Removing a rusted bolt from a confined space

[Mos]

You could try using a centre punch and hitting the head off centre from a few different angles, the way you remove steering column bolts without heads.

Be carefull with heating the material around it because, while making the hole bigger, it also makes the material thicker and therefore the bolt tighter. If you heat the bolt it will make it larger in diameter (not usually a problem unless it expands in the thread) and longer which should help reduce the tension on it. Sometimes heat cycling helps crack it though.

Mos.

[greywolf]

I should update this. I got a cheap 12 mm socket on there, and as cheap sockets are want to do, it kept turning. That was until it grabbed, and wedged itself on. Got the bolt off ok at that point, when I got the bolt out it had cut a nice little notch in the socket almost dead centre in the flat part of the socket.

[M.J.H]

These sockets are worth every cent for those hard to get rounded of nuts and bolts IMHO
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....group_ID=11664

[grotty100]

These ones are also great for slightly stripped bolt heads.

http://www.metrinch-tools.com/

Grotty.

[greywolf]

Yes I've seen the cheaper versions of the twist sockets.

I've got a few snap-on tools on watch over at ebay, some nice sets going pretty cheap actually.

[merc-blue]

My tool theroy
Is buy expensive on things you hold, like ratchet handles and and spanner but sockets and extensions, except for a few specialty items. i use purely midrange stuff like sdichrome kincrome SPair etc.
not worth the $$$ for snap on or similar priced sockets