Broke the head off two of the four bolts that hold the link mount brace in my 70 Z. They had not moved in over 50 years so probably lucky to get two out! The captured nuts are inside the channel that is welded into the body. Any ideas how to get the bolts out short of cutting into the channel and replacing it?

Gonna need some pics to even begin to understand the situation at hand. More pics at different angles the better.

Tough luck. Whether these are the ones for the front diff mount/front control arm brace or the ones at the top of the 90 deg bent plates that locate the rear of the control arms, you’re only solution is to either drill and extract the remains of the bolts and re-thread, or cut out the welded nut area in the body channel and weld in some new ones. Just cut out a square big enough to get the captured nut out, then recreate a new patch with about 16 gauge steel, then, with a high grade M10x1.25 nut welded to it and weld that back in. I know, sounds easy to me, but…..

The 2 of the four bolts that hold the 90 degree bends on the link mount brace (5) behind the mustache bar are the culprits in question. I'm wondering if I can come in through the top, remove some sheet metal and weld a nut onto the stud end of the broken bolt. Anyone know if that channel is open on the top?

On 9/25/2026 at 7:22 PM, WizardZ said:

Broke the head off two of the four bolts that hold the link mount brace in my 70 Z. They had not moved in over 50 years so probably lucky to get two out! The captured nuts are inside the channel that is welded into the body. Any ideas how to get the bolts out short of cutting into the channel and replacing it?

Drill out the broken bolts and then retap the threads.

The channel is not open in the rear deck. It is in line with the rear strut support, and the mustache bar bolt/studs hole.

Tried to drill out the bolt. Broke off a drill bit in one. Broke off an easy-out in the other. That was not a good Day!

Even with a closed top on the channel, I'm inclined to cut into the top of the channel since less of the channel would be disturbed. That assumes I could get the bolt out from the top.

Thanks for the feedback! I'll work on it over the next few days. Let you know the outcome.

Broken bolts fix. Ended up being able to remove both the broken drill bit and the easy-out. Decided to finish drilling out the stuck bolts and tap a M12x1.25 (original bolt was a M10x1.25). Had to enlarge the bolt holes in the link mount brace to 1/2 inch so everything aligned. Suspension back in place. Thanks to everyone for the support.