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Omg help messed up my door hinge torx bolt

Jebiruph

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ok tried to install Smittybuilt atlas steps. Can not get the bolt loose and think I started to strip one. What now?
upload_2019-2-23_13-2-25.jpeg
I'm not sure this is as bad as it looks. It looks like you may have used the wrong bit (too small) and the bit was not held perpendicular as force was applied. On a painted head like these, the correct size bit will be a very tight fit and will very likely damage the paint due to the tight fit. Once you get the bit firmly in place, use one hand to apply pressure to the bit to keep it seated in the bolt head while the other hand turns the ratchet to loosen it. Make sure you have a long enough ratchet so you can apply adequate force with one hand.

At 5:02 mark in this video, they show how to remove painted tailgate hinge bolts.


From the picture of the damaged bolt, it looks like there may be enough undamaged area deep down in the bolt head that the correct sized bit, properly seated, will be enough to get the bolt out.

You probably don't have anything to lose by trying another bolt. If it get's messed up, it's an easy enough job that I don't think you'll get charged any more for extracting two damaged bolts than you would for one. And after you are successful at getting the rest of the bolts loose, you may have some luck getting the damaged one out.

And so you don't feel too bad, I just had some work done on one of my cars and after they stripped a couple torx bolts, they charged me full retail for factory replacements.
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LLRubylady

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Dont give up on yourself because of one bad experience.
This I’ll take to a shop and let them handle it.
I felt confident after I put on the Maximus stinger with hubby’s help. “I can do this stuff myself” I thought. Nope. this is just too tough. Even my husband was like “ oh crap” when he saw the bolt starting to strip.
Just want my steps on already lol.
 
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LLRubylady

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This^^ , I have these they work great.
That’s handy to have in the toolbox. Thank you.
I’ve stripped screws in the past with household projects. I don’t recall how I got them out, but never knew this sorta thing existed.
 

mwilk012

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This looks like you used the wrong sized torx bit.
 

viper88

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This I’ll take to a shop and let them handle it.
I felt confident after I put on the Maximus stinger with hubby’s help. “I can do this stuff myself” I thought. Nope. this is just too tough. Even my husband was like “ oh crap” when he saw the bolt starting to strip.
Just want my steps on already lol.
You should be a happy camper Mon. A qualified mechanic or tech will have that out and your step on in a half hour or less.
 

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NathanG

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The only thing with those extractors is having the exact proper drill size, and not going too deep or the head will pop off. Too shallow and it will slip. If the head of the bolt breaks off you can try a smaller extractor to get the bolt off, but again, the chance of screwing it up goes up from here. I use these type of extractors on a weekly and I only have a 90% success rate.
 

viper88

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That’s handy to have in the toolbox. Thank you.
I’ve stripped screws in the past with household projects. I don’t recall how I got them out, but never knew this sorta thing existed.
Extracting tools are great and handy. Be sure to buy very high quality tools. Especially the drills. I aways try buying American or Western European made if possible. I'd stay away from the discount tool chains that carry cheap import products. The metallurgy for everything they make is pretty poor.

Extracting broken bolts and screws is a simple concept, drill a hole in the broken bolt or screw, insert extractor and loosen. In reality there is a certain degree of finesse required because you don't want to damage anything while trying to repair a broken bolt. Drilling a properly centered hole is the most tricky part. It can be hard to align the drill to get a nicely centered hole because, many times, a broken bolt will leave a less then flat surface to punch and drill. The steel of the broken bolt might be super hard and difficult to drill. Many possible issues. You don't want to drill off center and damage the female threads. I have had to fabricate fixtures to guide the drill, to ensure I get a centered hole, to ensure the female threads are not damaged during the drilling process. In some situations I have had to weld a bolt onto the broken bolt. You have to consider how deep the hole can or should be also. Not deep enough and the tapered extractor is not in enough to get a good bite. Many small details to consider. Anyone attempting to do it should have a certain degree of mechanical aptitude. It becomes second nature for someone who has decent mechanical aptitude and practice. We get better as we learn and do hands on work. It's always fun and satisfying to learn and do things on your own. For future broken bolts I'd practice on old screws or bolts to get the hang of drilling into metal. You should get a pretty good idea if the job is within your skill set after drilling a few bolts.
 
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viper88

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The only thing with those extractors is having the exact proper drill size, and not going too deep or the head will pop off. Too shallow and it will slip. If the head of the bolt breaks off you can try a smaller extractor to get the bolt off, but again, the chance of screwing it up goes up from here. I use these type of extractors on a weekly and I only have a 90% success rate.
+1 on the drill.
 

viper88

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Heli-Coil is great if the job goes south and there is enough wall thickness for the coil to be inserted.
 

IndustrialAction

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I bought three extractor sets. Harbor Freight (fail), Amazon easy out (broke in the screw within two seconds, catastrophic fail) and the Irwin. Drilled the bolt out just a bit, tapped extractor in, put the drill in reverse to set it then into my 1/2" breaker bar and it came right out. Huge relief.
 

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wolfdog

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Someone please explain? What kind of "step" do you need to take that hinge off, a roof step maybe? Can't imagine, fill me in!

Whatever, condolences!

Go Jeep!!!
 
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LLRubylady

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Someone please explain? What kind of "step" do you need to take that hinge off, a roof step maybe? Can't imagine, fill me in!

Whatever, condolences!

Go Jeep!!!
upload_2019-2-24_18-49-22.jpeg
These. They look really good on the Jeep. Helps reach the roof. I painted the step part red to accent the red in the rubicon.
 

MOPAR Boy

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STOP everything right now, and take your car to your Jeep dealer for repairs. The Service Department or Body Shop can hopefully handle this. At this point, this is no longer a DIY project. You need to let the Pros intervene here, and straighten things out.
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