After reading everything I could find on replacing a 107 steering coupler, I decided to attack the 6mm, Allen bolt recessed under the firewall with a X-long, ball head hex socket, and ½ in drive with a long extension. However, since the torque on that bolt is evidently far greater than I imagined, I ended up stripping the head.

So, now I’m thinking about gluing a 6mm, Allen socket into the stripped head with JB Weld, and giving it a shot tomorrow. But before I do, I was wondering if anybody here has ever done this, or could speculate what the chances are that it will work. Any other suggestions on how to get the bolt out would also be appreciated.

Thanks very much in advance.

My guess 0%. I'd use a bolt extractor socket. They're not made for round allen bolts but a few taps with a hammer seats them well and work 99% of the time for me on stripped out allens.

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90 300TE 4-M
Turbo 103, T3/T04E 50 trim
T04B cover .60 AR
Stage 3 turbine .63 AR
A2W I/C, 40 LB/HR
MS2E, 60-2 Direct Coil Control
3" Exh, AEM W/B O2
Underdrive Alt. and P/S Pulleys,
Vented Rear Discs, .034 Booster.
3.07 diffs 1st Gear Start

90 300CE 104.980
Milled & ported head, 10.3:1 compression
197° intake cam w/20° advancer
Tuned CIS ECU
4° ignition advance
PCS TCM2000, built 722.6
600W networked suction fan
Sportline sway bars
V8 rear subframe, Quaife ATB 3.06 diff

I thought about using an extractor, but the bolt is partially recessed under the firewall, which prevents me from getting the extractor to go in straight, or from getting anything on the extractor to remove it. In fact, that's why I ended up stripping the bolt in the first place; it's recessed.

Yeah its in a bad location for sure. Have you tried removing the driver's kickpanel and going after it from the inside?

__________________

90 300TE 4-M
Turbo 103, T3/T04E 50 trim
T04B cover .60 AR
Stage 3 turbine .63 AR
A2W I/C, 40 LB/HR
MS2E, 60-2 Direct Coil Control
3" Exh, AEM W/B O2
Underdrive Alt. and P/S Pulleys,
Vented Rear Discs, .034 Booster.
3.07 diffs 1st Gear Start

90 300CE 104.980
Milled & ported head, 10.3:1 compression
197° intake cam w/20° advancer
Tuned CIS ECU
4° ignition advance
PCS TCM2000, built 722.6
600W networked suction fan
Sportline sway bars
V8 rear subframe, Quaife ATB 3.06 diff

Actually, I thought about doing that originally using a stubby 6mm hex key. But I thought that I wouldn't be able to get enough leverage to loosen the bolt, and that the key would probably end up bending or breaking first. At this point, I also don't think it would work since the head is now stripped.

So I guess I'm going to have to try using an EZ out or drilling it out.

You can get it out, work from under the pedal, loosen access plate slide it up out of your way after loosening retaining bolt, then hammer a 12 point socket either a 12mm or 11mm dont remember what works the best, hammer the socket over the head of the allen bolt

Now there's an interesting idea, since it doesn't seem to have any downside. Thanks very much for suggesting it.

However, won't the socket just end up revolving around the Allen head, given how tight the bolt seems to be in the coupler?

In any event, I'll report back on the result -- hopefully tomorrow, if I have the right 12 pt socket or can pick one up somewhere tomorrow.

It shouldnt it will grip the head, remember has 12 points to grip round, i use that method often,snap on works the best chrome socket , you will need a vice to knock that bolt off, report back please.

Well, I hammered a 12 mm, 12 pt socket on to the bolt head, but it just spun around. So, I'm essentially back where I started, but no worse off.

OTOH, after sliding the flange that secures the steering column to the floorboard up, I realized that it would have been much easier to access the recessed bolt from inside the car than from the engine compartment, as one or two people suggested. In fact, if I had done it that way, I'm pretty sure I could have loosened the bolt with just a regular 6mm, Allen socket. Oh well! Live and learn.

Given the situation now, I think I will be able to use an EZ out, though I am afraid of breaking it off given how tight that bolt seems to be in there. OTOH, looking at the new OE coupler, the top half isn't threaded at all. So, if the top half of the old coupler isn't threaded either, I'm thinking that even if the EZ-Out does happen to break off, I should still be able to drill the lower, threaded part out, and push the top part, along with the Ez-Out, out. But, before I try it, I was hoping somebody who's taken one of these couplers out could tell me whether the top half of it is or isn't threaded?

Thanks again for all the help, and warm wishes for a Happy New Year. It's hard to imagine how difficult this and every other job would be without that help

Here's an update on the stripped coupler bolt I was struggling with. After reading that some people managed to get them out with Torx heads, I went to the local hardware store, bought a T47 insert for 1.99, and taped it into a 1/4" socket for a 1/4" drive.

However, since it would have been impossible to get enough torque on that bolt with a 1/4" drive, I used a 1/4-3/8" adapter, a 3/8-1/2" adapter, and a long, 1/2" breaker bar to loosen the bolt from inside the cabin, after turning the wheels so that the bolt head was facing straight down and carefully torching the threaded part for a few minutes.

Still, I thought for sure that the Torx head was going to slip at any moment. So I had an EZ-Out and a drill bit ready to try when it did.

Much to my amazement, though, the Torx managed to get enough bite on the stripped bolt head to withstand the amount of force I had to exert on the breaker bar to finally loosen the bolt. Boy, was I relieved.

Thanks again for your suggestions and the concern many of you expressed.