Radiator body mount bolt removal
 

The driver side radiator body mount bolt has just a carriage bolt head (round) and it spins freely while I'm trying to get the nut off. Any suggestions on how to remove the nut?

:bowtie: IF ALL ELSE FAILS, I USUALLYHOLD THE NUT WITH VISE GRIPS TO KEEP IT FROM SPINNING, WHILE I CUT THRU THE RUBBER MOUNT & BOLT WITH A SAWZALL.:D :D

Fire wrench works for me.... WES www.ClassicHeartbeat.com

if you can get to the head of the carriage bolt, just grind it off. If you can't really do that, and don't wanna fubar the rubber mount, find someone with a good quality nut splitter.

TJ

Again, if you can get to the head cut a slot across it with a hacksaw or Dremel and hold it with a screwdriver to stop it turning.

If the rubber mounts are good, I use an air chisel otherwise liquid wrench is used, (torch).

Jim

If I remember correctly those heads on those carriage bolts are hard to get to to cut the head off or get vice grips on. I suggest take Wes's advice and get out the "blue wrench".

I just removed mine with the same problems. I took a dremel tool with a GOOD small cutoff wheel and cut 2 flats and then used vise grips. Otherwise the vise grips just slipped off. It worked for me :D
I didnt have any of that liquid wrench:( yet :D

I need to get a better selection of tools. No torch, sawzall, dremel. Do have an air cutoff tool though, maybe I can get that to work. This bold will be difficult to get out from the top or bottom. Just gonna take some ingenuity I guess!

The mounts are being replaced as are the bolts so maybe I can get the air hammer in there and chisel it off like mentioned above. What were they thinking, putting that type of bolt in. Surely they knew these things would be on the road long enough to need replacement :cool:

I had my cousin hold the bottom with a pair of vise grips then tried to put my 6'2' 290 lbs of strength behind it.

IT would not budge ...until the bolt snapped in half sending my hand into some sharp sheet metal on the radiator support giving me a nice gash on two fingers and bruising (felt like broken) knuckles.

Thus, I too would suggest cutting them off unless you have a good pair of padded gloves.

I'd try the nut splitter. Though you would need a relatively big one for this. Nut splitters are cheap, and even faster to use than "blue wrenches" (minimal setup). And they won't melt the rubber parts.

But first, make SURE you are turning only one of the nuts. There are two, stacked right against one another. The nuts will be a WHOLE LOT easier to turn if you take them one at a time. Perhaps you can use a backup wrench to separate them.

I will have to take a closer look, only looked like one nut on it.

What is a nut splitter.

Oh, man. You don't want to know. :D

Here is a pair. Note the price.

Try and save the bolt. Its a odd size (7/16 i think) and home depot dosent carry that size.
Randy:bowtie: :bowtie:

if you need new bolts tell me, theres a store at the end of the road i can get them for you for about 30 cents each, and about 20 cents on the taps

LOL! Hey Mark, these guys must think bolts aren't available in Kansas! ROFLMFAO!! Let me know in the morning if you need the grinder or sawzall, I'll be coming up your direction around 4-5 pm. I'm supposed to be at DeFazio's before 6:30. Don't let these guys scare you about bolts, every hardware or farm supply store around this country has them. "Home Depot doesn't carry that size".................LOL! That's a classic! :rolleyes:

Since it's spinnig I guess the square washer the carriage bolt goes in is gone? Want to make sure you get a new one. I had to cut mine off to. At least it's not the passenger side with the battery tray in the way. To get in there I shifted my radiator out of the way.

Jack - If you have a die grinder and a cutoof wheel just slice the bolt in two righ through the mount. When I did the mounts on my 52 I replaced the carriage bolts with std hex heads, I was able to reach in with a thin wrench.

the good ol grinder always works for me.

Home depot didn't have them.
Lowes didn't have them.
Local mom and pop store didn't have them.
Grainger didn't have them.
McMaster Carr had them but you had to order a box of 25.
Im not saying Kansas dont have bolts. Im giving you a little insight into the problem i encountered. Sure , i could use a hex head bolt or make something work. But i like my trucks to be correct. And 7/16-14 x 4.5 long is correct.

Is it odd that one side was a carriage style and the other side was a hex bolt?

I'm doing a body lift so I'm not reusing this bolts. Hopefully will get out tonight and get it unbolted.