Broken seatbelt bolts

[cliffyp]

I ordered a custom molded floor from stockinteriors.com and went to put it in today. It's a vinyl floor, textured kind of like rhino linings, pre-molded for all the humps, just cut to fit around 4x4 shifter and bolt holes.

The bench seat came out no problem. I couldn't get the seatbelts to budge with my impact wrench so I grabbed the breaker bar and cheater pipe. I snapped off 3 out of 4

Finally have an excuse to buy and extractor set! Hopefully all goes well and I can put in a picture of the new floor!

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Get some penetrating oil on those things first! And don't bother with WD-40. It's NOT penetrating oil! It's a lubricant and water displacer, but it's not a penetrant.

Use PB Blaster or the like.

 

[cliffyp]

Agreed! It's already soaking in PB

 

[4x4 Forever]

Might think about some heat as well, right on the end of the bolt - or what remains of it.

Good Luck!

 

[steelandcanvas]

Be sure and put some Never-Seize on your new bolts.

 

[85CUCVtom]

Heat would be great. I used a mapp gas torch to free mine up. Still broke one.

 

[cliffyp]

I'm in the process of drilling them now. I think I'll let them soak over night. Good call on the heat.

 

[unaffiliated]

Seat belt bolts are a special size unlike any other bolt anywhere on the truck. I believe they are 11mm fine thread if I'm not mistaken. All vehicles made have the same diameter/size seat belt bolts, it's a DOT law or something. I know this from back in the day when I converted grey-market Mercedes to US specs and to add rear seat belts.

 

[cliffyp]

I sized the one bolt that didn't break and it was M12-1.75 x 35.

 

[unaffiliated]

Everything I have found on the Google Machine says that they are 7/16x20 and that it is a US DOT regulation that every vehicle made for the US market have this size bolt for the seat belts. I did not measure mine so I can't be sure. So I was wrong about 11mm., but 7/16 = 11.1mm or close to it.

 

[K9Vic]

Where did your truck come from, Texas or a state in the salt belt?

I have never had an issue with these bolts on about a dozen 70/80s square body trucks coming from Texas and one from Colorado. I will soak them down the day before with PB Blaster. If I notice that it is not going easy after it soaked for a night I will heat the bolts and try to remove them while hot. I have only once snapped a bolt head on a M1009 rear seat belt and after more heat I removed it from the bottom out with a vise grips.

A southern truck like this that is not near the Gulf Coast should not have issues with the floor bolts, but you should still soak them down before trying to remove them.

 

[cliffyp]

I'm the 3rd private owner in Texas. On the whole, the truck has very little rust even though I'm on the gulf. The guy I bought it from lived a mile or two from the beach. The underside is not rusted, still has black paint in most places. The bottoms of the seatbelt bolts that stick down are quite rusted though.

 

[wayne pick]

Hea Cliff, see if you can get a stud remover on the bolts from underneath the truck, they should show enough thread to get the remover on them, and thread them down through the threaded blocks welded to the floor. I use MAP gas, the yellow bottle, on my Bernzomatic torch and PB blaster to loosen rusty nuts and bolts.

 

[85CUCVtom]

I forgot to mention before, my drivers side bolt broke, when I went to extract it there was enough bolt sticking through the bottom of the truck that I was able to get vice grips on it to help it turn.

 

[cliffyp]

Wayne & 85, I woke up this morning thinking the same thing. They got let travel to go out the bottom than to come all the way back out the top.

Time for a cup of coffee and see how well the PB Blaster penetrated.

 

[cliffyp]

Well, some heat and a bolt extractor on the bottom did the job. Only one of the three was stubborn. More heat and the impact wrench on the extractor finally broke it loose. Now to finish up the floor!

 

[cliffyp]

All finished. The floor comes with an insulating pad that covers the floor from the seat edge forward. The vinyl covers the entire floor area. It's definitely quieter and I imagine it will be cooler. I need to get some threshold plates now to cover the edges. There's still a few creases from packaging, but those are supposed to settle out as it sits.

 

[4x4 Forever]

Looking Good!

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Nice!


How much $$ did that set you back?

 

[cliffyp]

They have 2 non carpet options and I definitely didn't want carpet. There was the vinyl for around $120 and rubber for around $150. I opted for vinyl and after shipping the final cost was right at $150