Stripped torx bolt...now what?


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Old 08-10-07, 04:28 PM
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Stripped torx bolt...now what?

I have rounded the torx pattern in a bolt that hold down seat brackets in my van and need some ideas for getting it out. It's a T-55 and is very tight so whatever I do will need to have a good grip.

Thanks in advance...
 
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Old 08-10-07, 04:59 PM
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Vice grips, screw/bolt extractors are all ideas.

Can you get a drill over it?
 
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Old 08-10-07, 05:38 PM
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This tip has been posted here by someone else: Using Dremel or like tool to cut slot across head so you can use screw driver.

Chances are though that in this particular case it may not work since if so much power was exerted to the torx, and it stripped, that it is so seized in there that anything slotted would also strip out or perhaps even break off one half of the head, so you might not want to try this, unless you have tried other approaches and think maybe the inside of the head was already rounded out some, or the torx bit was not well-fitting to begin with.
 

Last edited by ecman51; 08-10-07 at 05:50 PM. Reason: Concern about advice, added last paragraph
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Old 08-10-07, 06:25 PM
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Cold chisel and BIG HAMMER
 

Last edited by HotxxxxxxxOKC; 08-10-07 at 07:13 PM.
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Old 08-10-07, 07:14 PM
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^ It's not a rivet where you can just knock it through. Also, doing this would probably oblong and/or damage the hole.
 
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Old 08-10-07, 07:20 PM
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It probably screws into a body nut. I would look under the van for the stud coming through the nut. If you find it exposed use a penetrating oil on it over nite. If you have stripped out a good torx head it must be pretty tight.

If you have any height on the head to work with, you can get an Irwin stripped nut socket that may take it out. Definitely start with the penetrating oil though.

Hope this helps,

Bob
 
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Old 08-11-07, 08:24 AM
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To make myself clear, you use a cold chisel on the edge of the bolt head and strike with hammer in the direction to loosen bolt.
 
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Old 08-11-07, 11:10 AM
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I was thinkin the same thing...........and "old timer" kinda thing. ...........I'd soak the puppy up good with blaster...........loosen it with a hammer/ chisel......and snatch it out with a set of needle nosed vice grips.........Seat bolts probably are "loc-tited" in there too........
 
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Old 08-11-07, 03:44 PM
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You got that right, old timer kinda thing. Had to loosen many bolts with stripped heads this way in the last 50+ years.
 
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Old 08-11-07, 08:07 PM
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I think I've always heard of that referred to as drifting.
 
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Old 08-11-07, 08:24 PM
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Two ideas if you have the equipment and room. When I was doing electric motor repair (big suckers 100 HP or more) we'd weld a 6" length of 1/2" keystock to the head of the bolt. We'd use pipe as a cheater over the keystock. That didn't work we would go to our number one trick. With a oxy-acetylene torch heat to almost white then turn as it cooled to red. May not be possible in your case but it is way.
 
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Old 08-11-07, 08:27 PM
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Yikes!

If he had that equipment already, he should already know how to remove a stripped bolt.

I don't think he wants to start his car on fire either.
 
 

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