Tried, most correctly described, to put the upper overload Stableloads on my new truck today. Beautiful weather for it here.Well, to make this short, I cannot get one of the factory nuts off for one of the rear factory upper overload pads. Suppose if I had used a six point socket instead of a 12 point, things would be better. But appears I rounded the nut off some, and no matter what tool I used, no good.Any tricks or suggestions for getting off that slightly rounded nut??? There's not a whole lot of room to work in that location. Thanks.

Do you have enough room to use Vise Grips?

hedgehopper wrote:Do you have enough room to use Vise Grips?Oh I tried them. Adjusted and tightened the vice grip and still just as if the nut is froze in place. And the nut is really looking worse for wear. Of course, I didn't bother to spray any WD-40 on the nut until things had already gotten out of hand.:SShoot, the other three pads came out easy. Could someone with a torch just cut if off????? I do hate to do anything like that so close to the frame.

Can you put a little heat on it?

X2 on the heat. If possible, hit it with a small torch, then tap on it a few times. Then use the vice grips to try and get it off.

Just use a dremel tool with one of the thin cutoff wheels to slice into the nut along the axis of the bolt on two sides (or diagonal if the nut is close to the frame). Do this on opposite sides of the nut. Don't cut all the way to the threads, just 90% of the way through. Squeeze the nut with vise grips and it will break into two pieces.edit: Try the heat thing suggested first as that usually works. I have had some really stuck rounded bolts though that broke apart easily when grooved on two sides with the Dremel cutoff disk.

Help! Foolish me playing mechanically inclined again.

hedgehopper
Explorer
Jan 27, 2015
Do you have enough room to use Vise Grips?
The_Mad_Norsky
Explorer
Jan 27, 2015
hedgehopper wrote:
Do you have enough room to use Vise Grips?

Oh I tried them. Adjusted and tightened the vice grip and still just as if the nut is froze in place. And the nut is really looking worse for wear.

Of course, I didn't bother to spray any WD-40 on the nut until things had already gotten out of hand.:S

Shoot, the other three pads came out easy.

Could someone with a torch just cut if off????? I do hate to do anything like that so close to the frame.
Mandalay_Parr
Explorer
Jan 27, 2015
Can you put a little heat on it?
TucsonJim
Explorer II
Jan 27, 2015
X2 on the heat. If possible, hit it with a small torch, then tap on it a few times. Then use the vice grips to try and get it off.
Jfet
Explorer
Jan 27, 2015
Just use a dremel tool with one of the thin cutoff wheels to slice into the nut along the axis of the bolt on two sides (or diagonal if the nut is close to the frame). Do this on opposite sides of the nut. Don't cut all the way to the threads, just 90% of the way through. Squeeze the nut with vise grips and it will break into two pieces.

edit: Try the heat thing suggested first as that usually works. I have had some really stuck rounded bolts though that broke apart easily when grooved on two sides with the Dremel cutoff disk.
joeshmoe
Explorer
Jan 27, 2015
Sawzall
kayakcrazy
Explorer
Jan 27, 2015
Coat the nut with lots of valve grinding compound before you try again. The ingredients of the compound will stop the socket from slipping.
darsben
Explorer II
Jan 27, 2015
WD 40 is not for loosing try PB BLASTER. The right stuff for the job
bb_94401
Explorer
Jan 27, 2015
Heat may work. If not, the dremel tool, with the cutoff wheel, cutting the nut will work wonders. If you can't make more than one cut, because of lack of room, make the cut facing you and hit the groove with a cold chisel.

If a else fails, while you might not be able to get a sawzall blade in there to cut the bolt horizontally at the base of the nut, you could cut down the middle of the bolt and through the nut.
AnEv942
Nomad
Jan 27, 2015
Well 3 out of 4 aint bad, and its not like it doesnt happen to every one at some point. In addition to the above getting and driving on a 6point, the heat usually will break it free.
Id cut before torching it though if you ended up at that point-if 'they' have a torch likely have a grinder or cut off.