Hey

Bolt sockets in front and rear that are holding the seat track down in car can't be removed..i tryed lightly hamering it, spraying with WD.. nothing helps. the bolts are rusted and gonna stay there for ever. And the seats are must fix, they are dancing all over the place when im driving..


any solutions? the last scenerio is to see my self cuting sockets off

 

Definitely DO NOT CUT OUT STUDS.

Try some PB Blaster or other penetrating oil. Also impact wrench.

Good luck!

 

Those rusty bolts/nuts are a PITA! First, exercise extreme patience. Do NOT rush or get angry. You'll end up breaking the bolt/nut and then you'll really be pissed. Plus you'll have to then drill it out and re-tap the thing. Don't. Here's the steps I'd take. First step will be using some penetrants. WD-40 is a good one but not the end all either. Clean as much of the rust off with a small wire brush as you can and vacuum it out. Cover the surrounding areas (carpet, etc) with wads of paper towels and SOAK the bolt allowing it to penetrate for minutes to hours to overnight. Don't rush this step. It's been on there a long time and it might take some time for the penetrant to work its magic. Test it with your rachet and socket ever so often. If still stuck, get some stronger stuff like PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench Penetrating spray and repeat the SOAK process and allow to soak again, testing periodically. After that, start trying a bigger, heavier rachet with more leverage. If that fails, this next one will probably work, but you MUST BE CAREFUL. Use water and saturate the carpet area around the bolt. Get it very wet. Then get the torch out and heat up the BOLT/NUT ONLY. While the bolt/nut is hot, melt some parafin wax on it. The wax will wick into the threads. Allow to slightly cool and give it a test try immediately with your rachet/socket/wrench. If this works, then after removing the seat, dry the carpet out with mopping up, hair dryer, etc. Just don't let it stay wet. Last resort might be an air or electric impact wrench. And if all those fail, then its time to break it and then drill/tap the damn thing. If you use the torch method, please be careful. I'd hate to see that the car got burned up. If you're able to successfully get the seats removed, get new bolts/nuts when reinstalling. Hope this helps.

Do have one question. How did these get so rusted? Was the car submerged in water at some previous time or subjected to very heavy humid conditions in the past? I realize some areas are more prone to this but I don't see this happening that often. Let us know how things turn out.

 

Removing the bolts are not a big a deal as it would seem. Road racers do it all the time to install longer studs for lap belt bars. They are just spot welded from the bottom. Just dremel them loose and remove and repl with grade 8 bolts. I would recommend trying all of the above first though. Good luck with it.

 

Not sure about access to the nuts, would need to get under my car to look. But, you can buy a "nut splitter" tool. They grab a nut and you tighten a wedge shaped hardened splitter that actually can cause the nut to expand. It should be able to "spread" the nut to allow easy removal. The tool comes at the nut from the side. I have used one before. I had the tool for 30 years before I needed it one weekend. Worked great. If you need further help on one send me an email. Mine was a Craftsman I got in the late 70's/early 80's but others make them.

 

Good advice, especially the, Apply Liquid Wrench, let it soak and repeat ... and then repeat some more part. If it is as bad as it sounds, don't be shy about spraying it every morning for a week, before you even put a wrench on it. Normally heat is your best friend with rusted hardware. I would suggest that you reserve that for the last possible resort. Not only are the interior bits heat intolerant, but the floor is made of balsa wood and plastic resin. It will not appreciate the torch. If you decide to use an impact, be sure and throttle it down with a regulator.

Patience is your friend!

 

PBS Blaster is good stuff. Spray it on, come back in a half hour and the bolts will be laying on the carpet!

 

Have you tried an impact wrench? A good impact wrench with at least a 400 ft/lbs rating should get them off no problem. Let them soak as others have suggested and then hit them with the impact wrench. Try to not use any socket extensions just the socket.

 

Please let us know how this turns out. Thanks!!

 

I think i know why these are rusted!! Now i have to do one more thing to my vette -- if car was ever left in rain, the carpet felt a very little wet.. so always get her in garage as it starts to rain, the carped might lead the water to the bolts.. that might be the reason. ill start this operation today i need to repair my seats what ever it takes

thanks for all that help, i didnt expact that many advices. Thanks!!

 

CactusCat - thanks for the info. Don't have a problem now, but hey, you never know when it might be needed.

 

Ill get pictures of these bolts!! i can't explain what a feeling it was when the wrench moved.. but it was hard to move till last thread..yery very hard.. gah but hey, the seat is out!!

 

Well, almost laying on the carpet. Hit them with PB Blaster......
several times, let sit overnight and see if that works. Good luck.

 

Good to hear you finally got that bad boy un-done. I will say, you definitely gave the PB plenty of time to work. It's been almost two weeks since we last heard from you. But very much appreciate you letting us know how it turned out.

 

Continue to be patient - if it does not come all the way off then run it back down and add more PB Blaster and bring it back up!

If the bolts end up all jacked up then like stated above - cut the small tack welds under the Vette and add some grade 8 bolts through the bracket!

Would really like to post pictures so other who have the same problem will have a great visual! It "WILL" help so many more when you do this! Share!

Thanks,Matt

 

I saw a study done some time ago dealing with penetrating lubes. Their findings (considering every brand I ever heard of) was that 93% alcohol mixed with ATF was the #1 most effective. I tried it at work and I sorta agree. I keep it in a contact lens fluid bottle. I also use Gibbs brand, and that stuff is really nice. Vastly superior to WD which will rust things like no tomorrow.

 

Most of you guys replying after post 12 need to read post 12.

 

Now you know that would take all the fun out of it.