simple striped bolt head removal

[cody4359]

there a quite a few ways to remove striped bolt heads/allens. die grind it out, drill and use a bolt extractor, vise grips etc. if possible i like to weld a bigger nut ontop of the bolt head. my skid plate allens were striped, so i die ground out the center to celan it up put a nut over the head and tried welding. my overhead sucks so it didnt hold. to make it easy i just got a smaller nut/bolt and welded them to the allen head. came right out. this can also work on rusted bolts, the high heat shocks the rust/corrosion and should break free somewhat easy. just be aware that you need to disconnect your battery and place the ground close to where you are working so your bearing won't get buggared up.

 

[Car RamRod]

Good post. Let me add to it:

 

When removing something flush, like a snapped bolt or a countersunk screw like that, sometimes it's best to weld a washer onto said bolt, so you get a good weld in the center of it (in the open part of the washer). Then weld whatever size nut you want onto the washer and crank away.

 

I also like to give things a good whack on the head with a hammer just to shock it a bit.

[dfreeman616]

yup i've done this several times. the other thing to consider and reason to disconnect the battery is so you don't fry any electronics, like the pcm...