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Rounded off bolt heads

old skool

Full Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
1,037
Location
Tolleson, AZ
Does anyone have any ideas on how to remove a bolt that has a stripped head? I went to change my sway bar bushings and the two bolts that hold them on were so tight, I ended up rounding one of the bolts off. I did hit them with pb blaster before attempting to remove them. I almost had a similar problem removing my caliper holder bolts last week.
 
I have a set of those made by Craftsman my kids gave me for Christmas one year. I've never used them, but my neighbor rounded off a bolt head trying to remove the intake manifold on his Suburban and was agonizing. He came to ask me and I gave him the set. He was back with it in about 4 minutes saying it worked like a champ! Good luck :>}
 
plenty of specialty tools to remove rounded bolts...

Check them out online and at local tool store of choice...

buy what you tink will work best ad let us know.

I saw one with bunch of pins inside a deep socket.... thought it was cool...

But I do like those randy linked too... anything that bites and well sharp edge to bite into rounded bolt

Also another check it can you just cut head off and then get to it another way.
 
Went with this set from Amazon…Does anyone know what size new bolts would be, or part number or where to purchase? I don’t want to try removing the stripped bolt before getting new ones. Bolts that hold the front sway bar and bushing.

TOMMARS 15 Pc Impact Bolt & Nut Remover Set, Bolt Extractor Set, Lug Nut Remover Tool with Solid Storage Case for Removing Damaged, Frozen, Rusted, Rounded-Off Bolts, Nuts https://a.co/d/1CEx2xy
 
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For rounded nuts, I've always been able to use my large vice grips super tight bite. Hopefully I won't need the extractor set but I do know that those sets work great.
 
Went with this set from Amazon…Does anyone know what size new bolts would be, or part number or where to purchase? I don’t want to try removing the stripped bolt before getting new ones. Bolts that hold the front sway bar and bushing.

TOMMARS 15 Pc Impact Bolt & Nut Remover Set, Bolt Extractor Set, Lug Nut Remover Tool with Solid Storage Case for Removing Damaged, Frozen, Rusted, Rounded-Off Bolts, Nuts https://a.co/d/1CEx2xy
GM part number for bolts is 11609701
 
Was able to remove 1 bolt on the left bushing holder without stripping. The other bolt on the left side stripped but I was able to remove it with the extractor socket. The right side is a whole different story. Both of those bolts rounded off and even with the extractor socket, I wasn’t able to remove them. Anyone with any ideas on what to do now?
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How I would do it is buy a thick metal reciprocating saw blade and cut the clamp part then remove rubber bushing. Then put some heat on the bolt.
Now the set of I have are tapered so I would hammer them on and use a impact wrench.
 
How I would do it is buy a thick metal reciprocating saw blade and cut the clamp part then remove rubber bushing. Then put some heat on the bolt.
Now the set of I have are tapered so I would hammer them on and use a impact wrench.
I didn’t think of an impact wrench…that would probably work…the extractor socket wants to slip off the head of the bolt using a ratchet. Thanks
 
Try a BFH and beat it on so it really grips
 
I recently did the same thing to the same exact bolts, if I remember correctly they are 10 mm and I had bought the Irwin 3/8 sockets with the teeth that you pound on to get it to bite. They were at one of the box stores. I took the size that was just smaller and air hammered it on, it came right out, but then just got some grade 9s same thread at the zone or advance. I had torched the crap out of it and blastered it real good. I had new parts so I wasn’t worried about burning the old rubber off. Good luck sir.
 
Tried with my impact wrench today and bolts still won't budge. I even hit it with a torch until the bushing caught on fire. Still struggling to get these things out. I've never had this much of a problem with bolts. I live in Arizona, so everything on the bottom side is rust free.
 
