the 4 are stripped and only 1 came out when I first did it over the weekend .

 

[GATORB8]

they are painted on and I even tried using the hand impact and didn't budge worth a damn . i also am good at fucking shit up too so you're not alone lol . so pretty much all I gotta do is drill into it a bit and then cut a slit and remove the bolts that way ? 3 out the 4 are stripped and only 1 came out when I first did it over the weekend .

So, this is crap mock up of what I'm talking about with the blue being a pilot bit and red being the "cutting" drill bit. On an M8, a 3/8" drill bit should be just larger than the shaft of the bolt (if you hit it dead nuts center).

You can then attack the shaft which should be easier to get out, sometimes as easy as hitting it with a bit in reverse after it catches.

If you have a welder, the nut method is probably faster and probably kills the bond of the paint at the same time.

 

[Cloaked_TJ06]

i don't have a welder quite yet so I'll have to make do on what I have for the time being

So, this is crap mock up of what I'm talking about with the blue being a pilot bit and red being the "cutting" drill bit. On an M8, a 3/8" drill bit should be just larger than the shaft of the bolt (if you hit it dead nuts center).

You can then attack the shaft which should be easier to get out, sometimes as easy as hitting it with a bit in reverse after it catches.

If you have a welder, the nut method is probably faster and probably kills the bond of the paint at the same time.

View attachment 666199

 

[Vtx531]

Too late for the OP but for anyone else, I had success with using a heat gun. Only takes a few seconds of heat and it won't hurt the paint.

 

[Moglocker]

Too late for the OP but for anyone else, I had success with using a heat gun. Only takes a few seconds of heat and it won't hurt the paint.

Yep,I hold a box end wrench over the screw,and heat in the hole with a small torch.

 

[Cloaked_TJ06]

So, this is crap mock up of what I'm talking about with the blue being a pilot bit and red being the "cutting" drill bit. On an M8, a 3/8" drill bit should be just larger than the shaft of the bolt (if you hit it dead nuts center).

You can then attack the shaft which should be easier to get out, sometimes as easy as hitting it with a bit in reverse after it catches.

If you have a welder, the nut method is probably faster and probably kills the bond of the paint at the same time.

View attachment 666199
View attachment 666200

Thank you so much for this and @mrblaine . drilled them all out very careful and got one side done will have to tap and die one of the last remaining bolts and accidentally drilled all the way through it . No big deal for me will just have to take extra steps when I work on it next .

 

[mrblaine]

Thank you so much for this and @mrblaine . drilled them all out very careful and got one side done will have to tap and die one of the last remaining bolts and accidentally drilled all the way through it . No big deal for me will just have to take extra steps when I work on it next .

You can NOT drill all the way through if you use a 5/16" bit.

 

[Cloaked_TJ06]

You can NOT drill all the way through if you use a 5/16" bit.

Cant remember what size I used but it was a lot smaller than a 5/16 but it worked