flat head Socket screw removal

Bobby D.

Bobby D.

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2005
Location
Trinity, NC
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this sucks

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I took my dremel tool and cut one slot in the bolt head and I tried using a impact driver and that didn't work. I tried to drill it out and the drill just wandered around. I have 8 of these. can some one PLEASE HELP?

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RARRRRRRRRRRRRRRrr!!111111111
 
doesn't look like you cut the slot very deep, try again

if you got a welder, weld a nut to it, that works good
 
no welder :( ... I think I would have tried that first if I could have... I went as deep as the cutter wheel would go without cutting into the skid plate. and once I started w/ the impact driver half of the broken off allen wrench head started to crumble and I lost my bite.. The garbage you see above is where I tried to cut out the bolt head, but after 15+/- min this is all I got.
 
Looks like an RE skid plate. The welded nut looks like a good alternative on that one or back to a really sharp bit and lower rpm, it can be done I've drilled stainless bolts out, just find the happy spot were you get shaving and no skretching and keep it cool by slow rpm. Certain fluids seem to just hold the heat in. You could try heat on the plate. By heating and rapidly cooling the plate a few times you might get enough movement to free it up. If it can set awile repetitive soakings with PB blaster will help alot.
 
I'll try drilling around the allen wrench tip and see if that works. is there any one in the high point area that has a welder & skills to help me tomorrow afternoon if possiable. I have 7 more of these POS to remove. I don't have a torch, welder or any thing like that. I am also willing to pay for the help...
 
Once get it out be sure to use a very good quality tool next time.
Try taking all the other fasteners out and moving it around to breack it loose.
 
sinbad said:
Once get it out be sure to use a very good quality tool next time.
Try taking all the other fasteners out and moving it around to breack it loose.
Click to expand...

yea I know... you get what you pay for... I bought a 7/32" allen head socket from sears and it's too big to fit in the head where the greatneck 7/32" did... I am truly corn fused:confused:
 
I had something similar on the bottom of my skid on my TJ. I had the XFer case fluid changed at a Texaco Express (living in an apartment at the time) they put the bolts back in with an impact..... They were 5/16" allen bolts that were flush like yours. I finally got them out using a small cutting wheel on a dremel. I cut out a "pie" slice in 2 or 3 places, then used a punch and hammer to turn the bolts. It took a while.....

I tried everything except welding it. It may be worth your time to find someone to do it.

I replaced them with regular hex head bolts, used plenty of anit-seize and torqued them town to 15 ft lbs as opposed to what that damn impact did.
 
I have great luck with a dremmel making one really deep slot. Then I use a large flat tip screw driver with some channel locks on the handle for more leverage. Sometimes I cut it so deep the head brakes off when I apply all the torque to it. Once I get them all out or broke off then remove the plate and use vise grips to remove the broken bolts.
 
Sorry dude I missed the part about the allen head being sheared off into the part. I've broken various brand name stuff (like snap-on) off at work on torx-head fastners in stainless hardware, a very small chisel and getting at them at an angle is the only way if gotten the tool shrapnel out of the way. Sucks its not something you coud grind the head off of and go from that point with a drill.
 
thanks everybody for the info!

:beer:I would like to thank CYJKrawler for helping me remove the boogered up bolt. he welded a 1 1/16" nut to the head of the bolt and it came right out without any problems!

I bought a good 7/32" allen driver and removed the remaning 7 bolts.
 
Just like bedknife screws on reel mowers. Get a sharp chisel, dig it into the edge and hammer it around in the right direction.
 
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