Broken Step Bar Stud

[blatt2686]

Hello, I was putting on a set of Ionic 4” step bars when one of the studs already on the truck snapped pretty easily, not sure if it was cracked or not as after I used a wire wheel on my drill to clean off the paint from the other studs I had no issues. Does anyone have any idea how I can rectify this issue or still secure the bracket?

 

[Str8Cracker]

Someone else very well may have a better idea, but if you can get the old stud out you put a rivet nut in its place. You may even have room to drill out another hole in the bracket and truck if you can’t get it out. I’m thinking it was my 2012 RAM that the oem bars used those to secure all the brackets. You can pick up the tool to insert them pretty cheap.

 

[thabiiighomie]

Hello, I was putting on a set of Ionic 4” step bars when one of the studs already on the truck snapped pretty easily, not sure if it was cracked or not as after I used a wire wheel on my drill to clean off the paint from the other studs I had no issues. Does anyone have any idea how I can rectify this issue or still secure the bracket?

Scared that is going to happen on mine as well. I hear an offputting creaking noise every other time I step up into my truck.
Let us know what you do to remedy it in the end.

 

[Shmannion13]

Just snapped one of the studs installing my running boards with the torque wrench set to the 8 like recommended went fine on all except one. Was wondering how you rectify this. Are the studs double sided threads screwed into frame and can use extraction tool or is there nut and washer on other side ?

 

[Soupy77]

2nd to this. I did the same and one is crucial to the mounts for the Westin running boards.

 

[Shmannion13]

2nd to this. I did the same and one is crucial to the mounts for the Westin running boards.

I couldn’t get the stud out with a bolt extractor I had to drill out the bolt then I threaded the hole with a plug tap drill attachment and used a bolt I had for that size.

 

[Soupy77]

This is what I’m working with

I couldn’t get the stud out with a bolt extractor I had to drill out the bolt then I threaded the hole with a plug tap drill attachment and used a bolt I had for that size.

This is what I’m working with. I don’t know how to get a new bolt in.

 

[GraniteRam]

I would do what Shmannion13 said. Drill the old bolt out and tap the hole for a bolt. Use a washer also and maybe some blue loctite.

 

[Shmannion13]

This is what I’m working with

This is what I’m working with. I don’t know how to get a new bolt in.

 

[Shmannion13]

This is what I’m working with

This is what I’m working with. I don’t know how to get a new bolt in.

Dude think we broke same exact one this is what mine looks like after the fact not perfect but I feel good about it . Start with small drill bit and step it up till u have as much of the screw out.then use the plug tap to thread hole not sure on size
I borrowed it from neighbor and pick the closest one for the size bolt i had. But while drilling make sure to keep looking in that gap in pic one cause once u drill thru that plate or weld what it is that’s the body of the truck I believe

 

[Soupy77]

I would do what Shmannion13 said. Drill the old bolt out and tap the hole for a bolt. Use a washer also and maybe some blue loctite.

Ok. I can do that. One question one of the mounts only fit on 2 bolts. Will that make any difference?

 

[GraniteRam]

Ok. I can do that. One question one of the mounts only fit on 2 bolts. Will that make any difference?

If that's the way the company designed the bracket than no.

 

[kfscoll]

I apologize for dredging up an old thread but I just ran into this exact same issue. When I discovered that the nuts provided with my running boards were getting tough to fully tighten onto the factory studs, I figured I'd just force 'em with an impact driver. Whoops - I snapped one of the studs clean off. I didn't even think to chase the studs' threads first. Curiously enough, I was able to tighten all of the other nuts with hand tools by spraying a little white lithium grease on the nuts before installing them.

As suggested in this thread, I drilled out the snapped-off stud and re-tapped the hole with an M7 tap I already had. However, because the plate that I was threading is so close to the body panel right behind it, I couldn't get past the tapered part of my tap, so the holes weren't threaded all the way through. I didn't realize this until I ripped the threads off of two bolts that I tried to install. I ended up cutting the tapered portion of my M7 tap off so that I could get threads tapped through the full depth of the hole. After that, the whole process went pretty smoothly, but what should've been a 15 minute job (if I'd RTFM) turned into a multi-hour ordeal.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to the contributors in this forum thread! I was just going to go with just two fasteners on one of the brackets on my running boards; it hadn't even occurred to me to try to tap a new hole because I figured there wasn't enough material there to tap threads into. Here's what mine ended up looking like:



I was lucky to find a thick 1/4" x 1" fender washer at Lowe's that covered up the hole in the mounting bracket completely.

 

[Zacritz929]

What type of drill bit is best for drilling these studs out?

 

[MannyN]

A sharp one...