When blowing apart your beds,

[hugger6933]

how are you men/women handling the bolts that are turning in the "pockets"? Or the square portions where the carriage head part of the bolt rides. I have one of my beds in the shop on the bed dolly and some of the front panel bolts just wouldn't come out even after brushing and spraying. I cut those off with the die grinder. The ones along the bedsides I had thought about tack welding the heads to the floor, then removing the weld with the die grinder after the side is off and the access is easier. So whatcadoin? Jim

[chiefcfd]

This was the hardest part of my destruction process. Most came off. Some I used the die grinder. I cut a slot in the head and used a large flat screwdriver. Others I used vise grips to hold. Welder might be a good option, I didn't try that one. Sometimes you can tighten them and snap them off when they spin in the slot. Good luck. Sometimes I just walk away and try another day.

[Bishops Trucks]

Tac welding sounds like a great idea. I used the grinder on my stubborn bolts. Like chief said, sometimes walking away and trying later helps also.

[too much stuff]

Tighten them until they break, or set a nut on top of the head and throw a weld on the inside where the threads are then you can put a wrench on it.

[Dano69c10]

This is the method I use; I use my 4" cutting wheel and cut into the bolts as such.



If you have a real steady hand, then cut a little more;



The nut will either fall off the bolt, or you can wrench off the bolt easily.

Dano

[dfwright]

I had to weld a nut onto the head of a couple of them to get them off. I cut the ones I could.

[Johnnyfever]

I used a titanium drill bit to drill a hole in the head of the bolt and used an easy-out in the newly created hole in the bolt head. Then just a ratcheting wrench on the nut underneath. And I had to do this on every single bolt I had. Only took about 45 minutes after I picked up the titanium 3/16" bit....cut through like butter.

[YBNORML]

I used to dick around by trying to unbolt everything. Now I just flip the bed over and grind them off to begin with. Bolts are cheap and it saves a ton of aggravation.

[hugger6933]

I ended up welding nuts onto the carriage heads and holding with a wrench. I have another one to do real soon so YBNORMAL's course of action was my next thought with my exception of standing it up on the front panel to cut the m off with either the torch or plasma cutter. Jim

[Mr Chevorlet]

The fastest way is to drill the heads off, Start with a small bit, center it and then use a bigger bit the same size of the bolt. It goes real quick if you have sharp bits.

[67ChevyRedneck]

I cut an X into the head of the bolt with a cut off wheel. That usually removes enough material/weakens the head enough to tap a large screwdriver under it and pop it off.

[hugger6933]

Well I got this bed done now on the next one next week, I'll do different but this one I ground the heads down on some and tapped the down with a hammer and punch and then on some other I welded nuts to them and held them with a wrench. Jim

[73737373]

Cut a groove in the bolt so it looks like a screw head. Then use a screwdriver to hold the bolt head and get your buddy to turn the nut.

[Maxxd07]

If you have some scrap length of rod or flat stock you can weld it to the heads of several bolts at once and climb under and loosen the nuts as a one man show. I haven't done it yet but once I get going that is my plan.

[YBNORML]

Although all of these ideas wil accomplish the task, most of them run the risk of rounding out the holes on the boxside or nicking the sheetmetal with the grinder. That is why I prefer the flip and cut method. Any accidental marks are on the underside.