tomcat59alan
Well-Known Member
If you have any old 1/2 in drive sockets try them if you don't mind wrecking them. Short extension and a lump hammer worked for me, once you get it moving it should come out easily.
tomcat59alan
Well-Known Member
tomcat59alan
Well-Known Member
Blow lamp will cure the problem, the bolt is surrounded by the plastic bumper, the number you will want is 999
tomcat59alan
Well-Known Member
A nut is a possibility but I found brute force worked for me.
Considered that but I don't have any welding gear. Keyhole surgery getting in that little plastic hole too so not sure how good a weld you'd get. Essentially all I've got now is a roughly pentagonal stub. The other side came out so I replaced it with a hexagonal M10 bolt while I regroup.
It is sort of inside the plastic bumper and has cabling for the tow bar electrics behind it so my blowtorch is out. Gripping is the main issue. I tried hammering on a smaller Torx. I tried using a jack to hold the various socket as hard against it as possible. That tow hook is just one obstacle too many. The bumper was brand new a few years ago so I'd rather not damage it.
Ok your options are somewhat limited.
An alternative suggestion would be to drill it out which is usually quite successful but you do need a good starting point in the centre of the duff bolt.
Even if you just drill a hole through the bolt, (which was slightly off centre), the vibration/heat may serve to loosen it.
If not you can then enlarge the hole, (up until you hit the thread), and it should then virtually drop out.
If all else fails you can always use a helicoil once you get it out.
Trouble is if your bolt is high tensile steel - as you will then need suitably specified drill bits.
Bit of a pain but really satisfying when the blighter finally twists, (or drops), out!
Had a similar issue with a Caliper bolt on my Jeep GC which I had to drill it out, (it was not easy and was in a very awkward area - stub axle).
There are also counter clockwise drill bits, (and stud removal tools), for such occasions but I have never used the CCW drills and I have never yet managed to extract a single bolt with my stud extractor set!
Typical how one simple job leads to another, (more complex job), every single time!
An alternative suggestion would be to drill it out which is usually quite successful but you do need a good starting point in the centre of the duff bolt.
Even if you just drill a hole through the bolt, (which was slightly off centre), the vibration/heat may serve to loosen it.
If not you can then enlarge the hole, (up until you hit the thread), and it should then virtually drop out.
If all else fails you can always use a helicoil once you get it out.
Trouble is if your bolt is high tensile steel - as you will then need suitably specified drill bits.
Bit of a pain but really satisfying when the blighter finally twists, (or drops), out!
Had a similar issue with a Caliper bolt on my Jeep GC which I had to drill it out, (it was not easy and was in a very awkward area - stub axle).
There are also counter clockwise drill bits, (and stud removal tools), for such occasions but I have never used the CCW drills and I have never yet managed to extract a single bolt with my stud extractor set!
Typical how one simple job leads to another, (more complex job), every single time!
I can't remember which side I'm afraid.
By tow hook do you mean the towing (recovery) eye thing, rather than the tow ball?
I think I might have had to go in at an angle, drilling as much away as I could, and then chisel the head off. At least drill and chisel enough of the head off to allow the bumper to move. It a flange head bolt, so you may be able to get away with just getting the flange smashed off. It's all a bit dim, but I did destroy the bolt getting it out, because I had to buy new ones. I've replaced with Hex Flange Head stainless, I've got two spare if you want them.
Once the bumper was off I had room to get the rest out with maul grips. It was all a terrible pain in the ass though.
Worth mentioning too, that the bolts don't screw in to the chassis, but in to two bumper mounts (ANR2381) that are also holding your tow bar on so you can chisel pretty hard, it's not going anywhere!
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tomcat59alan
Well-Known Member
Do try what I suggested and a bigger hammer,you have nothing to loose except a socket.
It was the same side as the towing eye...
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/rear-bumper-removal.189696/#post-1994030
By the looks of things I was having exactly the same trouble as you Jules. It took me three hours of drilling and hammering, and that was in 2012 when I was younger.
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/rear-bumper-removal.189696/#post-1994030
By the looks of things I was having exactly the same trouble as you Jules. It took me three hours of drilling and hammering, and that was in 2012 when I was younger.
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ovalandrover
Well-Known Member
use an arc welder to weld an extension to bolt head and is the heat should free the seized thred
tomcat59alan
Well-Known Member
He hasn't got any welding gear, I contemplated mig welding a nut on when I did mine but it is an arse of a place to work in. I have loads of old sockets so hammered one on,think it was a Whitworth and it cut new lands to grip on.
It's good to know that proper sockets are still of some use in the days of metric crap.
Ok, thanks for the suggestions.
Tomcat, I did try hammering a smaller Torx socket on but that failed. Unfortunately the remains are completely rounded.I bust a socket the other weekend and paid over the odds for another hex socket but maybe I'll risk it.
Martian, the angle of the drill is such that it will go out the side of the bolt before it gets far up the shaft. However as last resort I will drill and chisel the head off as MrGorsky did. Good news that it doesn't go into the chassis. That means I can bust the top off and then take off the steel bumper? So way forward there.
Looks like a friend might be able to borrow an arc-welder from work so I was planning to put a nut over the rounded stub and weld it in place. Just a case of when he can get it.
Looking more positive after some sleep though. Typical Landy job: 1 hr job turns into 2 days due to corrosion and previous incumbent torqueing everything with an impact driver.
Gorsky: thanks for the offer on the bolts but I bought 8.8 M10 with 17mm hexagonal heads when I was at Jones & Cocks yesterday. Should be good enough to stop it falling off.
Tomcat, I did try hammering a smaller Torx socket on but that failed. Unfortunately the remains are completely rounded.I bust a socket the other weekend and paid over the odds for another hex socket but maybe I'll risk it.
Martian, the angle of the drill is such that it will go out the side of the bolt before it gets far up the shaft. However as last resort I will drill and chisel the head off as MrGorsky did. Good news that it doesn't go into the chassis. That means I can bust the top off and then take off the steel bumper? So way forward there.
Looks like a friend might be able to borrow an arc-welder from work so I was planning to put a nut over the rounded stub and weld it in place. Just a case of when he can get it.
Looking more positive after some sleep though. Typical Landy job: 1 hr job turns into 2 days due to corrosion and previous incumbent torqueing everything with an impact driver.
Gorsky: thanks for the offer on the bolts but I bought 8.8 M10 with 17mm hexagonal heads when I was at Jones & Cocks yesterday. Should be good enough to stop it falling off.
Update...
Cannot get access to weld properly. Welded a nut up the centre but as soon as you put any force on it the weld broke.
Hammering a socket on failed as well. Just cannot grip anything or socket too small. Down to a 7mm socket now.
Looks like drilling and chiselling the head off is the only way.Had enough though. Not losing what precious little is left of my weekend on 1 bolt. Can wait till next weekend.
Is there no way the plastic bit comes off without removing the bumper?
Cannot get access to weld properly. Welded a nut up the centre but as soon as you put any force on it the weld broke.
Hammering a socket on failed as well. Just cannot grip anything or socket too small. Down to a 7mm socket now.
Looks like drilling and chiselling the head off is the only way.Had enough though. Not losing what precious little is left of my weekend on 1 bolt. Can wait till next weekend.
Is there no way the plastic bit comes off without removing the bumper?
tomcat59alan
Well-Known Member
Not from memory Mate, you need the bumper off to get to the bolts/scerws that hold the plastic on. Think there are some double sided tape in there as well. When I did mine I added some expanding foam for good measure.
