Argh stuck bolt - any bright ideas?? (1 Viewer)

[jamieBG]

Why are the smallest DIY jobs never straightforward?

So, I decided a little job for this evening was to swap the passenger seatbelt which has decided not to return to its reel, with a nice new one.

Only problem is the bolt in the bottom anchor point just spins and spins and spins in whatever is retaining it on the other side of the wall :Angry:

Any bright ideas for removing it?

Thanks!
Jamie.

 

[Gooney]

Why are the smallest DIY jobs never straightforward?

So, I decided a little job for this evening was to swap the passenger seatbelt which has decided not to return to its reel, with a nice new one.

Only problem is the bolt in the bottom anchor point just spins and spins and spins in whatever is retaining it on the other side of the wall :Angry:

Any bright ideas for removing it?

Thanks!
Jamie.

Hi Jamie, if you get a screwdriver to use as a lever and put it under the bolt head exerting upward pressure as you undo the bolt there's a chance you may trap the captive nut that's turning on the underside.

 

[tofo]

Why are the smallest DIY jobs never straightforward?

So, I decided a little job for this evening was to swap the passenger seatbelt which has decided not to return to its reel, with a nice new one.

Only problem is the bolt in the bottom anchor point just spins and spins and spins in whatever is retaining it on the other side of the wall :Angry:

Any bright ideas for removing it?

Thanks!
Jamie.

would the bolt be going through the floor to outside/roadside
or through the door pillar at the bottom
if its a drop of wd40/penetrating oil may help if you can stop the nut from spinning

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[yorkshirepudding]

Bear in mind that if the retaining nut falls away you will have to replace it. Can you access the other side?

 

[TheBig1]

you need to remember that removing the bolt will allow the captive nut to fall off the back of anchor point. this means you wont be able to refit the belt again. you need to get the nut welded in place and this may mean cutting away a section of the pilar and replacing it. quite a difficult job and beyond most diy mechanics

 

[Geo]

Fraid you are stuck between a rock and a hard place with this one.
looks like the captive nut has become un-captive even if you found a way to unscrew it the captive part would fall into the bodywork, leaving nowhere for the new belt to be fixed to
your going to have to find or cut your way in as neat as possible, repair and re fix new belt,
Which end of the belt is the problem with? the reel end or the other mounting point?
G

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[Gromett]

If that all other suggestions fail. A hack saw blade may be the only option :Sad:

 

[jamieBG]

Bum. I was afraid of this.

The offending bolt is the non-reel end. Have given it a squirt of WD40, to see if that might at least enable me to remove the bolt with Gooney's screwdriver technique. It doesn't spin freely as such, i get a little resistance but then it gives up and spins round again.

It's in what would be the door pillar, if it had door pillars. I presume there's a sturdy steel upright behind the boxing in. Didn't really want to have to open it up, and access form the other side would be v difficult.

An alternative plan would be to reinstate the old belt and passengersjust have to try not to over-extend the belt around them! The emergency stopping mechanism still works at least! It's just left alone it tends to gently unravel into a heap on the floor


no, I guess I will just have to try the screwdriver approach, and then contact someone more skilled than I to try and repair the captive nut :Tongue1:

 

[hilldweller]

i get a little resistance but then it gives up and spins round again.

I guess an anchor nut that is loose.

I'd be trying to drill a hole right next to it then try and hit the nut with MIG then weld up the hole. RISKY, need to be sure nothing flammable in there.

You're options are limited, it will fail it's MOT and/or kill someone.

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[Geo]

Can you enlarge on "Boxing in" If its just a large plastic cloaking strip you may be in luck, some A class vehicle have a surface mounted steel frame visible when the trim is removed an easy fix if thats the case. this steel frame is simply screwed to the wal timbers and can be removed fo repair
If you mean covered in the finished wall boading material then your capive nut may just be set into the wooden frame,(I kid you not) and a bit of damp rots the timbers and hay presto your nut now spinsoh:
World class get out of the s**t bodge coming up

As a last resort and to avoid major strip down, it may be possible to drill right through the vans wall just above or below the orignal bolt and mount with a long bolt, the outside is then disguised with a small fake vent cover or something simular hiding the bolt head
Geo

 

[tofo]

Bum. I was afraid of this.

The offending bolt is the non-reel end. Have given it a squirt of WD40, to see if that might at least enable me to remove the bolt with Gooney's screwdriver technique. It doesn't spin freely as such, i get a little resistance but then it gives up and spins round again.

It's in what would be the door pillar, if it had door pillars. I presume there's a sturdy steel upright behind the boxing in. Didn't really want to have to open it up, and access form the other side would be v difficult.

An alternative plan would be to reinstate the old belt and passengersjust have to try not to over-extend the belt around them! The emergency stopping mechanism still works at least! It's just left alone it tends to gently unravel into a heap on the floor


no, I guess I will just have to try the screwdriver approach, and then contact someone more skilled than I to try and repair the captive nut :Tongue1:

any chance you can drill into the captive nut from the good finish side
and screw a self tapper in bit hit and miss maybe
but if it saves taking the truck apart worth it
[HI]be warned it will notice for ever [/HI] :thumb::thumb:

 

[chesterfield hooligan]

Hi try taking a photo and showing it to everyone

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[jamieBG]

bear with me...

Light's not too great, but hopefully you can see...

Having found a gap in the boxing in, I poked my screwdriver blade in there - I think Geo might be right - IT'S JUST A BIT OF WOOD!!!

 

[Barclaybasher]

Hi would it be an idea to post about Machzone problem or find out if there is an owners club.

You might be contacted by another owner or even a builder of Machzones who might give you more info about the construction

 

[hilldweller]

bear with me...

Light's not too great, but hopefully you can see...

