HELP!! Passenger Front Seat Bolt Just Turning Instead of Coming Out - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

naikaidriver · 06-14-2018, 04:02 PM

I hate it when an "easy" job goes sideways!

I have two, new Sparco Racing Seats that I am installing in my 2010 SS. The driver's side went in without any issues but I wasn't as lucky with the passenger side.

Essentially what is going on is the outside, seat bolt is just turning and not coming out. It feels like the nut, within the floor is turning with the bolt.

Since the nut is actually inside the floor, I think I only have a few options left.
1. Drill off the head of the bolt (will not be fun since it's a high-grade bolt). That will allow me to remove the seat but will not fix the actual issue and my new seat would only be secured with one bolt.

2. Cut section out of the floorpan below where the bolt goes to see if I can access the nut and remove it. I would have to re-weld the removed piece back to the floorpan after repairing it.

I have tried prying from below the seat rail to try and apply vertical pressure, turning the bolt both ways, working it slowly back and forth and screaming at it in various tongues. Nothing works.

Anyone else have any ideas before I break out the power tools?

Scott

swampcritter · 06-14-2018, 06:18 PM

Take a floor jack and put it directly under the nut and apply pressure.You may have to add a small block of wood to get the pressure on the nut itself.Good luck.

naikaidriver · 06-14-2018, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swampcritter

Take a floor jack and put it directly under the nut and apply pressure.You may have to add a small block of wood to get the pressure on the nut itself.Good luck.

That is an extremely clever idea!

Thanks! I'll give it a shot tonight.

At least if I can get the bolt out, I can remove the carpet, a small section of floor and spot weld the nut in place.

Scott

naikaidriver · 06-16-2018, 12:10 AM

OK, Seat is now in, nut is repaired and I have sorted out the root cause of the issue.

First, DO NOT use a jack to push up on the floorboard as the previous poster suggested! It sounded like a clever idea but I just didn't feel comfortable doing that the more I thought about it.

As you can see from the pictures below, I measured the approximate location of the bolt under the car, marked off an area and cut it using a cutting wheel. This was very straightforward but as luck would have it, there was yet, another layer of sheet metal that I needed to get through to get access to the captured nut.

Because of size constraints, I used a drill to punch out little by little an access portal to the nut. Thankfully my measurements were pretty accurate so I was able to get right to it.

Here's what failed...

The nut was held in place with tension by a plastic retainer that had been destroyed by me using a light, electric impact wrench on the seat bolt. GM uses an unusually large amount of thread lock on the seat bolts and this was just too much torque for the plastic to withstand so it failed and the nut was just allowed to spin under the floor. If this ever happens to you, cutting out the floor as I have done is your only option.

To fix the issue I inserted a lock washer under the nut, tightened the seat bolt and then welded the nut to the floorboard. This should be a permanent fix. Also the section that I cut out of the bottom of the car will be welded in tomorrow and re-sealed to prevent corrosion.

Lots of work but the end result was worth it. I have some wiring harnesses that I picked up on ebay coming in the next few days to wire in an airbag warning defeat on the driver's side and I am going to take a crack at defeating the passenger-side butt sensor soon after.

Scott

mike12345 · 04-28-2019, 07:25 PM

Wow. I used a wratchet had no problems. I had a torn seat cover but just ordered the factory one, pulled the seat out, and put it on. They’re held onto the seat cushion by little metal rings you can pry open or bend shut.

You can replace the factory seat covers for a few dollars.

