Seat removal dilemma 92 BLUEBIRD TC2000 RE

[golfersmurf57]

Ok so far I've removed the front four seats. Now I've hit a stopper the underbelly storage box runs all the way across the width of the body.
Short of dropping the entire box( no forklift) any idea how to reach the nuts underneath? I tried reaching over top but arms ain't long enough.

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[EastCoastCB]

Just grind the heads off up top.

[Jacob]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Just grind the heads off up top.

That's what I ended up doing for bolts I couldn't reach. The issue becomes finding the bolts rather than letting them bounce down the highway one day. I think I recovered the majority of the cut bolts but the ones I cut were above the fuel tank and transmission, maybe a magnet on a stick type of thing could fish them back out?

[EastCoastCB]

Or grind them flush with the floor and leave them so the hole doesn't have to be plugged later!
I had to grind off all mine.

[Jacob]

If you tack welded them into place then sealed around the top that should work, to bad I already took them all out

[EastCoastCB]

The beauty of working on the floors is nothing has to be pretty, it just has to be flat and not leak!

[family wagon]

Cut the tops off is a great solution. I'll add another, but it's still in the vein of "can't reach 'em? Then don't!"

If you have an impact wrench available you may be able to spin the bolts out without holding the nuts at all. Use a crowbar or similar tool to pry the bolt upward from the floor while buzzing it with the impact wrench. More force is better (within reason). The tension will hold the nut against the bottom side of the floor and, if you're lucky, there'll be just enough friction there and the impact wrench will be able to back the bolt out of the nut. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Mostly it depends on how rusty the tail of the bolt is. Fortunately, the bolts that are blocked by the storage bins are probably sheltered from road spray too and may be relatively clean. If this technique works then you'll be leaving only the nuts behind rather than cut-off bolt tails with nuts. If they can't be retrieved with a magnet on a stick then in time they'll probably find a way out on their own.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Just grind the heads off up top.

THIS!!

any seats ive pulled out i just grind off the bolts and the rest falls through... then I fill up the hole with silicon and move on... if you are pullingyour floor too you ont need to fill the hole as you can metal over the holes once the subfloor is yanked..

I first tried impact and unscrewing them.. seemed futile to me..
they had been in there 26 years.. they didnt wantto come out
-Christopher

[84chevyguyid]

You might try tightening them and twisting them off. I have done that with some of the old Bluebirds that uses 1/4 inch bolts through the floor, some of them were half corroded away to begin with and twisted off easily.

[1olfart]

It might take a little longer, but I'd pull out my old sand wedge, and beat the hell out of them. After that EVERYTHING will seem easier.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by 1olfart

It might take a little longer, but I'd pull out my old sand wedge, and beat the hell out of them. After that EVERYTHING will seem easier.

You sound like a Scot!

[golfersmurf57]

Originally Posted by 1olfart

It might take a little longer, but I'd pull out my old sand wedge, and beat the hell out of them. After that EVERYTHING will seem easier.

The impact is time consuming and these aren't going to just spin off course all I have is a Makita 9.6 cordless may have to plumb in an air coupler so I can use the snap on at worst case the zizz wheel on the die grinder. Air chisel would deform the floor

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[EastCoastCB]

An angle grinder was my only recourse.

[tobeamiss]

Same here. My son and I worked for hours trying to get them out. Me underneath holding them still and him using an impact wrench. No go! The ultimate best solution was to use the grinder and just grind the heads off. Let them drop to the ground and retrieve them later when I pull the bus out. I was amazed how easy this method was. Then I used, like Christopher said, silicone to plug up the holes. Easy peasy.

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[mmoore6856]

my 64 year old wife ground all our bolts off with a grinder so it was easy for me

[mmoore6856]

thats how easy it is with a angle grinder

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by mmoore6856

thats how easy it is with a angle grinder

Every bus owner needs a grinder!

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by eastcoastcb

every bus owner needs a grinder!

.

[1olfart]

AND a wife that will do it for you. Gotta love the wife!

[Asetechrail]

I cut some off with the grinder but most I just used my 3/4 inch air impact to tighten them. Tighten them till they just snap off. Took about 3 seconds each.