Chome bolt heads on bumpers

[Eoynteenie]

Taking part the bumper and cleaning them down as rather rusty and dirty, but trying to take the outer join bars off but they are held on with chome dome heads bolts,

any one got any ideas? cost the nuts are rusted on, and WD has not done much and cannot really grip the heads, am tempted to get the grinder out but don't want to damage anything,

thanks

 

[alewis]

Had a simular problem with the gray bumpers. I guess this might be simular for chrome ones (Shout if im wrong!)

The bumper has a square hole to allow the bolt to be tightened and the bolt a square on it to allow tightening. On mine the hole had become round and it was impossible to undo it as it went round and round !

My solution was to very very carefully grind away as much of the nut as possible until it was thin enough to break away the remains with a screwdriver.
Bit horrid but did the job. The only thing i fear for you bolts is the grinder will heat the bolt and I guess might damage the chrome ?!?

 

[Eoynteenie]

it is the grey bumpers, but the head of the bolt are chome and round so no means to undo them, so grinding them off is the only option? the the bumpers need cleaning up, namly the back one because a 4x4 driver pushed it in because they were not looking at what was in front ¬ ¬

 

[alewis]

Have a go at turning them, I was lucky on one and It undid ok.

I used a grinder to grind the nut away. I didnt grind all the way though just took most the nut away. Once there was only a very thin nut left i broke the remains of it off with a screwdriver.

(This left me with the bolt un touched)

Also didnt realise they were chrome mine are all rust coloured

 

[pepper]

I had similar problems getting the ones off BB, in the end I welded a Nut to the top of the dome and then slipped a spanner on and undid them that way!

 

[angel]

After cutting and removing these bolts, you can improvise a better way of fixing the bumpers. The original bolts have no internal square, as one would imagine, but rather a small prog that engages with one corner of the bumper's square cut-out. So at the first chance of the nut being slightly rusted on the bolt, it spins around when you try to undo it.

So when you put all back, obtain some staniless steel M8 coach bolts (with a full square under the dome) and the appropriate stainless nuts. The heads of these bolts polish very nicely and will look just like the originals. Plus, you will be able to undo them easily the next time.

 

[alewis]

Sounds like a good idea !

 

[DavidN]

@ Angel

Exactly what I did!

M8 SS bolts.