Hard time removing bed bolts - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

kcfirstbuild · 11-19-2011, 05:59 PM

I'm trying to disassemble my 68 fleet side box. I have read you can use an impact and tighten them up till they break. I tried that but the carriage box spins. I tried it a couple times. I have some PB blaster soaking on them for the time.

Any other advice ?

I'm going to try a nut cracking tool for the ones i can reach.

FLcustom10 · 11-19-2011, 06:07 PM

I used a dremel tool to cut one that I couldn't break loose.

kcfirstbuild · 11-19-2011, 06:12 PM

ok will try that next !

red69ss · 11-19-2011, 06:28 PM

I center punched them , then step drilled them till the heads came off from the top. deffinently the easiest way I've found to remove them , its probaly easier if you don't try to loosen them first, but still may be effective.

redbaron69 · 11-19-2011, 07:44 PM

you can also try grinding a slot in them, and hold with a screwdriver. but if they are really rusty i would drill like mentioned above.

**lolife99** · 11-19-2011, 07:56 PM

Definitely cut them, before you ruin the "square hole" in the bed floor.
New bed bolts are a lot cheaper than repairing the bed floor.

Dano69c10 · 11-19-2011, 08:42 PM

The easiest way I found to remove frozen bed bolts are with a 4" or 3" cutting wheel.

I crawl underneath and cut vertically through the nut and bolt. Sometimes you only have to cut halfway through and the nut will come off with a wrench or socket. This prevents you from messing up your bed.

If you're good at cutting, you can cut through the nut it will split off the bolt.

*72lb4x4* · 11-19-2011, 08:54 PM

Sorry, you already tried my suggestion. I gotta work on my reading comprehension!

57larry · 11-19-2011, 09:12 PM

hot wrench is the way to go

**schwoch1** · 11-20-2011, 12:26 AM

I vote for the gas ax. Never met a bolt yet that I couldn't get out with it

Mike

cdowns · 11-20-2011, 09:14 AM

my 3" cutoff wheel makes short work of removing bolts

ChumBucket · 11-20-2011, 03:08 PM

Wrenches? Cut-off wheels?...the best method - PLASMA CUTTER, OH YEA!! Best tool ever invented.

kcfirstbuild · 11-20-2011, 06:21 PM

I took a dremel - since that's all I have at the moment. I then cut some slots in the the carriage head to take a flat screw driver. I'm letting them soak in PB for a couple more days before I try it. I did go under and cut off the bolt i could get at with my 4" grinder. I think I might have to take a wire wheel to a couple of bolts they are covered with 40 year old undercoating. Wish me luck

57larry · 11-20-2011, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChumBucket

Wrenches? Cut-off wheels?...the best method - PLASMA CUTTER, OH YEA!! Best tool ever invented.

I agree but my hot wrench is a lot cheaper to purchase

**WIDESIDE72** · 11-21-2011, 12:45 AM

I was lucky and when I pulled the last 72 bed, I took a piece of 2x4 had a friend place it on top of the bolt edgeways and stand on it. After spraying them several times over a few days with PB Blaster, te bolts came off fairly easily. We are lucky in Texas when it comes to rust. I have had other parts where I had to give up and get out the hot wrench.

**rob32472** · 11-21-2011, 08:20 AM

If you have a welder weld a bolt to the head of the carriage bolt and remove.....

JORGIE95961 · 11-21-2011, 01:51 PM

best way is to just tighten them.. BAM!!! they breal right off.. i just tore apart two beds and after spending an antire day taering appart my origional bed with a rotten floor i wentto my buddys house for my new floor he just tightend them till they broke.. 45 minutes latter wallaa.. piece of cake

Rooster's 67 · 11-21-2011, 02:22 PM

nut splitter

dfwright · 11-21-2011, 02:49 PM

What is a "hot wrench"?

hounddogs! · 11-21-2011, 05:39 PM

Oxy-acetylene torch. Also called a smoke wrench.

57larry · 11-21-2011, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hounddogs!

Oxy-acetylene torch. Also called a smoke wrench.

you kids. don't worry, Daddy's here to teach you

Vintage Windmills · 11-21-2011, 08:35 PM

I always liked the term "fire wrench" it sounds more badazz

ItsRandy · 11-22-2011, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vintage Windmills

I always liked the term "fire wrench" it sounds more badazz

"Blue" wrench has been used by me a time or two.

