Kick plates/Sill Finisher Bolts/Nut removal.

[Chief]

Hi,
Can anyone suggest how to remove these?

I got one off with two spanners, another with a hacksaw blade to the head - but some are so rusty that there's nothing for spanners to grip, or if they do they then tend to slip and try to slice my hand off by thrusting it up into the sharp edges of the sill finishers, the hacksaw blade was somewhat painful and I get bad shoulder pains lying down which isn't helping.

I've used plus gas, rust remover etc. as I could, but they're proving stubborn. I don't want to use anything too agressive as I don't want to damage the sills etc. as the metal round the bolts is fairly thin and flaky.

Thanks.

[kevin s]

if you have an angle grinder you can should be able to cut through the nut using a slitting disc without damaging anything.

[jagnut66]

Ditto the angle grinder suggestion, I had to use mine on Elsie May when I took hers off.
Then new (or cleaned up secondhand) nuts, washers and bolts with plenty of copper grease on each of them.
Best wishes,
Mike.

[Chief]

I don't have an angle grinder, and space is seriously restricted (to the point I'm pretty much lying under the car to work on it) so I wouldn't fancy an angle grinder at such close quarters (no room to really jack the car up safely either).

It actually struck me later that I do have a little gas powered lighter (its for cigars but works great for creme brulee), wonder if heating would help for the ones that haven't rounded off on the heads. If the heads were normal thickness things would be so much easier.

[King Kenny]

I just sheared the old nuts off with a pair of spanners. You could try with a couple of mole grips.

[Chief]

When you say sheared the nut off with two spanners I take it you mean one on the nut, the other on the bolt head. The trouble I'm having is the bolt heads are such thin ones that the spanner likes to jump off. I've been having the spanner go up inside the finisher so that the body holds the one spanner while I can put my strength to the other.

I think my mole grips would slide off the head of the bolt more easily than the spanner does, though I did try them on the nut itself - but then it was digging into the floors underseal.

[pgp001]

Mine were well rusted up and only just came apart with spanners, I replaced them with stainless ones covered with plenty of copper grease.

Phil P

[les]

I’m surprised you think moles would grip less than a spanner, usually the other way round. The suggestion to shear them is sounding like your only option now, unless of course, you had one of those miniature grinding tools.
However if you wear goggles and be careful, an ordinary grinder with a thin cutting wheel should do it. Some of these places are awkward to get at but that’s bodywork for you. Good luck.

[myoldjalopy]

If you can get hold of either end with a couple of mole grips you should be able to break the pesky bolts. In the past I have sometimes undone them, more often chiseled them off or sheared them off with mole grips/spanners.....

[Mark Wilson]

Although Dremel type tools don't always get complimentary comments on here, I find that the SpeedClic EZ metal cutting discs are extremely useful for this sort of situation. These are the ones with a special mandrel, not the screw fixed discs which often come with accessory sets, which are pretty useless.

[Trickydicky]

Since buying a multi tool, I can’t believe how useful they really are and have used it on many occasions to get out of a tight spot.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-emt3 ... 240v/622fx

[Chief]

Only just had my account re-activated after a change of email...

I used to own a Dremel for such things as this but I never could get it to cut metal so in the end I sold it. The multi tool looks useful, I'd actually seen one in use for cutting fiberglass though I never knew you had various attachments or what it was actually called.

I did however manage to repair my old nut splitter, so these in combination with clamps, vise-grips, several sizes of spanners and assistance for the very last (and worst, could only turn it 1/4 of a side at a time) nut finally got them all off and new bolts, nuts and copper grease are now on order.

So again, thanks for all the replies

Haven't actually dared to look at my sills mind...

[myoldjalopy]

"I did however manage to repair my old nut splitter, so these in combination with clamps, vise-grips, several sizes of spanners and assistance for the very last (and worst, could only turn it 1/4 of a side at a time) nut finally got them all off..."
Sounds fairly typical! But well done......though it would be worth taking a peek at the sills - if they're not so bad, a dousing in waxoyl or similar would be a good idea.

[Chief]

though it would be worth taking a peek at the sills

I want to know what the sills look like 10 years on from the restoration but... there's a part of me that doesn't want to know I'll probably wait till the next bit of guaranteed rain free weather before lifting up the kick plates.

[Chief]

So I got the car under cover which allowed me to remove the kick plates and take a look. Rather saddened by how much rust came out (by hand, magnet and vacuum). Some pieces were around 10cm long

Anyway, as I cleaned out the sills I took photos for some advice as to what the best approach is for cleaning them out...

DSill1.JPG (1.39 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

DSill2.JPG (1.52 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

DSill12.JPG (2.3 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

DSill3.JPG (1.46 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

DSill4.JPG (1.21 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

[Chief]

Oh how I dislike the character limit

DSill5.JPG (1.44 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

DSill6.JPG (1.66 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

DSill7.JPG (1.14 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

DSill8.JPG (1.22 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

DSill9.JPG (1.34 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

[Chief]

Oh how I dislike the character limit

DSill10.JPG (1.18 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

DSill11.JPG (1.89 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

DSill13.JPG (1.06 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

DSill14.JPG (1.31 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

DSill15.JPG (951.35 KiB) Viewed 2316 times

[Chief]

Oh how I dislike the character limit

DSill16.JPG (878.13 KiB) Viewed 2316 times

DSill17.JPG (724.86 KiB) Viewed 2316 times

DSill18.JPG (756.8 KiB) Viewed 2316 times

DSill19.JPG (723.88 KiB) Viewed 2316 times

[Chief]

The attachment limit too as well I guess

Passenger Sill:

PSill1.JPG (120.75 KiB) Viewed 2316 times

PSill2.JPG (1.82 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

PSill3.JPG (1.05 MiB) Viewed 2316 times

PSill4.JPG (809.53 KiB) Viewed 2316 times

PSill5.JPG (951.09 KiB) Viewed 2316 times

[Chief]

The attachment limit too as well I guess

PSill6.JPG (674.94 KiB) Viewed 2316 times

PSill7.JPG (666.11 KiB) Viewed 2314 times

PSill8.JPG (661.28 KiB) Viewed 2316 times

PSill9.JPG (666.31 KiB) Viewed 2316 times

PSill10.JPG (1.55 MiB) Viewed 2316 times