Having found a gap in the boxing in, I poked my screwdriver blade in there - I think Geo might be right - IT'S JUST A BIT OF WOOD!!!

You're stuffed, well that's not what I'm thinking but close enough.

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[hilldweller]

may just be set into the wooden frame,(I kid you not)
Geo

How come that passes an MOT ?

 

[TheBig1]

One things a fact, its got to be fixed to pass the mot and for safety

first drill a 2mm hole to assess the makeup of the structure, then if it appears strong enough, I would put 2 parallel cuts in the trim above the bolt about 75mm apart starting just above the bolt. then carefully remove the loose section and expose whats underneath. dependant on what you find, cut an access port above the problem.

if its steel, you can then weld the captive nut in place and weld the patch back in and cover with the piece of trim cut out earlier. then neatly stick 2 pieces of plastic trim over the cuts,

Its often easier to disguise a bodge by making it look as if it was deliberate


If its wood, youre in trouble.

 

[vwalan]

brian .for mot its just a pull test. you can glue or self tap the fixings for an mot . the ruling is daft.

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[Geo]

How come that passes an MOT ?

As scary as it sounds its non of my business how its mounted
Just that it dont come away when i give it a tug and as Alan says a good glue or self tapper will prevent me pulling it away
The only fail citeria is for excess corrosion to metal areas surrounding the mounting, the mechanism failing to retract (with slight assistance if reqd)
or failing to fasten in the buckle
Geo

 

[vwalan]

just thought i would add that i dont and i,m sure geo doesnt recommend you do glue or self tap the seat belts in . but it is possible to get mot pass like it.

 

[jamieBG]

Blimey. There's a few glasses half-empty here last night

I'm not too worried about the fact the belts maybe anchored in wood - I'm not about to write it off as an mot failure and a death-trap for the sake of one pesky bolt

There's a stack mots testament that the wood has not been an issue so far. And as far as I know, neither of the previous owners killed anybody in it.

I actaully think if its wood, it'll be an easier fix. Wood I can do, welding is not something I have the gear or the skills to do (see my GCSE metalwork guitar stand as proof in point ).

I'm think I'm going to remove the full length of the fascia so I can see what I'm dealing with (there's a couple of edges coming away anyway, and it would mean no cuts). And fix as best I can. I want to do a proper job on it.

If all else fails, Geo's bolt-thru solution would seem a reasonable idea - and with a rubber cover on the bolt on the outside it doubles as a door stop.

I've owned enough elderly cars in the past to not be surprised when the smallest jobs turn into something more epic. Fiat underneath, Made in Hull on top - expect the unexpected

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[hilldweller]

As scary as it sounds its non of my business how its mounted
Geo

I can understand that, there's no way you can do an impact load test on a seat belt.

I'll bet there some dear soul in an EU tower block trying to figure out how you could.

 

[acting_strange]

If it's in wood they have probably used one of these...http://www.harrisonsilverdale.com/fasteners/20131/E/126.html


But you would be better off with one of these....http://www.harrisonsilverdale.com/fasteners/20133/TRB/122.html


both are a reasonably simple repair..

It would just mean moving the mounting point a couple of inches up or down

 

[Geo]

Blimey. There's a few glasses half-empty here last night

I'm not too worried about the fact the belts maybe anchored in wood - I'm not about to write it off as an mot failure and a death-trap for the sake of one pesky bolt

There's a stack mots testament that the wood has not been an issue so far. And as far as I know, neither of the previous owners killed anybody in it.

I actaully think if its wood, it'll be an easier fix. Wood I can do, welding is not something I have the gear or the skills to do (see my GCSE metalwork guitar stand as proof in point ).

I'm think I'm going to remove the full length of the fascia so I can see what I'm dealing with (there's a couple of edges coming away anyway, and it would mean no cuts). And fix as best I can. I want to do a proper job on it.

If all else fails, Geo's bolt-thru solution would seem a reasonable idea - and with a rubber cover on the bolt on the outside it doubles as a door stop.

I've owned enough elderly cars in the past to not be surprised when the smallest jobs turn into something more epic. Fiat underneath, Made in Hull on top - expect the unexpected

This is what we like to see
A Can do attitude, more power to yer elbow:thumb:

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[jamieBG]

Weeeell, I've carefully peeled back the fascia..

Turns out the softish pokey stuff I prodded with my screwdriver was not wood but a sticky foamy strip that the fascia was held on with.

Underneath that is STEEL! So good news from an belt anchorage point of view; bit of a pisser from the DIY bodge it point of view.

Also tried applying a bit of tension to the bolt while I attempted to unscrew it - no joy.
:thumbdown:

I think I will be contacting my local mobile motorhome mechanic and setting him a challenge...

 

[hilldweller]

Underneath that is STEEL! So good news from an belt anchorage point of view; bit of a pisser from the DIY bodge it point of view.

If the gap is small and it's metal to metal there is a tiny chance you could drip Loctite into the gap to hold it - but get it in the thread and it all goes pear shaped.

 

[ciderman]

drill it out then fit a rivnut into the hole then your new bolt will then fit into that, a local sheetmetal firm should be able to supply a rivnut of the right size and also the setting tool, if you take the van to them they will fit it for you a 10 minute job:thumb:

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[jamieBG]

Finally!!

Oh finally! The seatbelt issue is solved!

It took ages to find a workshop willing to do the job for me - too worried of the risk of being sued if somebody went through the windscreen and they'd done the repair. What wonderful world of litigation and compensation we live in.

But dropped it in to a local garage this morning to have a look at it - half hour later, I have 4 neat welds around the edge of the threaded insert. Good job. Well done.

Just need to re-glue the fascia on now, and bolt the belt in.

At last. How long was it since I started this thread??? I was starting to think I'd never find anyone willing to tackle it for me. :thumb: