ok i am new to the site so this will be my first thread here. i have done a search and i know what i want to do is possible, but i would like some input/ insight that could make things easier for me. so i have the crappy tie downs in my truck and i want to put a set like what is in my dads 02. after my search, i know it is possible, so here is my problem. my truck has a bed liner which i hate and need to take out. but the bed liner sits in the truck and then there are 4 holes one around each tie down. then a peice of plastic covers the hole (holding in the rest of the liner), and then the tie down bolts to that. i need to get the bolts out before i can do anything, but i cant spray them with anything, and i dont want to break them off. two were broken before i got the truck so that sucks. is there anyway to remove these bolts? or shold i break them and then is there a good way to remove them so i can reuse the holes? im at a loss as to what to do here. thank you to anyone who can help with this problem.

What year is your truck? Why can you not spray the bolts? Are they blocked by the plastic covering the tie down holes in the liner? How did the bolts get tightened down if they are covered? Try and get some pictures, post them to a photo hosting site, and link them to a post here so we can see the situation you have. After you get 25 posts here at FTE you will be able to create a gallery and then post pics to the thread directly.

you must be able to get to the nuts or retainer on the bottom side? if s, break off the bolts if they wont come off. cut the nuts off with a grinder if needed, then get new bolt after you clean the holes.

i cant spray the bolts because it is stacked in this way; bolt head, tie down, plastic, bed. i could spray the bolts all day and its not going to get the penatrant where i need it. the truck is a 97. also what would be a good site to host pictures on? i have never had to do that before. i will try and get some posted later today.

also, arent the bolts threaded directly into the bed? and if this is true, would it be possible to get up underneath the truck and spray the ends of the bolts from there?

Without seeing it I don't think I can be much help.

Photobucket is a good site to host pics and it's free!

hey thanks. i will have to try that later today. i guess my real concern is breaking the bolts off, and then removing the rest of the bolt without damageing the holes. are the bolts fine thread or are they self tapping? if they are self tapping, would it be possible to just drill the holes and put in slightly larger bolts? i just wanna make sure im going to be able to put mounts back in my truck when im done.

Pictures by fordf150farmer - Photobucket

hopefully this link will work.

this is the link to the photos of my tie down situation. i honestly dont think that spraying them will do any good. i dont think it will get to where i need it. can i spray them from under the truck? should i break them off and re drill and tap the holes? is there something special about how the holes are designed that makes this a bad idea? thanks to any help

anybody???

If it was me,
I would use a dermal or something to cut the head of the screw off. Then remove the tie down,plastic and bed liner.
Then you can get to it to spray it.
Try to get it out with a vise-grip,or drill a hole in it and use an easy-out.

Might work.

try to tighten the screw first to break the corrosion. I know this sounds weird, but it always works for me. Put your torx bit in a electric drill to tighten, then remove it. Do this a few times and it should come right out! Or you can put the torx bit in a cordeless drill that has the adjustable torque setting, this gives the stuck fastener some hammer action to loosen your stuck screw!

If you've got room to swing a sledge, an impact driver screw removal tool will work. You'd have to find one with torx bits though. I've got an ancient one that was my Grandpas, and have used it a lot. Wish it'd work in tight spaces better though.
Otherwise, cut the heads off, and get some PB Blaster on what's left, and a pair of vice grips and have at it.

I have the same setup and sprayed mine. Worked fine.

Just drench the area around the screw head, then to get more of the shank, gently pry back the cover enough to get the penetrant can nozzle near the shank and drench that.
I gripped the head end-on with Vise-Grips, then turned them with another pair as a handle. If they don't move, spray again and shock the head by hitting it straight on with a flat punch. This is an old aircraft panel and motorcycle case screw trick that vibrates the threads.

Put anti-seize on every screw when you reinstall, and since you'll be able to lift out the bedliner, do so and inspect under it. I advise removing all your bed bolts (T-50 Torx bit, a few bucks at Sears) and slathering them with anti-seize before putting them back. Takes just a few minutes, but if you ever want to lift the bed to do a fuel pump it makes it EASY. The beds don't weigh much and are very simple to loosen or remove.

thanks for all of the replies. i have a feeling that i am gonna try all of these untill i find one that works. hopefully i will have it done by early next week. ill let you know how it goes and what i had to end up trying.

Ford tends to make some of their body Torx screw heads out of what appears to be old chewing gum. The smaller ones are easy to strip, so break torque by gripping the head.

I've learned you can mess with something for a while versus spending hours on the net trying to figure out how to do it... Just do it...
Not say'n, just say'n...
Rusted bolts and screws are just part of life. Different things work each time.