Removing huck bolts.....Anybody?

Must be a super magnetic socket for sure. Wonder how the impact could turn under such magnetic forces? Oh what a tangled web we weave only seeing the Benz side of things.

 

well, I believe the ones the OP was talking about were the frame fasteners that attach his steps to the frame. The nut part is round but has a hex up against the frame.

 

Huck bolts do not have a hex nut on the back. Huck bolts are what is used to hold the cab of KW and Petes together. They look like rivets. Rounded head with a nut on the back is a carriage bolt. If the nut is not accessible or the bolt spins then torching them off is a good solution.

 

to be specific, it's huck fasteners that hold pete cabs together, they are a type of rivet. What the OP was asking I believe were the frame fasteners which are a bolt with a round nut that has a hex flange. They are installed with a TC gun which shears off the end of the bolt when it reaches the set torque. Sure they are easily torched off but, why bother with the mess when you can even more easily remove them with an impact. Unless an impact gun is not available.

No cariage bolts on trucks, they are for soft materials where the square shoulder can sink into.:smt023

 

Torch or grinder with a cutting wheel. Grinder won't kick unless you get disc ####ed in the groove you are cutting. Hold it tight and pay attention.

Torch is easiest. Just cut two parallel slots along the collar 180° from each other. May be some slag holding it together so beat a chisel into the cuts to wedge them apart and collar will fall off and bolt will be free to push out.

 

way over the head!! totally missed the ball! again.

 

Huck makes many kinds of fasteners of all different sizes and materials. The ones with a hex on them are called Huck Fit and they can be removed with an impact. Most other types of Huck bolts do not have a hex and need to be cut or drilled to remove. Magna Grips like used on many cabs, come off easy if you cut the collar, but it's not always easy to get at the collar, so I drill the heads off. They also make several kinds of rivets

I torch can work just fine, but not if you're worried about hurting paint, chrome or aluminum. A torch also doesn't work well with stainless Hucks. The cleanest way I found to get them out is to drill them. Center punch and drill them with a bit just a little larger than the shank until the head spins off. For larger ones, drilling a small pilot hole deep enough to get past the head helps.

 

The best way I've found is to cut the head off (the rounded part not the threaded looking part) with a torch or grinder then take a good air hammer and drive it out. If you cut the other end off it'll fight you and be a pain to get out.

 

I know this is an old thread but I'm putting fenders on and they mount to the suspension brackets, (89 Freightliner Airliner ) I've cut the Huck bolts off but they are stuck in the aluminum spring hanger bracket ( and i mean stuck ) and I'm open to ideas, I'm gonna try to drill through them and see if i can get some pressure off them