I was getting nervous reading this thread since I have a pair of tow hooks to put on. So I went out into the garage this morning and decided to see what my experience would be. Figured I would share for those thinking of doing this mod yet.
So yes, it did take a considerable amount of force to move the existing bolt. So glad I did my workout this morning and ate a bowl of oatmeal before. After unthreding it and banging the s out of it to get the clip to release, I think I found the reason why it was so hard to move the bolt. There was a bit of blue thread locker on the threads of the bolt:
I have threadlocker orange and was thinking of putting that on after reinstalling, but I think blue would be plenty since I had a challenge getting it out in the first place.
Also, I thought I would share a little trick for getting the longer bolt in and out of where it needs to go. With one hand, hold the electronic air dam and flex it out of the way and then guide the bolt in or out. It worked like a charm for me and had no issues pulling it loose or putting it back.
Next up, once I get my tow hooks painted the hard work is over. Just got to pull the bolts and reinstall.