Removing door striker bolt
+7
switchbiker
orange Juiced
Mcarlo77
JiMi_DRiX
77mali
dynchel
1973 454 MONTE
11 posters
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Removing door striker bolt
I am trying to remove the door striker bolt to replace. It's worn out and the door doesn't shut properly. I cannot get it to break loose. I've tried shooting WD-40 around it, but it doesn't seem to get into the area I need it too. Are there any tricks? I've about twisted the torx bit around trying to remove it. I appreciate if anyone has some suggestions.
Bill
Bill
WyldeBill66- G3GM Member
- Street Cred : 3
Re: Removing door striker bolt
vise grips
you can also get to the back side through vent hole or rear side panel to get more wd40 behind it
you can also get to the back side through vent hole or rear side panel to get more wd40 behind it
1973 454 MONTE- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 36
Re: Removing door striker bolt
Ditto. Vise-grips, and throw it away when you get it out. Plenty of replacements available.
thatfnthing- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 65
Re: Removing door striker bolt
Is it rusted in? Vice grips should work just fine, if not a long set of channel locks for a bit more leverage/torque if needed. If that don't do it- a little heat might be needed, too.
77mali- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 62
Re: Removing door striker bolt
I don't think it's rusted in. Not much rust on the car at all. I'll try removing the vent and see if I can get to the backside with the WD-40 or PB Blaster. I plan on throwing it out. That's why I'm removing it, to put a new one in.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give them a try.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give them a try.
WyldeBill66- G3GM Member
- Street Cred : 3
Re: Removing door striker bolt
A pipe wrench will give you the grip you need. The heat mentioned above is a good idea also, as someone who works on cars for a living i can tell you heat is your. Best friend. Good luck.
dynchel- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 40
Re: Removing door striker bolt
Well the vise grips didn't work tonight. It looks like someone else tried them already and it's smooth around the bolt. Granted my vise grips are old and the teeth aren't that sharp. I'll have to borrow a pipe wrench from my father in law. You would heat around the bolt not heat the bolt itself, correct?
WyldeBill66- G3GM Member
- Street Cred : 3
Re: Removing door striker bolt
I had 3 wheel studs on my daily driver that the lug nuts were pretty much welded on. I used Mapp gas versus propane because it gets real hot & is much faster at heating than propane. Anyway, they came off finally after I tried with just a breaker bar w/socket without heat and ended up breaking 2 adapters that sheared right off. I used PB blast because it seems to work good but it might not be necessary. If you do spray PB Blast- don't do it while the flame is on the bolt...do it while the bolt is hot & make sure the torch is away from it. Be careful around the sheet metal on the door jamb & heat the bolt shaft near the base til it gets "reddish-purple"...the heat will transfer to the threads with a little time. Have your pipe wrench (Great idea BTW as dyncel said) set & ready on the bolt to turn it after the bolt heats up. I use a good pair of insulated leather palm gauntlet gloves whenever I work with heat & all the normal other safety stuff. I've also learned to be more patient -LOL
On a side note Bill, do you own a breaker bar? If not harbor freight has good ones for decent prices. I have one for 1/2" with a 3/8 adapter for my smaller sockets. With stuff like these bolts & even some larger stuff like suspension work, it's an investment that will pay you back big time in less "pain & suffering" & time spent removing stuff like this. It might have turned out the same either way here but I almost never use a regular socket wrench to try & remove larger bolts.
http://www.harborfreight.com/12-drive-25-breaker-bar-67933.html
On a side note Bill, do you own a breaker bar? If not harbor freight has good ones for decent prices. I have one for 1/2" with a 3/8 adapter for my smaller sockets. With stuff like these bolts & even some larger stuff like suspension work, it's an investment that will pay you back big time in less "pain & suffering" & time spent removing stuff like this. It might have turned out the same either way here but I almost never use a regular socket wrench to try & remove larger bolts.
http://www.harborfreight.com/12-drive-25-breaker-bar-67933.html
77mali- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 62
Re: Removing door striker bolt
I'm using my torque wrench for more leverage. I have mapp gas, so I will be using that to heat up around the bolt. One problem is there are a lot of washers under the bolt and I don't know if that will cause issues. I guess I will find out,
WyldeBill66- G3GM Member
- Street Cred : 3
Re: Removing door striker bolt
There should only be the 1 washer...were you able to peek behind the vent? With all those washers in there maye there is a nut on the other side & that might be your problem?
77mali- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 62
Re: Removing door striker bolt
Noticed my Monte has 3 washers on it (driver side, anyway) and they are original. Anyway, one other tip I've used with these torx bolts is to grind a flat edge opposite sides of each other on the head in order to get a better hold with vise grips. That helps eliminate the jaws trying to rotate on the round head.
Mcarlo77- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 78
Re: Removing door striker bolt
Mcarlo77 wrote:Noticed my Monte has 3 washers on it (driver side, anyway) and they are original. Anyway, one other tip I've used with these torx bolts is to grind a flat edge opposite sides of each other on the head in order to get a better hold with vise grips. That helps eliminate the jaws trying to rotate on the round head.
Good idea!
I just looked at some pics...I have 2 washers on each door
LOL
77mali- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 62
Re: Removing door striker bolt
I'm not sure about the passenger side, but there are three on the drivers side. I'll have to try the grinding trick once I get the replacement bolt. I don't think there is a nut, but I'll have to feel inside again.
