How to remove stripped nuts from tight spaces?

Anybody have advice on how to remove stripped door check nuts from the door jam? Driving me batshit. I tried one of the spiral bolt extractors. Didn’t work. Thanks!

https://youtube.com/shorts/yyd_rfbGv48?si=U_zQ_dihAfStdGfV

 

Is just the nut spinning or is the bolt spinning with it? I couldn’t tell

 

Only the nut is spinning. It's a flanged nut on a stud.

 

A dremel with abrasive cutting blade, your cut would be at an angle across the nut, if you stop right before you reach the threads you can take a cold chisel to the cut and split the bolt open enough to slide it off.

 

Are you sure re only the nut spinning? If so, then it was tightened so much that it stripped the threads. Or, it broke the weld on the stud and the stud is also spinning. I'd assume #2, but a pair of pliers will tell you.

In any event, because of the placement, I can't see how you can resolve this without removing the door panel and going at it from the inside.

 

The studs are not spinning. Any idea how to remove a stripped nut? Previous poster recommended a dremel. Yes, I’ll have to remove the panel.

 

The dremel is gonna be your best option imo

 

It is a tight space to do so but get something between the flange and the metal and pry as you turn. Often this works for me. The difficulty is the access in this case and the minimal space between fastener and metal. Might try a bent-up feeler gauge or go to a craft store for a paint spatula, even a razor blade with some plyers on it to turn it.

Or, yes, work from inside prying on the part internally as you turn the nut(s) from the door jam.

 

Yes about the only option.

 

I think it would be worth trying to grab it with needle nose pliers and try to untwist it. The threads might catch.

 

I tried with vice grips already. Going to buy a dremel off FB marketplace

 

Those little cutoff disks and thin and crack off easily, that's expected and they come in a pack with 10-20 of the disks. One will cut that nut with no problem, takes a little while, probably 4 or 5 min and probably 2 or 3 of the cutting disks.

 

Thanks!

 

When you used the vise grips, did you try pulling on the nut, axially out, when turning? This is the only way you have a chance to get the threads to catch.

While some sort of cutting tool will be required, I think it will be difficult to remove from the outside without butchering the paint. I would personally attack it from the inside as you will probably have to change the stud anyway.

 

There’s something called a nut splitter that might if you can get it on the nut, probably not.

Something else to try is to pry outwards from behind the nut with a screwdriver or panel clip tool, then try spinning the nut. I’d use a small impact. I have a small blue nail puller I use for things like this. It was cheap at Home Depot. I took a grinder to the nail slot so it fits.

If all else fails you could take a small impact to it & spin like crazy until it breaks. But this could mess up the hole.

If you mark the stud, you’ll know for certain if it’s spinning or not.