Removing door striker bolt

by WyldeBill66 Wed Jan 23, 2013 3:50 pm

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

by 1973 454 MONTE Wed Jan 23, 2013 4:55 pm

vise grips

you can also get to the back side through vent hole or rear side panel to get more wd40 behind it

by thatfnthing Wed Jan 23, 2013 5:35 pm

Ditto. Vise-grips, and throw it away when you get it out. Plenty of replacements available.

by 77mali Wed Jan 23, 2013 6:15 pm

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.

by WyldeBill66 Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:13 pm

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.

by dynchel Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:49 pm

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.

by WyldeBill66 Wed Jan 23, 2013 10:07 pm

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?

by dynchel Wed Jan 23, 2013 10:12 pm

Around the base of the bolt.

by 77mali Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:41 pm

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

by WyldeBill66 Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:54 pm

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,

by 77mali Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:59 pm

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?

by Mcarlo77 Thu Jan 24, 2013 12:56 am

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.

by 77mali Thu Jan 24, 2013 1:23 am

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 Embarassed

LOL

by WyldeBill66 Thu Jan 24, 2013 3:22 am

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.

by thatfnthing Thu Jan 24, 2013 1:10 pm

Washer quantity will vary from car to car -- they were put on at the factory to adjust the striker. Kind of like fender shims.

by JiMi_DRiX Thu Jan 24, 2013 1:30 pm

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?

by orange Juiced Sat Mar 01, 2014 1:35 am

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.

by driveit Sat Mar 01, 2014 2:19 am

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.

by Mcarlo77 Sat Mar 01, 2014 12:48 pm

Was looking through my '77 GM Parts Catalog and they show pt# 20004286. 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. Did some physical measuring of the ones I bought vs. the factory original ones on my '77 and they are identical. 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. However, you can use the two part numbers above as a reference if searching e-Bay. 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.
-

by orange Juiced Sat Mar 01, 2014 4:59 pm

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"

by switchbiker Sat Mar 01, 2014 6:51 pm

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. Laughing

by thatfnthing Sun Mar 02, 2014 2:45 pm

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. 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. 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.

by WyldeBill66 Mon Mar 03, 2014 10:49 pm

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.

by driveit Wed Mar 05, 2014 3:36 pm

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. 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. 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.

by thatfnthing Wed Mar 05, 2014 4:18 pm

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. 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. 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.

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.

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