Ryan-

I've never seen them in a local brick and mortar store. I got a 25 piece set off Ebay for $60, but there are plenty of other sets currently up for auction. None with BIN options, but here's a good candidate auction that ends today:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Snap-...spagenameZWDVW


Just search on Ebay for snap on extractor and you'll get a bunch of hits.

 

There is no way that type of external extractor will fit - the internal ones might but on an allen bolt there isn't much to bite into. This is an allen cheesehead down inside a slot in the rail - I have no idea why Porsche didn't use a regular hex headed flanged bolt - of the right size it could fit OK and be a much bigger contact area for removal.

Someone (possibly the factory) red loctited mine in - what a disaster that was...

The rears are actually much easier to access than the fronts - especially the inboard front one - BTDT.

Use a dremell with a cutting wheel (big one) 1.5" is ideal. Due to the frame rails you can only cut ~along the direction of the rail - but once you get the head cut in half you can either get a giant flat bladed screwdriver on it (didn't work for me) or use a cold chisel to split it and break off the top parts - then it will just drop out.

Of course Kroil or PB Blaster may help with this too - but the car will stink for months

Clean the frame rails of debris really well afterwards...

Alan

 

This advice comes much too late, but my late mechanic ALWAYS used a hammer to tap the allen wrench sockets into place. They are notorious for stripping. Calipers, seat bolts, cam cover bolts. For the ones that have a difficult angle I use long hex sockets with ***** on the end.

 

I would file some flats on the head, then use a bolt extractor (has a left hand spiral so cuts into the bolt as you rotate to undo).

I have all the bolt extractor sizes as they've never failed me. Have saved my day with caliper bolts, dustshield bolts, the allen head bolts on the engine shackle - you name it.

I've never had any success with drill-type extractors.

 

Ryan, I'm not sure why all the drama. I just pulled the rail from the seat when I ran into this.

 

Charley,

Yeah i am thinking i may just do this. Can i unbolt the seat from the rails by raising the seat to its highest position and unbolt it from below? Ive never detached rails from seats before but i imagine its just a few bolts. If thats the case I will just leave the rails in and simply remove the seats

 

The one I just did was manual, so YMMV, but there should be four bolts into the seat that mirror the four bolts into the floor brace. For example for the front bolt to the floor you would move the seat to the extreme rear position, but for the bolt to the seat you would move the seat to the forward position. There is less room for your head in there but the bolt is easy to get to. Mine were hex heads, maybe 13mm.

 

Charley,

I don't see how i can disconnect the seat from the rails. The four corners of the seat base appear to be where the rising motors are which raise and lower the front and rear of the seat. I see a nut on there, but not sure how i can access it as the seat cushion sits directly on top of it. Also there is another plastic roller or slider on the sides of the rail that look like they would also need to be removed to pull the seat frame from the rails.

 

I looked in the WSM and it looks like the motors are inboard of the sliders so I'm not sure why they are getting in your way. I'm not at home, and able to look at mine, to see what your dealing with.
I can look this evening, but hopefully you will have it solved by then.

 

I would slot the head with a dremel, and either undo with a flat blade, or split and break off the head, as advised above. The fronts should be doable this way, even the rears with seat on full high setting. I had a bit of difficuly with my seats when I pulled them for recovering, but managed without stripping anything. I dont know what it is about seat bolts - it tool me all the strength I could muster once to get the seat bolts out of a Miata once - bolt heads, no slipping, good access with long extension, but it took a really big heave to move those suckers.
jp 83 Euro S AT 51k

 

When we removed the bolts on Mike (Frye's) seats prior to his seat leather R&R, I used an impact gun on the lowest setting. The initial impact "shock" loosened all the bolts with no damage to the allen bolts. It been my experience that torque and shock directly inline with the bolt head has less of a tendency to strip/round the bolt head versus using a ratchet/breaker bar and using "levered" torque. Just my two cents.

 

Thanks adam, but i'm unfortunately past that at the moment

 

Ryan,

On my '86.5's, the front bolts pass through the rails and thread into a removable metal plate (under the rails). If yours has the same metal plate, I don't see why you can't drill the bolt head off, remove the plate and then remove the remaining portion of the bolt.

Let me know how it goes.

 

Correct the bolts screw into nut plates which are easily replaced if needed.

 

One of the best tool investments I've made

http://cgi.ebay.com/PRO-GRABIT-4-PC-...QQcmdZViewItem

I've used these on the socket heads in the seat rails on the early and late models cars probably a dozen times They also work on those 3 pesky socket heads on the steering column and countless other places.

They are short enough to fit in straight and get vise grips on. They have worked every time.