The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Best method for removing rusty bolts

If you only have access to a rusty bolt head that will not back off, say for example the bolts that hold the rear fenders to the bed sides on a 3600. What's the best way to remove the bolt. In this example don't want to damage the bed side by cutting it with a torch. So was thinking I could either use a cutoff saw and cut 2 or 3 side to side grooves and chisel it off or use a torch and cut most of the head off and grind the rest with an angle grinder. Would rather not center punch it, and drill it out as that seems like a hell of a job, and will not find the bolt center.

To be clear this is AFTER you have exhausted soaking with your favority penetrant.

Allen, you will get a lot of opinions but my take is that you have already tried the usual PB Blaster, or maybe some heat and it isn't working.
In a case like this I'd probably use a flap disc which is sort of like a grinding disc but made of sandpaper. It'll cut pretty fast and if you accidently "sand" into the bedside it will not cut much into the metal and will be smooth.

I'm sure others will chip in or may have a better idea.

After using the penetrating oil,I have found a battery powered impact driver works very well. Tighten the bolt a little bit then reverse it out. Sometimes I've had to drive in and out, in and out, to get the rust broken up

Thanks Wayne, that's more or less what I had to do for about 1/2 the old bolts/screws on the rest of the truck. I'm talking about those where all mechanical options have been tried with failure.

Thanks Alvin, good idea when get down close to the panel to switch to a flap disc.

If you can get a wrench (or vice grips or whatever) on the nut, just twist the bolt off and knock the remains out of the hole. That's how I got my severely rusted fender bolts loose. I did get a few with a clutch head socket adapter and a socket on the nut, but most I just twisted off. You could probably use the same method on the head of the bolt, but if you can't hold on to the nut to back it up, the whole thing may start turning in the hole. Even if the bolt is into a threaded hole (the part is the nut), twist the head off to get the part disassembled, then drill out the remains of the bolt and either chase the threads or install a helicoil.

Bolt with nut? Easy. Bolt into captive threads? Not so easy. Don't know which one you have. In either case, cutting with a torch is not the answer.

D. All the above

the old heat wrench works well.

Thanks Woody

If you want to cut the head off the bolt I would go with a thin cutoff wheel in a 4 1/2" grinder. produces a little heat but nothing like a flame wrench.

Some examples here, particularly welding a nut to a broken off bolt, much easier than drilling a hole and using an EZ out.

You can also try Deep Creep and let it soak for 24 hours or so.
Always worked pretty good for me, although sometimes I had to spray on more and let it soak for more than a day.

Aerokroil does wonders, surprised no one has mentioned it yet.

I need to edit the top post....first line of attack on these old trucks is your favorite penetrant for several days. I probably used a can of PB Blaster, 1/2 can of SiliKroil and some Gibbs. ....this was speaking to those situations where you can't get an impact and a good backup on a nut or bolt head and can't easily cut the bolt with a torch or cutoff saw. Not a lot situations like this when I took my donor 3600 down to the frame but there were a few. E.g.. bed clutch head bolts were wallowed out and the nuts on the back was rounded off, the ujoint nuts were rounded off and a couple other. In the end I used a cutoff and a chisel.

Here's what I always seem to do.
Soak fastener is solvent.
Snap off the fastener.
Weld nut to fastener stub.
Snap off stub.
Drill hole in fastener off center.
Snap off easy-out in off center hole.

Maybe you should wait for someone else to chime in...
I do feel your pain.

Why just the other day I snapped a tap off in a hole cause I didn't want to snap an easy out off in it...
Still I say you stopped one step to early
Next step is weld nut to tap!

At least it worked the other day that way.

Heat is the best method IF one can get to it, heat it red, let it cool, remove.

Ed

What Ed said!
🛠

Fender bolts. Rust is not your friend. Did this just a while back. Jack up truck. Put jack stands under truck. Remove wheel. Cut bolt and nut with grinder and thin cut off wheel. Remember face shield. Marks are under fender. behind wheel. Good. Rust is every where. Not so good. Use hammer and punch to remove what is left of screw from bed sides. find more rust and project has expanded. And so it goes.

That's about where I ended up Steve. Patience is your friend not time.