Ok, background first, 2000 Cherokee Classic. My Rear Exhaust hanger broke, so I decided to go ahead and get a gas tank skid plate from JCR and get the nut strips as well (something always breaks). Removed the old hanger bracket and hitch receiver (broke 2 bolts, personal record for fewest broken bolts). Time to remove the rear bumper to remove and replace the nut strips. The End caps came off fine but the two bolts on the bottom of the bumper were attached using extruded u nuts which promptly broke as soon as the wrench touched the heads of the bolts. So my question to you guys (since no one on the internet seems to have posted anything like this) is, how l do you remove bolts when the u nut broke at the "spine" and just spins with the bolt? I do not have access to a welder or cutting torches, and the space is too tight for my grinder. google searching "broken u nut/extruded nut returns info for broken lug nuts.

Thank you in advance guys,

Jon

 

Reach in there with a long pair of
Pliers and hold on tight!
Other suggestion is take the four bolts holding the bumper bracket onto the unibody out. Then the bumper bracket and everything comes out together and you got more room to mess around possibly just cut the bolt off. Those four are a pain but it can be done.

 

Locking pliers (vice grips). Grab on and then turn the bolt.

 

^^X2^^

 

Passenger side had to be drilled out. Drivers side the u nut broke in such a way that I could tighten it so I brought out the impact wrench and tightened it until the bolt head broke off.