I'm trying to replace my battery in my 1986 Camaro IROC Z. The center hold down bolt is stripped. I've tripped taking pliers to it and using a full can of blast and no luck. It's a tight space. Anyone have any other way of getting it out?

 

Heat. Use MAP gas...

 

Flame next to battery??? Hard pass.

I can't remember exactly but I'm guessing it's just a weld nut on the tray. Maybe go in from underside with penetrating oil and let it sit for a day.

There are also hand-held induction bolt heaters. Never used one, don't know if you can get it in there,. Just a brainstorming idea.

 

Obviously the battery must be removed first. I used the same method successfully on mine. Since the bolt threads were trashed after getting the bolt out, I installed a nut-sert and new bolt. It's like new now...

 

How is he going to remove the battery first to put a torch on the bolt for the battery hold down if he can't get the bolt out of the battery hold down to remove the battery?

 

Yes, Obviously

 

If you're spraying from the top then I'm not sure anything is getting down to the seized threads?

Maybe look underneath and see if you can get a better shot from the underside

 

My plan for tomorrow is, I'm gonna cut the rubber of the battery hold down out. Then remove the battery and then see about getting that bolt out.

 

There are several ways. Just gotta be a little creative...

 

I would not be surprised if there is a steel core inside that rubber clamp. But I guess you're going to be able to tell us soon....

 

Yep...

Not sure what my next plan is. After the storm, I'll have my brother in law look at it. He's a machinist and usually is good with these things.

 

This is what I am working with. More than likely, I'm going to have to drill it out somehow. And then come up with a new battery hold down solution.

 

Drill the bolt out from underneath, should be able to see it when you crawl under there.

 

Use a bolt extractor

 

Hi Vin,

That bolt head don't look stripped at all, are you saying the bolt head is slipping in the socket wrench when your trying to turn it, or is it that the socket actually turning the bolt head but the bolt won't come out due to the bolt's threads being presumably stripped?

I ask this because as QwkTrip said there is a nut under there, welded to the battery tray. I've never seen the bolt's threads themselves actually stripped, the far more common failure is that the bolt got rusted into the nut, and when you put the socket wrench to it, the nut was torn away from the battery tray. If you can access it from underneath, I'd try soaking the nut with copious amounts of love lube (give it some time for maximum penetration ) then grab the nut with some vice grips and go after the bolt with your socket wrench.

If it actually IS that the threads are stripped, or ya can't access it from underneath, cover the battery with a bunch of wet rags, then slice the bolt head off with your wizz wheel

 

Yep, my vote is slice off the head off the bolt. It'll probably be more like 8 cuts that grind the head into powder but eventually it'll go.

 

You guys are good w/sparks....but not OK w/heat...that's under the batt tray??

Heat is the right answer. Heat will get'er done. And not after an hour chopping the head (while throwing sparks), not after an hour of soaking...not after 4 days of soaking....heat will work, RIGHT NOW.

The Concern w/the battery (and ignition sources) is the ignition of hydrogen that the battery gives off....while charging. But....sparks will ignite that same flamible gas too, I've watched it happen. The key here, is to NOT cut/heat/smoke cig's around a battery, while it's charging. Heating the nut on the underside of the batt tray while NOT charging the battery poses a virtually non-existent risk. For a further margin of safety, ventilate the area w/a fan and then ignition is what I like to call, "Worryin' about chit that ain't worth worryin' about". I'd heat the wee out of that nut, spin that bolt out of there, and I'd have it done in less time than it took me to type this post.

 

Tom's post has merit........

UNLESS......

The nut has broken free from under the battery tray, , , which, I've run into on two different thirdgens, as I mentioned in my post........

At that point, heat it all ya want, but somethings gonna need to get cut

 

Then you gotta move on to another tactic.

 

Yeah, I assumed the bolt head was rounded. Apparently not.
Is it possible to simply back-hold the nut from the underside? My car is too low to get a peek under there to see for myself.