Rooster's 67 · 11-22-2011, 12:11 AM

actually called a "Blue tip" wrench ( a play on words for "bluepoint" one of snap-ons brands.
Used to remove/loosen bolts, heat metal for bending, cut metal, and warp sheet metal when used for brazing/welding. Also very good at catching flammable objects on fire and causing rubber components to smoke excessively smell like sheet and cause a big mess.
Im sure I have missed a few uses.

Rooster's 67 · 11-22-2011, 12:13 AM

Disclaimer: do not try at home or at all very dangerous.

Also used to fill potato cannons with very effective mix of combustible gases.
Will cause potato cannons to become shrapnel ask me how I know...lol now

11-19-2011, 05:59 PM	#1
kcfirstbuild Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Red Wing Mn Posts: 526	Hard time removing bed bolts I'm trying to disassemble my 68 fleet side box. I have read you can use an impact and tighten them up till they break. I tried that but the carriage box spins. I tried it a couple times. I have some PB blaster soaking on them for the time. Any other advice ? I'm going to try a nut cracking tool for the ones i can reach.

11-19-2011, 06:07 PM	#2
FLcustom10 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 322	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts I used a dremel tool to cut one that I couldn't break loose.

11-19-2011, 06:12 PM	#3
kcfirstbuild Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Red Wing Mn Posts: 526	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts ok will try that next !

11-19-2011, 06:28 PM	#4
red69ss Burnouts are therapeutic Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: lancaster, south carolina Posts: 852	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts I center punched them , then step drilled them till the heads came off from the top. deffinently the easiest way I've found to remove them , its probaly easier if you don't try to loosen them first, but still may be effective. __________________ 1969 CHEVELLE SS 1972 C10 ALMOST DAILY DRIVER 1968 C10 RUSTBUCKET (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE) 1972 PONTIAC LEMANS CONVERTIBLE (WIFE'S CAR) "My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met." - Rodney Dangerfield "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Einstein

11-19-2011, 07:44 PM	#5
redbaron69 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: marion nc Posts: 588	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts you can also try grinding a slot in them, and hold with a screwdriver. but if they are really rusty i would drill like mentioned above. __________________ 69 short fleet 350/350 "under construction" 70 short step 307/3 speed

11-19-2011, 07:56 PM	#6
lolife99 67-72 parts collector,… Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Mid-MO Posts: 22,690	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts Definitely cut them, before you ruin the "square hole" in the bed floor. New bed bolts are a lot cheaper than repairing the bed floor. __________________ Keith Convert to disc brakes. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=444823

11-19-2011, 08:42 PM	#7
Dano69c10 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Ontario, Kali Posts: 2,427	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts The easiest way I found to remove frozen bed bolts are with a 4" or 3" cutting wheel. I crawl underneath and cut vertically through the nut and bolt. Sometimes you only have to cut halfway through and the nut will come off with a wrench or socket. This prevents you from messing up your bed. If you're good at cutting, you can cut through the nut it will split off the bolt. __________________ '69 Fleet It ain't yours, if you didn't build it! Last edited by Dano69c10; 01-18-2012 at 10:56 PM.

11-19-2011, 08:54 PM	#8
72lb4x4 Account Suspended Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: DFW Posts: 1,427	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts Sorry, you already tried my suggestion. I gotta work on my reading comprehension!

11-19-2011, 09:12 PM	#9
57larry Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 1,161	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts hot wrench is the way to go

11-20-2011, 12:26 AM	#10
schwoch1 Local Detroit diesel nut! Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Burlington, WI Posts: 175	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts I vote for the gas ax. Never met a bolt yet that I couldn't get out with it Mike __________________ Nothing cool anymore, I am old and boring....

11-20-2011, 09:14 AM	#11
cdowns Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: daytonabeach Posts: 22,956	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts my 3" cutoff wheel makes short work of removing bolts __________________ 71c-10 350/2004r/4:11 lowered3/4 longbed/dead by hurricane MEANING OF DEATH::::: SOMEBODY ELSE GETS YOUR STUFF DONT BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU THINK TAKE MY ADVISE;I DON'T USE IT ANYWAY

11-20-2011, 03:08 PM	#12
ChumBucket Registered User Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Franklin, Tennessee Posts: 22	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts Wrenches? Cut-off wheels?...the best method - PLASMA CUTTER, OH YEA!! Best tool ever invented.

