This morning I helped a friend replace the door striker on an F150. The bolts had Torx Plus heads, and he had managed to get one out with a Torx driver, but destroyed the recess in the other. I was able to get that one out with a pair of Vise Grips after heating the bolt to about 100 degrees Celsius with vintage plumber's soldering irons.

This reminded me that many people don't know that Torx Plus fasteners exist. As a result, many fasteners get destroyed from attempts to use the wrong tool. One reason for this is that a Torx bit will fit into a Torx Plus recess, but won't engage properly. Many stores selling tools, including auto parts stores, don't even know that Torx Plus bits exist.

Here is an image of the two types side by side:


I know for a fact that the original bed bolts on my 2001 F250, as well as the seat belt bolts are Torx Plus. Because of this, I bought a set of Torx Plus bits. I am posting this in the hope that others will report where they find Torx Plus fasteners so we can spread the word to others. It might help if we can pin down dates/model years of adoption. Since this applies to other Ford products, this thread my need to be moved elsewhere, or links provided to this thread from other forums.

Model Year/Location
2001 Seat Belt Anchor Bolts
2001 Pickup Bed Bolts

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...bed-bolts.html

 

Winner, winner chicken dinner!! I found that out while also changing the 8' box on my 2002 F-250 CCLB. And they're not impact....But yes, there is a difference. I bought mine from NAPA.

 

Thank You - I am definitely going to add a set to my box.
I try to buy Tecton brand. I have been really impressed with their 1/2" impact socket sets. I could not find Tecton Torx Plus though.

Mike