WyldeBill66- G3GM Member
- Street Cred : 3
Re: Removing door striker bolt
Washer quantity will vary from car to car -- they were put on at the factory to adjust the striker. Kind of like fender shims.
thatfnthing- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 65
Re: Removing door striker bolt
I remember mine were a pain to break loose the first time too. I used a lot of WD40, and a long ratchet or a breaker bar for leverage. Make sure your torq bit is deep into the striker. Maybe smack the ratchet or bar with a hammer a few times to try and break it loose?
JiMi_DRiX- G3GM Enthusiast
- Street Cred : 3
Re: Removing door striker bolt
Anyone know where i can get new door strikers that look like the factory ones for my 77 Malibu? I keep coming across the Dorman 38428 that look too flimsy. Also I keep reading conflicting info. 73-76 are different then the 77 and sometimes i see 76 & 77 group together.
orange Juiced- G3GM Enthusiast
- Street Cred : 9
Re: Removing door striker bolt
My drivers door never shuts tightly I tried to loosen the striker one time years ago in an attempt to move the striker inward, but it would not budge. Don't know if there is any difference on those.
driveit- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 15
Re: Removing door striker bolt
Was looking through my '77 GM Parts Catalog and they show pt# 20004286. Â I bought a pair of GM strikers a few yrs ago (not installed yet) and they are pt# 9601750...which, after some online searching, shows that number was used up to '76. Â Did some physical measuring of the ones I bought vs. the factory original ones on my '77 and they are identical. Â Research also confirmed the physicals on pt# 20004286 are listed as same. Probably superseded the number for '77...as GM was prone to doing and, which causes a lot of confusion when cross-referencing. Not sure of the measurements of the Dorman brand. Â However, you can use the two part numbers above as a reference if searching e-Bay. Â The physical measurements are:
- Overall length (end to end) = 2 1/4"
- Length of shank (bottom of bolt head to washer) = 3/4"
- Shank dia. (visible portion) = 1/2"
- Bolt head dia. = 15/16"
Hope this helps.
-
- Overall length (end to end) = 2 1/4"
- Length of shank (bottom of bolt head to washer) = 3/4"
- Shank dia. (visible portion) = 1/2"
- Bolt head dia. = 15/16"
Hope this helps.
-
Mcarlo77- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 78
Re: Removing door striker bolt
thanks, i'll see what i can find.
off of Dorman site:
Thread size 7/16 In.-24
Height (in): 2.222"
Length (In): .720"
Width (in): .720"
off of Dorman site:
Thread size 7/16 In.-24
Height (in): 2.222"
Length (In): .720"
Width (in): .720"
orange Juiced- G3GM Enthusiast
- Street Cred : 9
Re: Removing door striker bolt
Try an impact driver, worked like a charm on mine to break it loose and didn't ruin my torx bit. Mine were very tight, using the tox bit on a ratchet seemed like it was going to spin with the amount of torque I was putting on it, a couple of whacks with a heavy ballpeen on the impact driver broke it loose instantly though. Re installed using the impact driver , just to make it tough for the next guy that tries to get them out. Â
switchbiker- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 3
Re: Removing door striker bolt
driveit wrote:My drivers door never shuts tightly I tried to loosen the striker one time years ago in an attempt to move the striker inward, but it would not budge. Â Don't know if there is any difference on those.
While the striker is just a big bolt, it does have a nylon sleeve to soften impact and provide a good latch, and this sleeve eventually wears out and breaks off, leaving way too much clearance for the latch -- this makes the door seem like it's not shut tight even when it's latched properly. Â If you can remove the striker bolt, you can just get some appropriately sized nylon spacers from Lowe's or Home Depot, slip them on, and reinstall the striker -- it will be good as new.
thatfnthing- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 65
Re: Removing door striker bolt
I couldn't get my striker bolt out either. What I did at I think the suggestion of someone on here, was to buy the new nylon sleeves and just split them with a razor knife and slip them over the bolt. They are really cheap. They have been on about a year and still working just fine, and the doors sit much better. They were sagging before hand.
WyldeBill66- G3GM Member
- Street Cred : 3
Re: Removing door striker bolt
thatfnthing wrote:driveit wrote:My drivers door never shuts tightly I tried to loosen the striker one time years ago in an attempt to move the striker inward, but it would not budge. Â Don't know if there is any difference on those.
While the striker is just a big bolt, it does have a nylon sleeve to soften impact and provide a good latch, and this sleeve eventually wears out and breaks off, leaving way too much clearance for the latch -- this makes the door seem like it's not shut tight even when it's latched properly. Â If you can remove the striker bolt, you can just get some appropriately sized nylon spacers from Lowe's or Home Depot, slip them on, and reinstall the striker -- it will be good as new.
My passenger door shuts great, but thinking about it now, someone had wrapped the striker with electrical tape. Maybe I will just try that on my drivers door. Never really though about that.
driveit- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 15
Re: Removing door striker bolt
driveit wrote:thatfnthing wrote:driveit wrote:My drivers door never shuts tightly I tried to loosen the striker one time years ago in an attempt to move the striker inward, but it would not budge. Â Don't know if there is any difference on those.
While the striker is just a big bolt, it does have a nylon sleeve to soften impact and provide a good latch, and this sleeve eventually wears out and breaks off, leaving way too much clearance for the latch -- this makes the door seem like it's not shut tight even when it's latched properly. Â If you can remove the striker bolt, you can just get some appropriately sized nylon spacers from Lowe's or Home Depot, slip them on, and reinstall the striker -- it will be good as new.
My passenger door shuts great, but thinking about it now, someone had wrapped the striker with electrical tape. Â Maybe I will just try that on my drivers door. Â Never really though about that.
Electrical (or duct) tape can work as a test, at least to find the right thickness. But it won't last long, so it's no kind of permanent solution.
thatfnthing- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 65
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