What to do when your bolts are melted?

  • I went to go take out the seats in my 98 XJ and to my understanding there are 4 bolts on the front seats, two in the front and two in the back. However the front bolts appear to have been melted to the floor. So there’s no way I can get a wrench on them to get them out. Looking through the back of the seat bracket it seems like there are threads from what used to be a bolt on the other side. Suggestions on how I can get these suckers out? Tools that would be required? Or another way to remove the seats without access to these bolts?




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  • can you leave the riser in and remove the seat from the riser?


    I don’t think so, I’m pretty sure the bolts for the sliding bracket are under the seat and the space under the seat isn’t big enough to really get in there and do anything.



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  • Update;
    One of the rear bolts for the driver’s side seat isn’t even there because the bracket is just welded to the floor. So now the question is... how do I un-weld without cutting a hole in the floor of my Jeep?




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  • I have bad news...the front "melted" bolts are welds also. I use a 4" angle grinder with a cutoff wheel and gloves and face, arm, eye, ear protection and carefully remove only the raised bead portion of the weld. Pry a little and see if it comes apart, then grind some more where it looks like it's holding. It's not really a good job for a beginner, angle grinders are dangerous and that particular job will require some skill.
    If you decide to grind them a little tip is that the metal will start to turn blue when it gets thin.
    That's when you pry, twist, or pull the bracket to start a crack between the two pieces. Grind some more...
    It does suck.
    Also, grinding throws a shower of sparks which can start a fire. The sparks are red-hot pieces of metal and grinding wheel and they don't disappear when they cool, they become abrasive dust.
    The dust gets on your face and hands and then you rub it into your eyes, where the metal fragments can lodge in your cornea.
    And if you do this in the driveway and that dust gets rained on you will get an almost instant bright rust stain.
    I think I would just sawzall the brackets off flush and leave the welded parts. Then develop a new mounting plan.

  • Ended up going with what @Stafford suggested and were able to find the bolts that attach the sliding brackets to the bottom of the seat, leaving the brackets attached to the Jeep but swapping the seats out. Thanks to @dkirkley new seats are in and lookin good. The driver’s side is also pre-rigged for a heated seat mod (so that fingers crossed we don’t have to take the seat out of the Jeep again this way ever again)





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