Removing a stripped torx bolt

[Ucof]

I'm on the last of 6 T40 bolts that keep the driver's seat rails secured to the floor (Im trying to clean the cab properly), but unfortunatly, the chappie who last did it up (bless his little cotton socks) appears to have coated the thread of the bolt with superglue. So much so, that it won't rotate at all. In the slightest.

This has resulted in a fairly stripped T40 shaped hole, and the bolt still as tight as when I started.

I have tried a liberal amount of WD40, as well as different shaped drill bits (phillips, pozi, hex, flat) to see if any of them give any grip, but no luck.

Has anyone got any advice on how to remove the little b*stard?

[Gavin]

clean it, find a hex bolt that will go in the hole and weld it in, undo with socket and wrench. i had to do this with the torx bolts on my front anti roll bar

[Luke]

can you get to the ecxposed thread underneith - if you can grind it off (but not the nut bit) and you'll probly find the torx will undoo it as the heat from grinding will free it and theres no crap on the thread too

[Ucof]

Gavin, Luke, thanks for the replies

Gavin - I don't have a welder - would pritt stick work?

Luke - guess what! I don't have a grinder either! Could I just hold a butane lighter to it for a while then try it? There's no problem in getting to underneath it.

thanks again

[Luke]

tbh i'd get an angle grinder - prolly cheaper than a refill of butane

but you could try - but you wouldnt have the extra help of no rusty threads going throung the nut

[Ucof]

TBH - I reckon that once it got started, it wouldn't be a problem. It just getting that first little bit of give in it and freeing it up so that I can unscrew the rest of it.

I'll see if the lighter trick works.

[bazw]

try hammering a hex head bit into the torx head , this sometimes gets a grip when a proper torx does not

[Ucof]

Lighter didn't not nearly almost in the slightest

bazw - thanks for the idea, I'll give it a go tomorrow - I've given up for today.

[Gavin]

use a cold chisel and hammer a nick into the side of the head, then place a punch or drift on it at an angle and hit it with a hammer to drive it round

[Ucof]

Thanks Gavin, another good idea - only problem is that I haven't got that much access to it from the sides to turn it. If I did it from the top, I'd be forcing the bolt downwards rather than upwards. I'll have a play about with that idea and see what I can do.

Any more ideas?

[MrMPuk]

That Torx bolt looks like if you use the right size it will be okay.

[Ucof]

I have tried and tried and tried.
The Stanley T40 screwdriver (held with adjustable wrench) keeps slipping, as do the numerous T40 bits I have
It really is quite f*cked.

[MrMPuk]

Maybe it's not T40

[Ucof]

The rest of them were, as was this one when I started

[AlanN]

Ive had to drill one out a while back, started with 1/8th and worked my way up, even managed to save the thread, but did put a nut on just incase