65silververt

I just removed the body mount bolts on a 66 coupe that were badly rusted and frozen in place. I did not break a single bolt and I did not need to cut any of them. I am only replacing the mounts, so if one had broken or if i had needed to cut one, then it would have been game over.

Step 1: Use penetrating oil on the bolts. Spray them 2-3 times a day for 2-3 days. On the rear body bolts inside the access cover, spray the fluid on top of the head of the bolt and the washer. Let it puddle and it will eventually soak down around the sides of the bolt and washer onto the threads. Spray these bolts from below as well. They can be accessed from just under the rocker channel. You will obviously want to spray the rearmost bolts from above as well and treat the others with a washer on top the same way as the bolts inside of the access cover.

Step 2: Attempt to start breaking the bolts loose with a breaker bar. I had two of the cage nuts break loose, so i had to wedge a screwdriver in-between the cage and cage nut to keep the nut from spinning.
If the bolt starts to strip at all, stop, go to lowes, and purchase these sockets.

Irwin stripped bolt extractor sockets.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_62099-281-39...RL=&facetInfo=

These sockets are the only reason that i was able to remove the bolts located inside of the access covers. I had to use a ratchet impact wrench and the bolt extractor sockets to very slowly turn the bolts. It took me an hour to get the one out behind the passenger door, but it was certainly worth the time. Cutting and grinding the bolt off and then repairing the body mount location later will be a lot more time consuming, i promise.

I have performed 4 frame off restoration and i have ending up cutting at least one bolt off on everyone. My patience and special tools payed off on this car, so i thought i would share.

Good Luck!

darrahc

Thanks for the suggestion - definitely something I'll be adding to the toolbox.

65silververt

I recall mine costing $20.00, not $39.00, so might want to shop around online for them. They are really a great tool to have. I had stripped one of the bolts completely, but the irwin socket managed to grasp the head still and allow me to break the bolt free of the cage nut. That is saying a lot since it was rusted in place.

Bud2

True, those sockets are worth the price but don't be fooled into thinking that they have any effect on the threads themselves. Rust is like an angry wife, some you can live with, some just have to be dealt with by more serious means. Don't sell off the other tools just yet!

Bud.

65silververt

Agreed, that is why i said to let them soak in penetrating oil for a few days, a week if you have the time. I also had to use my pneumatic ratchet wrench from sears with max torque of 70 ft pounds for added assistance. However, that did not help the passenger side since i had trashed the bolt with a regular socket and a torque wrench already. This side had a nice mouse nest behind the access plate. I always wondered where the upper firewall insulation had gone and thought it odd that someone would just remove it. I found a lot of it behind the access cover and much more in the vent wells.
Anyway, the penetrating oil must make its way to threads and that is why it is necessary to reapply the oil several times over the course of several days. I had the oil on the rear bumper bracket bolts as well, but rinsed it off when pressure washing...everyone of those bolts broke since the oil had been rinsed away.