I just felt the need to vent my frustration with Torx bolts. Seriously, what is the point of them? How is there any advantage to them over a standard hex head?

Oh, and here's why I really hate them right now. I'm trying to remove my rear door for some rust repair, and these two bastards stripped out when trying to remove them after generous PB blasting. Not the first time I've stripped a Torx.


Now, I can get to the back of the bolts behind the door panel as shown here, but I'm not sure I want to mess up the threads trying to get vice grip pliers in there. Does anyone have any suggestions? How do I get these dang bolts out (and maybe replace them, preferably with HEX???)



To make matters worse, the cheapo Torx set I got from Harbor Freight didn't have the correct size to remove the seat belts. Can anyone tell me what the proper size to remove them (front and rear) is, so I can pick up a socket today?

 

I ended up having to grind the heads off when I stripped the same bolt

 

I really hope it doesn't come to that! What did you do after that to get the bolt out? There's not much room to work there, either. UGH!

 

I hate them as well, I replace every one I take off.

I cut the head off, once the door was off there was a bit left sticking out so I used vice grips on that.

 

Maybe you can use an extractor set for a drill.

 

I hate them as well.

Can you get a dremel tool in there to cut a slot in them for a flathead screwdriver? I have done that numerous times on all different kinds of stripped fasteners.

your options pretty much are:

-Slot for flathead
-extractor bit (may or may not work)
-grind head completely off

you MIGHT could double nut the bolt inside the door and use them to break the bolts loose, and then probably back them out with the torx bit that "fits"

are you sure you were using the proper size bit? I have never stripped out a torx bolt, numerous cheap torx bits, but never the bolt itself as they are pretty strong by design, which if I am not mistaken is why they are used so much in the automotive industry.

 

The slot with a dremel trick works great on smaller torx or any fastener for that matter. If you have a welder you can also weld a bolt to the stripped head, that's my go to trick now that I have one. I like many many other Jeepers replace nearly every Torx I run into, wranglers have even more than us, or maybe I seem to work on them more, haha.

 

Thanks for the input everyone. I had considered the slot for a flathead idea, but wasn't sure I could get enough leverage on it. I like the sounds of the double nut idea, but I'd have to find nuts that fit somewhere. I think I'll try the slot trick first. If that works then I can reuse the bolt.

 

To answer the seatbelt question, i believe its t55. If not that its t50. One of those two for sure.

 

T55 was the biggest one in my set that I got, and it is too big for both front and back seatbelts. I don't have a t50, so maybe that's the one. Anyone else know for sure?

 

do you have a welder? I've had good luck plug welding a nut on top of the torx bolts and using a wrench to get them out, and the heat from welding helps break them loose also

 

if you have good grip strength, clamp some vice grips down on the shaft of the screwdriver. if you don't have good grip strength (like my buddy) it's about worthless though.

My buddy is dumbfounded as to how I can clamp vicegrips as tight as I can. I end up leaving indentions in the item clamped to. he can't do it and can't figure out why... may it's cause I am twice his size and have been doing mechanic work since I was in diapers, literally.

 

weld a bolt head to the end and use a gear wrench. That's what I done when I was helping a buddy with his doorless mod.

 

I haven't gotten around to the door yet today, but I did get a T50 for the seatbelts. DAMN those bolts are tight....

 

I don't have any issues with them. Buy Snap-on.