Seat belt buckle bolts stuck

[GoToGuy]

If it's a torx bit head. It's not standard torx head. It is a Torx Plus , high strength torx bolt. You must use a Torx +P bit..

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[Salty K1500]

I also stripped out that bolt when replaced my seatbelts. My dad and I ended up cutting the head off of one of the bolts. We then very carefully drilled most of the bolt out, coming just short of removing the entire bolt. What remained at that point was just a paper thin amount of the threads from the bolt. Then with a hammer and punch, my dad even more carefully tapped the remaining part of the bolt out. Slow and painful process but we didn't damage the threading in the floor pan at all.

 

[fancyTBI]

If it's a torx bit head. It's not standard torx head. It is a Torx Plus , high strength torx bolt. You must use a Torx +P bit..

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Yep! I bought one from Snap-On. A nice T-47. Worth the price.

 

[evilunclegrimace]

Yep! I bought one from Snap-On. A nice T-47. Worth the price.

That is odd. All of the torx bolts for the seat belts in my trucks are FTX500, T 47 is to loose

 

[fancyTBI]

That is odd. All of the torx bolts for the seat belts in my trucks are FTX500, T 47 is to loose

That is what I have, too. On Snap-On’s website they call it a T47 and an FTX500 - that is where I got T47 from.

 

[GoToGuy]

You didn't show the driving end . I'm using the industrial design designation, not the tool truck or a supplier name number. Look at the end, the larger squared off , driving legs, shows it's " Torx + P ", or " Torx Plus ".
If the torx bit doesn't fit snug, look at it again , it may require " T - Plus " bit. Especially if the bolts are installed in a high strength required area, as in seatbelt retention hardware.

 

[GoToGuy]

I also stripped out that bolt when replaced my seatbelts. My dad and I ended up cutting the head off of one of the bolts. We then very carefully drilled most of the bolt out, coming just short of removing the entire bolt. What remained at that point was just a paper thin amount of the threads from the bolt. Then with a hammer and punch, my dad even more carefully tapped the remaining part of the bolt out. Slow and painful process but we didn't damage the threading in the floor pan at all.

Now that I own a welder, I too recommend welding a nut onto the bolt and spinning it out.

Please don't subject an area of high design strength to high heat produced by molten metal. Especially in something as important as seat belt hardware retention. Try the working smarter, " why are bits breaking ? " " They feel loose " . The service manual references all hardware, type , grade, and tools.
Everything is in the service manual, if you look.

 

[Salty K1500]

Please don't subject an area of high design strength to high heat produced by molten metal. Especially in something as important as seat belt hardware retention. Try the working smarter, " why are bits breaking ? " " They feel loose " . The service manual references all hardware, type , grade, and tools.
Everything is in the service manual, if you look.

Good point, I removed that part from my reply.

 

[fancyTBI]

You didn't show the driving end . I'm using the industrial design designation, not the tool truck or a supplier name number. Look at the end, the larger squared off , driving legs, shows it's " Torx + P ", or " Torx Plus ".
If the torx bit doesn't fit snug, look at it again , it may require " T - Plus " bit. Especially if the bolts are installed in a high strength required area, as in seatbelt retention hardware.

Mine works fine. Never slips. Grimace and I are in agreement.

 

[Canadian Rust Bucket]

What you can do to help loosen the bolt before you try to turn it out again is heat it up gently with a torch. Then take the candle out of a tea light and melt it on the hot bolt threads. The goal here is to have the wax wick into the threads between the bolt and the captured nut. If you've ever soldered copper pipe, it's a little like that.
Let it cool, then heat it and apply wax again. While the bolt is still hot, you can try turning it out again.

This trick works better than penetrating oil in my experience. The wax and the heat work in conjunction, rather than having the penetrant combusting from the heat.

One other thing, if you have a set of dental picks or even just a sharp razor, cleaning out the head of the bolt is a good idea to let the bit get a better grip. Also, using a ratchet with the torx bit rather than a screwdriver style gives you better leverage and control, making turning out the bolt without stripping the head easier.