sheared seat belt anchor bolt!
Discussion
Just fitted a new drivers side seat belt. Had to remove the seats to get at the right hand side anchor bolt and the bolt holding the catch mechanism. This wasn't a big hassle and is handy for instlling the Leven adjustable pedal kit (tomorrows job). Everthing was going fine until the right side anchor bolt sheared off. Not sure how to get this out.
As a temporary fix I thought about using one of the angled connectors that came with the kit and attaching it under the rear seat runner which is bolted though the floor. Do you think this is safe, either as a permanent mod or at least allow me to drive the car somewhere to get the sheared bolt removed.
Also any tips on installing the Leven pedal kit. I'm hoping it will be a lot easier with the seat out.
Nick
As a temporary fix I thought about using one of the angled connectors that came with the kit and attaching it under the rear seat runner which is bolted though the floor. Do you think this is safe, either as a permanent mod or at least allow me to drive the car somewhere to get the sheared bolt removed.
Also any tips on installing the Leven pedal kit. I'm hoping it will be a lot easier with the seat out.
Nick
Definitely not safe imo. The seat mounting bolts are only into a fiberglass panel and can rip out in a crash on its own let alone when you add the loads from the seat belt. Having the seat rip loose is highly undesirable. Having the seatbelt rip loose is liable to be fatal. How on earth did you manage to break the anchor bolt? They're massively over-specced - had it seized? Which side has gone - inner or outer? The inner one secures the body too so watch out if you're snapped this one.
Looks like you will need to carefully remove the sheared part of the bolt by drilling and possibly trying to use one of those stud extractors that usually shatter.
If you're lucky and there is part of the bolt left, you might be able to get some grips onto it.
Copious amounts of WD40 or similar might help as the bolts are never greased from new, so corrosion is enevitable.
Another solution is to weld a nut onto the remaining part of the bolt (if there is one). Obviously this will mean removing some fibreglass. Or just drill the whole lot out and use a longer bolt with a nylock nut if it is accessible.
In any event it is imperative that the seat belt anchorage point is part of the chassis.
If you're lucky and there is part of the bolt left, you might be able to get some grips onto it.
Copious amounts of WD40 or similar might help as the bolts are never greased from new, so corrosion is enevitable.
Another solution is to weld a nut onto the remaining part of the bolt (if there is one). Obviously this will mean removing some fibreglass. Or just drill the whole lot out and use a longer bolt with a nylock nut if it is accessible.
In any event it is imperative that the seat belt anchorage point is part of the chassis.
Its the outer one that has sheared (i.e. next to the door). Might try drilling and tapping it myself but not sure if this would be any stronger then the original bolt. Theres no way of getting any sort of grip on it and I'm a bit scared of drilling the wole thing out in case I ruin it completely.
If you use stud extractors be very careful if they break in the hole you will be buggered as you wont be able to drill it out. If you can, drill a pilot hole & expdnd it using larger & larger drills. Once you get it to near the thread you should be able to chisel whats left out. Or, you could drill a hole near the edge & use a drift & hammer to try to get it loose.
Mine sheared when Tower View were fitting harness eye bolts. They seize due to being covered in crud thrown forwards on top of the outrigger from the rear wheels. T.V. drilled out the old bolt and re-tapped the holes. Apparently it's a difficult, time-consuming job, and obviously it is safety critical that it's done right. Frankly I'm glad it happened to them, not me!
Angus99.the trick here is to progressively drill out the bolt bigger & bigger till there is only a fraction of the original bolt outer diameter in the hole, then using the stud extractor(try borrowing a snap on set)when you whack it in it distorts the seized portion of the bolt and you can wind straight out 8/10 success rate this way,oh plenty of plus gas or similar and never force the extractor if you snap that in there you will need a cobalt drill set to drill that out(bad news),good luck,just be patient with it they always come out in the end.
I have sheared one of those bolts as well....i suppose i am lucky because i can heat up ther area when i have the body off and if needs be weld in a new nut.
Just remember if you are going down the drill and tap route that it is a very fine pitch thread!!! Not your usual metric thread sizes...
Just remember if you are going down the drill and tap route that it is a very fine pitch thread!!! Not your usual metric thread sizes...
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