Thread: Problem fitting short roof rails to D4

Is it a steel bolt (as opposed to aluminium) ???

With the amount of thread still protruding, I'd be tempted to simply wind a nut onto it finger tight, then weld the centre of the bolt / nut together, and use a socket on the nut to wind the lot out of the hole. The heat that you would impart through welding will help free up the thread and allow it to come out easily enough, provided you attempt to remove it while still hot.

(Clamp your welding earth lead onto the outside of the nut and weld through the centre - a Mig would be best if you have access to one).

Make sure you disconnect your battery/s before attempting this though.

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. They are on the car now

As I tried vise grips first there wasn't much thread left to screw a nut to, then weld that on which probably would have been the easiest way. I bumped into a friend today with more tools in his shed than your average hardware store, we tried easy-outs first but the bolts were in too tight. We ended up drilling the bolt out, then put a tap through the thread to clean it out.

The reason for the bolts getting stuck in the thread is that there was rust in the holes. Seems water gets everywhere. I would recommend that if anyone fits these as an aftermarket item to run a tap through the thread first - for a size M6 bolt.

Ron