Broken seat bolt
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2005
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Broken seat bolt
This evening I put a wrench on the inboard aft nut under the pass seat, put the torque to it, felt it give thinking it was loosening only to discover that it had twisted off. Anybody got experience with that problem?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,107
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From: Dublin CA
drill and easy out!! Real PITA. If you can, hit the threads with PB Blast or something like that and let it sit overnight. Then drill and use the easy out. Worse case if the easy out doesn't work is to drill and retap.Good Luck.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 8,838
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From: Australia
I don't know about your cars but on my '87 and '90 the seat mounts are studs through a reinforcing plate from underneath; not a threaded insert so nothing to use a Ezi out on.
Only solution would be to replace broken stud with a bolt welded from underneath or just drop a bolt through the hole and put the nut underneath
Only solution would be to replace broken stud with a bolt welded from underneath or just drop a bolt through the hole and put the nut underneath
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
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From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
Originally Posted by rodj
I don't know about your cars but on my '87 and '90 the seat mounts are studs through a reinforcing plate from underneath; not a threaded insert
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2005
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Originally Posted by JrRifleCoach
Thats cause your downunder. Up here it's inserts..
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2005
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Originally Posted by rodj
I don't know about your cars but on my '87 and '90 the seat mounts are studs through a reinforcing plate from underneath; not a threaded insert so nothing to use a Ezi out on.
Only solution would be to replace broken stud with a bolt welded from underneath or just drop a bolt through the hole and put the nut underneath
Only solution would be to replace broken stud with a bolt welded from underneath or just drop a bolt through the hole and put the nut underneath
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Saratoga Springs NY
2024 C4 of the Year Finalist - Modified
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Hey , my car is an 88..There is a plate with a nut welded to it on the underside of the car. When i was building my car, i had to heat the hell outta the bolts to get them to free up and come out.The bolt is a metric 12x1.75 if i remember correctly. Its also harder then the nut, which in my case, destroyed the the threads of the nut when it came out.GM lets these bolts rust so they cant come out,makes sense for safety reasons. Dont try to tap the nut OR the bolt as you will destroy the taps and dies (mine are snap on , good thing they cover them!! HA)
So you have 2 options. 1 is to cut the nut off that plate, reweld a new metric nut (HARDENED!) and install a new OEM bolt (HARDENED!). Or you can easily drill that nut out and through bolt your seat belts together, thats the easiest way. I actuall cut the nut off the plate and through bolted it, kinnda a combo of the 2 ideas i gave you.Either way , it worked fine.
Anyone in the future that wants to take these bolts out, word of advice. Get under the car, wire wheel the threads, spray them with PB or whatever, then work it back and forth from inside the car, maybe using a little heat from the underside if need be....
Good luck , hope this helped.
So you have 2 options. 1 is to cut the nut off that plate, reweld a new metric nut (HARDENED!) and install a new OEM bolt (HARDENED!). Or you can easily drill that nut out and through bolt your seat belts together, thats the easiest way. I actuall cut the nut off the plate and through bolted it, kinnda a combo of the 2 ideas i gave you.Either way , it worked fine.
Anyone in the future that wants to take these bolts out, word of advice. Get under the car, wire wheel the threads, spray them with PB or whatever, then work it back and forth from inside the car, maybe using a little heat from the underside if need be....
Good luck , hope this helped.
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From: SCMR Rat Pack'r Charter Member..Great Bend KS
Originally Posted by rodj
I don't know about your cars but on my '87 and '90 the seat mounts are studs through a reinforcing plate from underneath; not a threaded insert so nothing to use a Ezi out on.
PS the stud is an 8mm.
You'll have to remove the strap under the car and replace the stud on it. This means welding.
Larry
code5coupe
Last edited by rocco16; Jan 6, 2006 at 03:57 PM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2005
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Originally Posted by rocco16
Yep. That's just the way it works.
PS the stud is an 8mm.
You'll have to remove the strap under the car and replace the stud on it. This means welding.
Larry
code5coupe
PS the stud is an 8mm.
You'll have to remove the strap under the car and replace the stud on it. This means welding.
Larry
code5coupe
Since the thing is twisted off just about flush with the floor, it was easy to put a drift punch on it and tap. Didn't feel it move at all. I'm thinking now that they're bonded in place.
I wonder if I should use a drill (and motor) that's just under the stud diameter and drill down almost all the way, leaving enough meat in the bottom to push against with a heavy drift punch and 30 oz hammer.
Doggone, I'm nervous because I can just see the floor tearing out around the stud and me having to do another repair like the two in front where some genius ran a jack or hoist up through it.