06-14-2018, 04:02 PM	#1
naikaidriver Drives: 2010 Camaro 2SS/RS Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Redmond, WA Posts: 239	HELP!! Passenger Front Seat Bolt Just Turning Instead of Coming Out I hate it when an "easy" job goes sideways! I have two, new Sparco Racing Seats that I am installing in my 2010 SS. The driver's side went in without any issues but I wasn't as lucky with the passenger side. Essentially what is going on is the outside, seat bolt is just turning and not coming out. It feels like the nut, within the floor is turning with the bolt. Since the nut is actually inside the floor, I think I only have a few options left. 1. Drill off the head of the bolt (will not be fun since it's a high-grade bolt). That will allow me to remove the seat but will not fix the actual issue and my new seat would only be secured with one bolt. 2. Cut section out of the floorpan below where the bolt goes to see if I can access the nut and remove it. I would have to re-weld the removed piece back to the floorpan after repairing it. I have tried prying from below the seat rail to try and apply vertical pressure, turning the bolt both ways, working it slowly back and forth and screaming at it in various tongues. Nothing works. Anyone else have any ideas before I break out the power tools? Scott __________________ "The Beast" 2010 Camaro SS/RS LS3 Diablo T1000 with Phastek custom tune, K&N Intake, Hurst Short-Throw Shifter, Flowmaster, Outlaw II Exhaust, BMR 1" Lowering Springs, BMR 3-way Adjustable Anti-Roll Bars, BMR End Links and Reinforcement Brackets, BMR Trailing Arms, ZL1 wheels, Nitto NT555 G2 Tires, Z28-style Rear Spoiler, Hawk Plus Brake Pads, Motul RBF600 Brake Fluid

06-16-2018, 12:10 AM	#4
naikaidriver Drives: 2010 Camaro 2SS/RS Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Redmond, WA Posts: 239	OK, Seat is now in, nut is repaired and I have sorted out the root cause of the issue. First, DO NOT use a jack to push up on the floorboard as the previous poster suggested! It sounded like a clever idea but I just didn't feel comfortable doing that the more I thought about it. As you can see from the pictures below, I measured the approximate location of the bolt under the car, marked off an area and cut it using a cutting wheel. This was very straightforward but as luck would have it, there was yet, another layer of sheet metal that I needed to get through to get access to the captured nut. Because of size constraints, I used a drill to punch out little by little an access portal to the nut. Thankfully my measurements were pretty accurate so I was able to get right to it. Here's what failed... The nut was held in place with tension by a plastic retainer that had been destroyed by me using a light, electric impact wrench on the seat bolt. GM uses an unusually large amount of thread lock on the seat bolts and this was just too much torque for the plastic to withstand so it failed and the nut was just allowed to spin under the floor. If this ever happens to you, cutting out the floor as I have done is your only option. To fix the issue I inserted a lock washer under the nut, tightened the seat bolt and then welded the nut to the floorboard. This should be a permanent fix. Also the section that I cut out of the bottom of the car will be welded in tomorrow and re-sealed to prevent corrosion. Lots of work but the end result was worth it. I have some wiring harnesses that I picked up on ebay coming in the next few days to wire in an airbag warning defeat on the driver's side and I am going to take a crack at defeating the passenger-side butt sensor soon after. Scott Attached Images __________________ "The Beast" 2010 Camaro SS/RS LS3 Diablo T1000 with Phastek custom tune, K&N Intake, Hurst Short-Throw Shifter, Flowmaster, Outlaw II Exhaust, BMR 1" Lowering Springs, BMR 3-way Adjustable Anti-Roll Bars, BMR End Links and Reinforcement Brackets, BMR Trailing Arms, ZL1 wheels, Nitto NT555 G2 Tires, Z28-style Rear Spoiler, Hawk Plus Brake Pads, Motul RBF600 Brake Fluid

06-14-2018, 06:18 PM	#2
swampcritter Drives: 2014 Camaro LS / 13 zl1 Join Date: May 2016 Location: Hayes , Va. Posts: 367	Take a floor jack and put it directly under the nut and apply pressure.You may have to add a small block of wood to get the pressure on the nut itself.Good luck.

04-28-2019, 07:25 PM	#5
mike12345 Account Suspended Drives: 2010 camaro 1LT Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: WI Posts: 138	Wow. I used a wratchet had no problems. I had a torn seat cover but just ordered the factory one, pulled the seat out, and put it on. They’re held onto the seat cushion by little metal rings you can pry open or bend shut. You can replace the factory seat covers for a few dollars.