Broken hitch bolt

[BryanC63]

I (stupidly) broke One of the eight bolts holding on the hitch at the rear of the car. I found a replacement part but I can’t figure out how to access the rear frame rail where the bolts are connected. Would I be able to remove some of the carpeting and inner paneling near the trunk to access it? Can anyone let any assistance?

 

[glide]

That’s an interesting one. Even if you were able to access the other side of the bolt there is no guarantee there are any threads poking through for you to work with.

You may need to drill through the bolt itself in order to remove it. I would take that one to a shop if you don’t have the appropriate tools on hand.

 

[Jigglypuff]

Yeah, drill it out or take it to someone. How????

 

[Khashoggi]

Use a bolt extractor. Basically a drill bit that you drill into the bolt and then it locks and you reverse it out. Example set-

Amazon.com

 

[ngng]

I would buy a quality bolt extractor which is basically a reverse threaded tool. If you are not comfortable with this I would pay somebody to do this for you. It's not difficult, but removing a broken bolt extractor from an existing bolt is even less fun.

 

[dmurphy]

I would buy a quality bolt extractor which is basically a reverse threaded tool. If you are not comfortable with this I would pay somebody to do this for you. It's not difficult, but removing a broken bolt extractor from an existing bolt is even less fun.

Agreed. Thankfully the fact that it's a large-ish bolt helps to some degree, but if this is the first time doing a bolt extraction, not sure this is where I'd want to practice.

My only additional suggestion: Spray the bolt remainder down with a liberal amount (by which I mean a LOT) of Kroil. I put that sh** on everything!

 

[ThomasD]

Get a spring loaded center punch and make a few indentations in the center of the bolt. Take a carbide or cobalt drill bit and drill down deep enough to get the screw extractor in the hole. Do not drill all the way through the bolt. Don't let the drill bit hit the threads of the hole. You may have to use a small drill bit at first then go a little bit larger on the next drill bit. Do not drill the side of the bolt you will tear up the threads in the hole

 

[MP3Mike]

Was it really a bolt, or was it a stud that you were putting a nut on? (You can't remove a stud from the front.)

 

[JcRRs]

I (stupidly) broke One of the eight bolts holding on the hitch at the rear of the car. I found a replacement part but I can’t figure out how to access the rear frame rail where the bolts are connected. Would I be able to remove some of the carpeting and inner paneling near the trunk to access it? Can anyone let any assistance?

can you share your solution? I just installed my stealth hitch on t model 3 today, and one the bolts broke too.