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I suspect the PO or his mechanic tried to stop a leak the same way you did and damaged the bolts. They've got to come out. The cover has to come off and hope there is enough left to get a grip on to remove (probably not). If not, the remaining bolt has to be drilled and extracted. I like to use left hand bits and this often will remove the bolt. If not, it leaves a hole into which you insert an extractor. Doing a steel bolt out of aluminum is doable but not a recommended learning job. You can easily have the bit slip and drill into the aluminum. Then you'll end up using a helicoil or something similar.
To avoid this, I never grip the end of the rachet handle when working with aluminum. Hold your hand over the rachet assembly to avoid applying too much torque or use a torque wrench. The first one I broke (in 1962) was because I read the inch-pound value as foot-pounds.
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