Removing front guards on XF

[XF001 93]

Went to remove the front guards from the ute and the bolts under the guard are fucked. One came out and half the bolt was rusted away and the other one is spinning. Is there any way to get them out without destroying the bottom of the guard (it is in very good condition) or do I have to sacrifice the guard to get to the bolt. I would also assume I will need to cut the bottom of the 'A' pillar out and find a good replacement one somewhere.

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Free.51 2,746]

Have u tried putting upward pressure on the bolt with the socket and and ratchet to prevent the clip from spinning? also try to get the bolt on a certain angle with your socket to kind of lock in the broken clip while u undo the bolt or a thin chisel & hammer and break the bolt head off.

[wagoon 2,429]

I used vice grips to lock onto the head of the bolt and pull down and also sideways to jam the clip in as Free said, patience is going to be the best tool though. The A pillar one is a bit trickier as you cant easily get anything big in there, you could remove the door to get easier access to it then put the door back on. If you need to do door bushes you kill 2 birds 1 stone so to speak.

[XF001 93]

Finally got the bugger off. The clip had broken and was spinning freely. A big screw driver to lever down, another to stop it from spinning and 10 minutes later - one guard off along with dirt about 6" up the guard.

 

Surprisingly, the bottom of the 'A' pillar and the guard is rust free, just dirty.

 

Thanks again guys for the advice.