Tried with my impact wrench today and bolts still won't budge. I even hit it with a torch until the bushing caught on fire. Still struggling to get these things out. I've never had this much of a problem with bolts. I live in Arizona, so everything on the bottom sids rust free.
"I even hit it with a torch until the bushing caught on fire. " I think we've all done that!
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I have had decent success with the extractors and penetrating oil folks above described.
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I have used a grinder and cut nuts off the backside and hammered the bolts thru, effective on leaf spring bushing bolts bolt likely not available to your predicament.
In my worst rounded bolt scenario, nothing above worked.. I took a "too small deep well socket, drilled a 3/16" (if I remember correctly) hole thru the side, hammered the socket on the round bolt head, it went about 2/3rd of the way.. I then drilled a hole in the bolt head and put in a screw.. I really thought it was gonna work.. then the screw snapped.
So of course I was frustrated :mad::mad:, Out comes the stick welder, I welded the socket to the bolt, let it cool, flooded with more penetrating oil, beat on it with a hammer to make sure the weld was good and shock it somewhat, or maybe just to calm myself, heated the (female threads) on the backside with a propane torch, used a 2 foot cheater pipe on my breaker bar and out it finally came.
It took all day, but I was so proud:cheers:, I only ruined 1 socket and this 30 minute job only took 2 days to complete.

My better than I deserve wife "somehow sensed" my frustration and never came to the garage to ask how I was doing :D


If that doesn't work, I would consider grinding / cutting the flange of the bolts off, drop the bracket and bushing down then with the increased exposed surface area weld to it to get more leverage to remove it, If that still doesn't work, cut it off, drill & tap a new hole for new bolt(s).

I grew up on a horse farm, I pride myself on doing almost everything myself.. but as I get older I might consider writing a check to a shop.. That all said, no dishonor in knowing you are beat or don't have all the tools necessary and writing a check to save your sanity / marriage.
 
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Tried with my impact wrench today and bolts still won't budge. I even hit it with a torch until the bushing caught on fire. Still struggling to get these things out. I've never had this much of a problem with bolts. I live in Arizona, so everything on the bottom side is rust free.
Mine were so seized the head of the bolt snapped off on the front of each side.. Welded a nut several times, but ended up drilling them out.. was a royal PITA.
 
Debating on going with the “drill a hole” type extractors next. Hate to keep dropping money on tools that aren’t getting the job done.
 
Might need to weld something to it like maybe a bolt and double nut it to back it off with the impact. The heat from the welder should help loosen it also.

I had to weld a 3/8 extension into my diff fill bolt on my Yukon to get it out. Also had to weld a bolt to a broken exhaust manifold bolt. But they both came out!

I hate when a 15min job turn into a days-long project..
 
Those bolts are a joke. They seize up way too easy, they used a terrible original design where the bolt's twisting action occurs a mile away from the actual hole causing them to always snap and to top it all off, the bolts are hilariously soft. I ordered the newer iteration of GM's swaybar hangers which now mount right up to the frame holes, no more dumb long tube channel that the original bolt sat through before getting to the screw hole. And then I threw in grade 8 bolts. I wish I had swapped to grade 8 the moment I bought the truck. Would have saved a huge amount of time down the road.
 
So much this! I'm not sure the bushings were even fully shot on mine, but I figured for $10 I would replace with new! I should've left it alone lol
Same here… the sway bar end link bushings were shot, so I figured I’d just replace sway bar bushings too.
 
Might need to weld something to it like maybe a bolt and double nut it to back it off with the impact. The heat from the welder should help loosen it also.

I had to weld a 3/8 extension into my diff fill bolt on my Yukon to get it out. Also had to weld a bolt to a broken exhaust manifold bolt. But they both came out!

I hate when a 15min job turn into a days-long project..
Unfortunately I don’t have a welder…not going to let those 2 bolts get the best of me. We are still over 100 degrees here with humidity. I’ll have more patience when it cools down in about a month.
 
Just get a good quality cobalt drill bit and drill the head off, it'll work. May need to start smaller in center then go with the big one.

The cobalt bits drill hard, hard metals, stainless, etc. It's what I use when nothing else works and I've always gotten the bolt out.
 
Just get a good quality cobalt drill bit and drill the head off, it'll work. May need to start smaller in center then go with the big one.

The cobalt bits drill hard, hard metals, stainless, etc. It's what I use when nothing else works and I've always gotten the bolt out.
Drill the head off?..and then?
 
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