Can't Remove Front Fascia due to Stripped Bolt
 

I'm almost pulling my hair out at this point. I'm on my third attempt to remove the front fascia, and install my ZL1 upper grill and Street Scenes lower grill. The first two times I was thwarted by the same stripped bolt, and had to give up and just put everything back together. The bolt that is stripped is one of the three forward facing bolts that you have to access by pulling back the wheel well on the passenger side. I removed every other pop in and bolt and still couldn't get the fascia off because of this one bolt. It's not the head thats stripped but the threading. It spins, but doesn't move or get any looser or tighter. It also does't help that it's in a real hard to reach location. I've tried everything from hosing it down with WD-40, to using vice grips while turning it to get some torque, and nothing is working. I don't think drilling into it is a solution because it'll still be stuck in there. Someone please help me get this %&*#$% out.

I don't know if this will work any but try removing your wheel and wheel liner on the side you're having trouble that way you have better access to it. Then grab the head of the bolt with the vice grips and rotate while pulling it out. If not, see if you can wedge it with a small flat head.

Sounds like you may have to grind the head of the bolt off.

I actually did completely drop down the wheel liner on my last attempt and it didn't help much. The wheel isnt really in the way either when turnd. The problem is the bolt is recessed about a foot into the facia and you cant get the vice grips to stay on it while turning. I brought it to a shop that said if I take off all the other bolts again and have it hanging on by just that one they may be able to get it off somehow. But that also means dissassembling the fascia in their parking lot which I'd like to avoid. I think one of the only viable solutions may be accessing the bolt via another point somehow by removing more things. I'm hoping someone with more knowledge about body work on these cars can chime in with that.

That's what I was initially thinking but I'm not sure that will help. The bolt goes into a clip on the other side and I think it will still be holding the fascia on without the head. Now if I could get access to the clip on the other side and break that off, that may be a solution.

The only way you will get it out is to replace the bumper, you will need to cut the face of where the bolt is and then brake the hard plastic holder that has all 3 nuts in it, there is no room to get any tool to hold the nut.

Have somebody grab ahold of the fascia and pull hard while you slowly turn the bolt out. Having pressure on the threads should let you back it out.

Make sure every other clip/bolt is out though first.

Breaking the fascia isn't really an option for me, as I've already put money into the installing a splitter on it and can't afford to be buying a whole other fascia to just change out my grills. If it came down to it I'd just return the grills I ordered.

This may be worth a shot

If you cut the head of the bolt off the fascia will pull off and then you just need to get the shaft out of the fascia which will be easier once its off. When you put the fascia back on you don't need all 3 bolts on each side to hold it on.

I've had this on another car and used a dremel cut off wheel and then twisted out the shaft after it freed up...

Seems like this is the way to go then. Thanks for the help guys, I'll touch back with how this works out tomorrow after I get a hold of someone with a dremel

seriously, if you own a car, you need a dremel...so cheap and 1000 uses:

http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-200-1-1...eywords=dremel

+1,
2 bolts on one side will hold just fine.