PA Jeeps
The Garage => Technical Advice and Questions => Topic started by: Colli on July 20, 2010, 08:46:35 pm
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Okay, so I was trying to take my light bar off after the Jeep show. (it won't fit in my garage with that on) and I had a devil of a time getting a couple of the stupid torx bolts out. I ended up stripping the head on one of them and had to use an extractor to get it out. I eventually got them all out and got the light bar off, but now the remaing bolts don't want to go back in. I got them about half way in using just a torx bit and socket, (I don't have an impact driver or anything like that) but I don't want to force them for fear of stripping more heads, and I'm afraid I may have damaged the threads during the difficult extraction. So that brings up two questions:
1. What size (thread and length) are the bolts on the side of the windshield hinge on a TJ? I want to replace them all with normal phillips head bolts.
2. Anyone have any tricks for getting bolts into stubborn holes?
Thanks!
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try running a tap thru it to straighten the threads. if your going to put it on and off alot use antiseize on the threads first.
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Coli,
They are a "booger" to get in and out...no doubt. But I found out over the years that if you disconnect your soft top from the top of the windshield frame and tweek the windshield frame forward and backwards while incerting or extracting them it really, really helps. NEVER fully tighten them all the way in until all are started, then work your way slowly one by one equally.
Good Luck
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A "booger" indeed! I did end up getting them in today.
It dawned on me today that the silver bolts that were in my windshield hinge were not original - the previous owner must have swapped them out to install a cargo rack that was on there. (I got rid of that a while ago) Then I remembered when I bought the Jeep finding a bag of random bolts and screws in the center console. So when I looked in that bag, sure enough there was a fresh set of factory torx bolts that were just the right size for the windshield hinges.
As luck would have it, a buddy at work happened to have his tools in his truck including an impact driver. Between the new bolts and the impact driver - that got r done! :D I don't know if those bolts will ever come out though. Anybody want to buy a nice light bar? ;)
I think part of the problem in the first place was that the metal piece inside the windshield frame that the holes go into kept shifting around behind the frame creating a bad angle for the bolts as they were going in. I think the one that got really stuck must have gone in cockeyed. We found that we could stick a screwdriver through one hole to hold it in place and line up the hole for one bolt, and then once that bolt was in half way we used that to move things around to line up the holes for the second bolt. Where there's a will there's a way!
Crisis over!!
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It dawned on me today that the silver bolts that were in my windshield hinge were not original - the previous owner must have swapped them out to install a cargo rack that was on there. (I got rid of that a while ago) Then I remembered when I bought the Jeep finding a bag of random bolts and screws in the center console. So when I looked in that bag, sure enough there was a fresh set of factory torx bolts that were just the right size for the windshield hinges.
Hehe, he didn't care--he knew that he wouldn't have to take them out again! Glad to hear that you did inherit the proper ones, though!
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I had the same problem when I rebuilt my CJ. I had to extract over half of them. I went to Fastenal and got countersunk bolts the same size as factory, but they have allen heads instead of torx (it makes a world of difference). Unfortunately I had to buy a whole box and only used a few so if anyone needs any to replace their torx bolts with ... let me know!