Seat Belt Removal Question

[Poobah]

I have to unbolt my rear shoulder belt anchors in order to replace my rear quarter upholstery panels.

The service manual says there is a special tool for this but when I checked with my dealer's parts counter man, he said I could use a torx socket instead. He said he'd be happy to order the tool for me but it would take a few days to get and it would cost me an arm and a leg.

My T45 socket seems a little bit loose in the bolt and my next bigger size (a T50) won't fit. Is there such a thing as a T46 or T47?

I have really cranked on the bolts with my T45 and they just will not budge. I can pull still harder but I am affraid I'll break something (either strip the bolt head or the socket or both).

Does anybody have any experience with this? Your advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[franey]

The correct socket fits snug no slack, i am not sure of exact torx , but when i removed mine i used a break over bar and lots of pull . Yes they are extremely tight .

[SteveJ]

Do not buy the Lyle brand. Low quality - it will snap. Found that out working on a Neon which needed an extension on the breaker bar to get loose.

[Poobah]

For those who wish to keep up on such things, I offer this follow-up:

With the proper torx socket (T47 - not the most common size out there), a new 18" breaker bar, and a little muscle, the seat belt anchoring bolts came right out.

Thanks to Franey and SteveJ for your helpful advice.

[Ed Hall]

An impact wrench if you have one works really good at getting stubborn bolts off.