Broken cab mount bolt question

[shortchevy]

Hey guys looking for a little advice here. I got in my truck today and broke off the rear bracket for my step bar. I knew it was rotten but I was hoping it would last till it got warm around here but I didnt get that lucky. The 2 drivers side body bolts came out good but I broke off the rear passenger side body mount . The truck is crew cab. Is there access from the topside if I were to take out the spare tire tools and pull the carpet back? I know there is on new ones but I have never broken a cab mount bolt on an obs.

 

[454ss]

is there any of the broken bolt sticking down below the thread insert in the cab? when mine broke there was an inch or so sticking down and I just used a stud remover and it came right out. if there isn't enough to get a stud extractor on you can place a nut over broken bolt and weld to it in the center of the nut. its a pain to do upside down but it works.

 

[shortchevy]

There is maybe 1/2 inch sticking down and it is almost pointed, the bolt must have stretched and then broke at the thinnest point. There is probably enough sticking out to weld a nut on, I didnt think of that. Sounds like Ill give that a shot tomorrow, thanks alot for the idea, ill make sure to letcha know how it goes

 

[454ss]

what happened where its thinned down is it rusts away, there isn't much tq on the body bolts, that's why theres thread locker on them, so they didn't stretch. therefore the bolt wasn't strong enough at the rusted part to overcome the tq it needs to break the rusty/seized bolt free. with the bolt not actually being "tight", just seized, ive had good luck going both ways bumping it with and impact. they usually come out relatively easy.

 

[shortchevy]

what happened where its thinned down is it rusts away, there isn't much tq on the body bolts, that's why theres thread locker on them, so they didn't stretch. therefore the bolt wasn't strong enough at the rusted part to overcome the tq it needs to break the rusty/seized bolt free. with the bolt not actually being "tight", just seized, ive had good luck going both ways bumping it with and impact. they usually come out relatively easy.

That makes sense about it rusting there, I would have loved to use an impact but I dont have compressed air at home... I have prolly $15-$20k worth of tool at work and MAYBE $500 worth at home lol. I work at a truck accessory shop and I do stepbars daily and have found that the factory bolts are FAR superior to the replacement that come with the bars. The bolt I broke was a crappy aftermarket one. I have never had any problems with body bolts but I work on mostly new vehicles. 2010-2011 gm 1500s have a TON of locktight on them and you have to make sure not to spin the top nut in the retainer cage, a coworker did that one day, thats no fun!

 

[454ss]

get it fixed?

 

[badazzbulldog]

under the carpet above each mount there are tin covers you can remove to get at the bolt where it comes thru the welded nut on cab floor

 

[shortchevy]

get it fixed?

No... I fought with it for an hour today with a vise-grips and a welder and it kicked my a$$... my welder needs a new liner so its running like garbage. I used to weld for a living so Im not new to working through machine problems but I couldnt get it to work well enough for long enough to get good penetration...

under the carpet above each mount there are tin covers you can remove to get at the bolt where it comes thru the welded nut on cab floor

SWEET! thats what I was hoping to hear! the bolt im dealing with is the pass rear (behind the rear seat underneath the jack compartment) and I really didnt feel like pulling it all apart just for the fun of it. I know 07-up trucks have access holes from the top and I was hoping to here 400's have them too. I bought the truck in december and it needs a good gut-n-clean so Ill just deal with the bolt when I do that. till then 5 body bolts should be plenty. thanks for the help

 

[badazzbulldog]

anytime glad I could help

 

[SkyHighColorado]

I don't have a crew cab, but I'm not understanding what the problem is here exactly.? Did you snap the bolt off or was the cab mount so rusty it fell apart? You should go get new hardware and order energy suspension body bushing kit. Once you get the mount off with a dead blow you will see the bolt hole in the bottom of the cab it just has a big nut welded on the inside that the long bolt threads into. I can't see needing to get access from the interior for any reason.

I understand what's going on now I re read this. I think you should cut the piece that's pointed flat and use an easy out with a map gas blow torch. If that doesn't work I would drill it out and re thread the hole. It wouldn't be hard to modify the mount plates to take a slightly bigger bolt.