Stripped T30 Bolt (Bed Rails)

I have one of these and use it on really stuck bolts when needed. You put an air hammer on one end and your socket/appropriate adapters on the other and you can slip a wrench over the hex part and spin it while you’re hammering away
Mayhew Tools 37315 Pneumatic Bolt Breaker, 3/8-Inch

$17 Mayhew Tools 37315 Pneumatic Bolt Breaker, 3/8"

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008M23A5U

 

Bolt is out!

 

Yeeeeeehaaaaaaa! What worked?

 

this is such a cliff hanger... HOW DID YOU DO IT

 

Last resort-ish, get a socket that barely almost fits around it. Hammer it into the torx. Pull ratchet it out.

 

Hey man, I just spent 15 minutes reading thru 4 pages of your saga while taking a shit. I can't feel my fucking feet anymore. You're gonna leave us hanging like that?

 

Post of the month

 

Yeah. I wanna see who wins the internet for the day.

 

Really glad you were able to get it free. This forum has been great.

 

Lmao, sorry guys! I’ve been busy so I haven’t been updating as frequently. Thank you all for your input and advice, you have no idea how appreciative I am.

The method I used was the dremel. Slotted it deep enough to get a flathead in, and pounded the shit outta it to get it to turn, now it’s out!

 

Nice that you got it fixed.

I had the same problem on my 2020. I had the dealer install a drop-in bed liner, which required them to remove the rails and reinstall. When I bought my tonneau cover and started the install, I found I had several stripped heads on the rail bolts. I couldn't find a dremel grinder to get in there to cut a slot, so I used an oscillating tool with a metal blade to do it.

Even then, I had to use a heavy duty screwdriver in the slot, and turn it with a pair of channel locks to get one of the bolts out. I broke the blade on one of the screwdrivers. What a pain in the butt. When I went to the local dealer (not the one where I bought it) the parts guy selling me the replacement bolts said that they are often overtorqued from the factory, which may be true, but I think mine were made worse by the dealer employee who used a rattle gun and possibly the wrong sized torx bit.

 

Tonneau is also on and was a breeze.

 

Post of the week!!! Can’t stop laughing…even shared with the wife.

 

Congrats! Did you try that Milwaukee tool I linked? Everyone needs one of those in the toolbox, a million uses.

I guess it wasn't the China flu you had, back in business too soon....

 

What size Dremel wheel did you use? I have literally the same exact issue right now.

 

I used a standard cut off wheel in an angle grinder, worked perfect. The whole job took minutes.

 

Did you have to cut the slit at an angle? If I hold my Dremel cutting disc at 90 degrees, the disc is not big enough. But I can cut at an angle

 

No, that's exactly why I used an angle grinder vs Dremel; the cutting disk is so much larger.

 

What size grinding wheel did you use? 4.5" x 1/4" ??

 

Harbor freight cheapy

 

Glad you got it all squared away OP. You da man!

 

So you grinded it down with that, then used the flathead screwdriver? Is 7/8" not too thick?

 

7/8 is the arbor size, the disk is 1/16 thick. I just made a cut across the center and used a huge flat head screw driver.

 

The term you are looking for is JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard). I have a 1984 Honda Nighthawk motorcycle I'm restoring, and a good quality Vessel impact driver and JIS screwdrivers are the first tools I bought for this project. You can tell its a JIS if it has a "." engraved in the cap of the screw.

 

When I first started with Honda in 1973 I was gived two T handle screw drivers. Still have them and use them to this day

 

The link was unavailable, can you send again please.

 

It's called the Milwaukee Demo Driver if this link doesn't work
https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Hand-Tools/Fastening/Screwdrivers-and-Nutdrivers/48-22-2860

 

This is what I did with same issue when I had my 2020

 

Thank you for this thread! My New Peragon tonneau has been sitting on porch for over 2 mos. All 8 rail bolts are trashed on my 2013
I’m going to harbor freight tonight!