Removing rusty bolts near gas tank - :(

[lks dcvn]

I am stripping a cab and the seat belt bolts (middle of cab) are rusted solid and I can't remove the gas tank since these bolts hold the tank in...I would take my cutting wheel to them - but the proximity to the tank has me thinking against it.

Anybody got any ideas for how to get these bolts out so I can remove the gas tank from the cab and finish stripping it?

Tank is empty - I just siphoned the rest out over the weekend...

Thanks!

[BLACK AND BLUE 67-72]

Soak them with penetrating oil and use a breaker bar on them, I hac to do mine this way and it worked for me.

[WIDESIDE72]

If you use a 1/2" 6 point socket on a breaker bar, you MIGHT twist the heads off, but I doubt it. At least then you can drill the bolts and use an EZ OUT to pull the broken bolts. I have never heard of gas tank bolts being that rusted, since they are inside. If the heads are rounded off, Craftsman (and others) sells a set of sockets that grab the head of a rounded off bolt. they are not cheap, but once you buy them, you will be glad you did.

[msgross]

soak the underside too then, that where they are more rusted I bet.

[estig70]

Originally Posted by BLACK AND BLUE 67-72

Soak them with penetrating oil and use a breaker bar on them, I hac to do mine this way and it worked for me.

Just as Black and Blue says, soak them with penetrating oil (PB Blaster), may take a couple of days soaking but they should break loose using a breker bar for leverage.

Eric

[lks dcvn]

You guys should see the rust build up on the threads of the seat belt bolts (the outboard ones - near the cab corners) - you can't even identify threads on the bolts anymore they are that rusted. They look like rusted pegs and not bolts.

Chances are - once I get the breaker bar out - they will break off at the heads...the rust is on the outside - but it is there and is happy to keep holding on.

Thanks for the responses - I will shoot some PB Blaster on them when I get home and keep it up until the weekend - which will likely be the next time I will get to them.

[msgross]

Mine was so rusty I pulled those outer seat belts out by hand!

[Cyclone44]

If the tank is bad....Could it be filled with water? And be safe to work around....Maybe somebody will chime in on this...Good luck..

[Indyuke]

That's what I was thinking too... just fill the tank with water while you're grinding.

[WIDESIDE72]

I forgot that those bottom bolts go through to the outside, so anything that accumulates under the truck rots the bolts and nuts... My dad is a welder, and he makes repairs to gas tanks by draining the gas out and hooking a flexible tube from the exhaust of a running vehicle to the fill neck of the gas tank. (He makes sure to disconnect the lines going to the engine so that the fumes have somewhere to go, and is working in a well ventilated area.) He lets the engine run for around 10 minutes to purge any fumes, then brazes up any holes while the exhaust hose is still hooked up. Repair shops do the same thing but usually use nitrogen to purge the tank.

[Senator350]

yeah... empty tank is actually worse for the situation. a full tank wouldn't really ignite.

i forget exactly how close the bolts are, but i wouldn't think twice of using a piece of 1/8 steel or even a piece of wood as a sheild, and just grind away.