Tough bolts on frame to box

[zibs71]

good day to all,im taking off my box to easier work on frame etc. I cant seem to get all the bolts off. Would bolt cutters work? What does one do in this situation? I'm sure I can't be the only one who has had this happen. Any help would be greatly appreciated

Zibs71

[firedemon]

i used a cutoff wheel on an angle grinder on mine

[geezer#99]

Bolt cutters are a bit hard to maneuver.
I’ve used nut splitters like this.

https://www.amazon.ca/Splitter-Damag...37901888&psc=1

[Carmen Black]

I have never even heard of nut splitters. Now they are in my amazon cart with all the other random tools I discover.


What is the exact problem? Can you not reach the bolts, or can't get the nuts to loosen or is the carriage bolt spinning?

If the carriage bolt is spinning, maybe having someone in the bed pressing down hard on the head of he bolt will make it seat firmly into the square recess so you can be underneath the bed turning the nut with a wrench.


I will say that when faced with a bad problem and after I go through every tool in the box and idea in my head, it always comes down to a Dremel rotary tool. It takes forever, but it always works. You can probably get a Dremel with a cutoff wheel into position to cut off the nuts. Or maybe even drill/grind out the heads of the carriage bolts. Or use the dremel to cut a slot in the head of the carriage bolt so that is can be held still with a large flat head screw driver.

[lil hoodlum]

I have used the nut spliters. They work well for this application. You can also tighten the nut on the bolt and sometimes the bolt will just break off. We have a great local shop here where I live that has just about every nut or bolt available.

[zibs71]

Thank you all for your responses to my issue. I gonna add a nut splitter to my tools.
I've never heard of this tool before. I broke away some of the wood (replacing wood anyway) so ill try some of these ideas. Bolt and nut still attached to frame. I'll either cut off or use nut splitter when mr. Amazon brings it to m

Thanks again

Zibs71

[Luvlegs]

I just drilled into the carriage bolt head with a bit that was the same size as the bolt shaft. The heads come off and the bolt drops out. Pretty quick.

[BigBird05]

I just removed my box and had to drill out 5 of the 6 bolts. Didn't take to long and I didn't have to buy any expensive tools.

[57taskforce]

I don’t try to loosen them at all. Lots of times if you can get it an extra few turns tight it will snap the bolt off and your good to go. If you try to loosen it, there’s a good chance you’ll ruin the recess in the bed that hold the nut which makes the whole thing that much more fun.

[blazer2007]

Originally Posted by Luvlegs

I just drilled into the carriage bolt head with a bit that was the same size as the bolt shaft. The heads come off and the bolt drops out. Pretty quick.

I did the same and was easier and don,t have to crawl around under the truck

[zibs71]

Hey everyone,

I ended up drilling the head off. It took abit but got 2 out of the four. Other ones I was able to use a socket and came out easy. .thanks for all the help people. This is why this group is the best!!

Zibs71

[bhemingson]

Step #1 Tighten until they break
Step #2 drill them out

To take your box apart, flip it upside down and repeat #1 and #2

[Peanut74]

If I want to save the bolt and its rusted I have sandblasted them first. It cleans it down to the bare metal and remove all the rust and such. Hit with some PB Blaster, wait an hour or two and remove the nut.

If I don't care about the bolt I drill them or break them off.

[zibs71]

Okay thank you everyone for all your help. Got box off . Now what do people lay box on while working on truck? I put mine on old saw horses but looking for better ideas.

Zibs71

[geezer#99]

If you have floor space use car skates.
Easy to build a taller platform on them if needed.


https://www.garagetooladvisor.com/au...y-tire-skates/

I bought some at Princessauto.

Besides that, where’s that snow I ordered for you?

[72c20customcamper]

For the bed I made a dollie just some 4x4s and pneumatic wheels, after I got the wood and rails out I put 2x4 braces to support the bed sides . These are the only pics I have of it with the 2x4s. It's now a moving pen for the chickens

If I were to do it again I would put swivel wheels on it

[zibs71]

Thanks for the reply everyone. This group is so awesome !!
For now I put on jack stands till I make something or get those car dolls (skates) here is a couple more pictures. Time to stsrt somewhere lol

Zibs71

[Benchracer]

Old thread, but how would someone repair the recess in the bed for the carriage bolts?

Originally Posted by 57taskforce

I don’t try to loosen them at all. Lots of times if you can get it an extra few turns tight it will snap the bolt off and your good to go. If you try to loosen it, there’s a good chance you’ll ruin the recess in the bed that hold the nut which makes the whole thing that much more fun.

Really wishing I had found this thread earlier....

[BASE]

I had one that I buggered up pretty good but was able to repair it by building up weld & grinding/filing back into shape. If were larger or rustier I'm not sure that would have worked very well.

[Benchracer]

Thanks BASE.

Only one was rounded off. The others are still square but expanded. Hoping I can somehow push the metal back in place then use your suggestion to tack and reshape the holes to hold new carriage bolts.

I have a growing list of what not to do...

[Hatzman]

Originally Posted by zibs71

Okay thank you everyone for all your help. Got box off . Now what do people lay box on while working on truck? I put mine on old saw horses but looking for better ideas.

Zibs71

I made a stand out of 2x4's and added wheels to it. Made it so much easier to move around in the garage, move outside for better lighting, etc.. Good luck!