 

I had mentioned possibly holding the nut with vice grips, but I ain't in a position to be able to get under my car now either to see what the access looks like (car is too low, and I think there is a plastic cover under there, the plastic pieces shown here with the ugly spotted orange paint, connected to the air dam)

 

I think that you can get to it and hold the nut...IF it's broken free of the tin. I didn't see any mention of that, but if that is the case, that tells me that the bolt was rusted to the nut, and he's still going to need to heat the wee out of that square nut on the underside, then grab it w/vice grips and hurry and spin the bolt out of it from above before it cools too much. If he has access to equipment, he could then weld the nut back to the underside of the tin, anti-seize it and start the life cycle all over again.

 

It's Not Hard To Get To

 

Hi Tom,

Not to belabor the point, but I did mention exactly that in post # 15

 

Yep, I got you. I meant, I didn't see it mentioned by the OP. You are right though, that the OP needs to ascertain and/or clarify which "stripped" problem he's experiencing. I agree with you, that the bolt head looks fine, in the pic he posted.

 

 

The head isn't stripped, I'm guessing a ratchet and extension will get it right out. May need to pry up on the plastic retainer with a prybar.
I'm not really seeing why this would be hard to remove. It's not even the correct bolt so we know it's been out.

 

Probably the wrong threads on that replacement bolt.

 

If the nut is spinning because the welds have come loose, have your assistant unscrew the bolt with the ratchet, while you hold the "nut" with a wrench or vise-grips or whatever else is appropriate.

 

Yep, easiest way to get access to it.

Cut the rubber, remove the battery, then work on the bolt.

 

The bolt for my hold down is quite difficult to turn most of the time. Even when there isn't a load on it, it's not very free. I usually hit it with some anti-seize every time I remove it. One of these days I should probably run a chaser to clean the threads up, that would probably help.

Part of it is the threads getting beat up. Mostly because the exposed threads on the other side are rusting out, so when you back the bolt out, the rusty crap has to get scraped off by the threads.

 

It might be designed intentionally to be grabby because the bolt is tightening against something relatively soft. Reforming the threads might be a bad move....

I'm just guessing of course.

 

The tension should come from the rubber hold down as it compresses. The OEM rubber hold down is a pretty stiff durometer.

 

I've thread chased many of these, no issue.

 

This thread got to me thinking where did I put the hold down and bolt for my battery tray when my Group 75 battery died and I swapped a Group 78 AGM battery I already had until I get another Group 75 battery to replace it or figure out how to properly install a Group 78 in the factory location.

So I looked for it in my car and can't find it anywhere now. Hopefully it's at my shop somewhere.

 

The hold-down piece is the same well up into more modern times. Pretty sure my 04 truck uses the same one, or that they'd interchange anyway.

The bolt is somewhat standard. 8mm x 1.25mm if memory serves. Probz 50mm long. One of those pointy body bolt type things; GT4373's photo shows it pretty clearly. Some Stimpy probz tried to put a 5/16"-18 bolt in it. Looks like that, complete with a cash register code, looks a HD special to me.

Being a Rust Belt inhabitant currently, I slather anti-seize EVERYWHERE. Like that hot sauce commercial Peyton Manning does... "I put that s*** on EVERYTHING."

 

I tried an extractor socket on it and no luck. Basically the bolt acts normal when no torque is applied. But as soon as you apply torque all it does is free spin and it never comes up. Even with the extractor socket. It basically just spins forever. But with no torque and trying to turn it, it stays in place.

I'm off work tomorrow. I'll be able to take a better look at it under the car. Either hold it with vice grips and trying to turn it or drill it out.

 

I'm betting so. A shop did this 5 years ago (long story) and of course they probably used the wrong bolt...

 

You need to wait to pull up on the bolt while you spin it out

 

Yeah man, I'm in Florida and it's rust city here too. I use anti-seize or thread locker on everything. The battery was replaced 5 years ago. Basically it was the replacement from hell. My battery died while I was out. I called AAA. They test the battery and say it's fine and insist my motor is seized... Of course I show them the dipstick (I monitor oil like clock work. My car has zero oil leaks and no major burning issues. Oil is changed regularly) also the fact that there was no oil in the parking lot... AAA sends another truck. Guy tests the battery and again he also insists my engine is seized...

So we tow it to a shop. They test and sure enough, it's the battery. They sell my a then new ACDelco and replace it right there. No problems for 5 years. Now my battery isn't holding a charge. I've tested it myself and trying to replace it and the shop likely used the wrong bolt...

 

Do You Have A Pic Of The Bottom Of The Battery Tray