11-20-2011, 06:21 PM	#13
kcfirstbuild Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Red Wing Mn Posts: 526	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts I took a dremel - since that's all I have at the moment. I then cut some slots in the the carriage head to take a flat screw driver. I'm letting them soak in PB for a couple more days before I try it. I did go under and cut off the bolt i could get at with my 4" grinder. I think I might have to take a wire wheel to a couple of bolts they are covered with 40 year old undercoating. Wish me luck

11-21-2011, 12:45 AM	#15
WIDESIDE72 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Cedar Park, Texas Posts: 7,494	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts I was lucky and when I pulled the last 72 bed, I took a piece of 2x4 had a friend place it on top of the bolt edgeways and stand on it. After spraying them several times over a few days with PB Blaster, te bolts came off fairly easily. We are lucky in Texas when it comes to rust. I have had other parts where I had to give up and get out the hot wrench.

11-21-2011, 08:20 AM	#16
rob32472 Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Location: dallas ga Posts: 1,504	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts If you have a welder weld a bolt to the head of the carriage bolt and remove.....



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11-21-2011, 01:51 PM	#17
JORGIE95961 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: OLIVEHURST CA Posts: 570	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts best way is to just tighten them.. BAM!!! they breal right off.. i just tore apart two beds and after spending an antire day taering appart my origional bed with a rotten floor i wentto my buddys house for my new floor he just tightend them till they broke.. 45 minutes latter wallaa.. piece of cake

11-21-2011, 02:22 PM	#18
Rooster's 67 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: DFW Posts: 765	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts nut splitter __________________ The problem with America is stupidity. I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?

11-21-2011, 02:49 PM	#19
dfwright Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 1,374	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts What is a "hot wrench"? __________________ 1972 C10 LWB, 350/350 Deconstruction began 5/2009, mostly completed restoration, 5/2017

11-21-2011, 05:39 PM	#20
hounddogs! Restoring it $200 at a time... Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: NE Kansas Posts: 886	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts Oxy-acetylene torch. Also called a smoke wrench. __________________ Charter member of the 'Put the dimmer switch back on the damn floor where it belongs' Society '68 5.3L-4 speed LWB C20; grandpa bought it for the farm in '71. Now LS 5.3, rather than 327. DD '09 Pilot Weekender '65 Skylark 300-4V-4 speed Wife's '07 Lexus ES350; 117 actuator motors and I can't see the engine. Son's '04 F250 SuperCab 6.0

11-21-2011, 08:35 PM	#22
Vintage Windmills Vintage 4x4s Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Prior Lake, MN Posts: 4,305	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts I always liked the term "fire wrench" it sounds more badazz __________________ 67 GMC K1500 Custom- 305V6 SM420, PTO, Ram Assist, yellow (the outcast) (project period correct upgrades) 67 GMC C2500 351V6 TH400, AC, PS, PB (can't decide what to do with. Update, decided to keep and will restore ) 86 CHV K30 502 th400, apple red NEW 71 CHV K20 350 SM465, ochre (saved work truck) 71 CHV K20 292 SM465, white, tach, PTO, (future project) 72 CHV K20 350 350th, medium blue (project stocker) 01 CHV K2500hd crew, indigo blue ^3 dont run and the others don't see winter either '86 K30 Cummins "Fireside" thread: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=649649 '71 K20 "get driveable" thread: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=590642 '72 K20 Build Thread: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=493477&page=6

11-22-2011, 12:11 AM	#24
Rooster's 67 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: DFW Posts: 765	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts actually called a "Blue tip" wrench ( a play on words for "bluepoint" one of snap-ons brands. Used to remove/loosen bolts, heat metal for bending, cut metal, and warp sheet metal when used for brazing/welding. Also very good at catching flammable objects on fire and causing rubber components to smoke excessively smell like sheet and cause a big mess. Im sure I have missed a few uses. __________________ The problem with America is stupidity. I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?

11-22-2011, 12:13 AM	#25
Rooster's 67 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: DFW Posts: 765	Re: Hard time removing bed bolts Disclaimer: do not try at home or at all very dangerous. Also used to fill potato cannons with very effective mix of combustible gases. Will cause potato cannons to become shrapnel ask me how I know...lol now __________________ The problem with America is stupidity. I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?

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