ChrisSalerno

I'm trying to install a new tranny in a 95 2500 with a cummins auto trans. My problem is that I couldn't count 6 converter bolts so the tranny came out without the converter. I left two bolts in it. I managed to get one out but the last one has begun to strip. The bolts have a thin low profile head.
The truck has a 5" long arm suspension so I used the long arms to support 2x6 lumber then stacked blocks of up to the bottom of the converter to help avoid damage to the flex plate and stop the converter from falling 24" down to concrete. Because of this I am only able to reach the converter bolt via a 4' extension the I use out by the fron bumper. This worked fine for the first but I'm afraid the last one has tension on it.
Trying to drill the bolt for an extractor don't sound fun with a right angle attachment on my drill.
I can try to get a couple mor bolts back in then move my safety wood out of the way so I can be in a better position to back out the stripped bolt.
Or I can breakout my die Grinder with a metal cut off wheel and proceed cutting the converter away fron the stripped bolt. That don't sound fun either.
Anyone have any suggestions? I thorought i triple counted 6 bolts on the concrete.

AlpineRAM

I'd reinstall one bolt on the exact opposite side of the bolt you need to get out, and tighten it a bit.

This should remove the tension from the damaged bolt.

torquefan

Take a fresh new six-point socket of the proper size, (doesn't have to be an expensive one), grind about 1/8" off the end of it to remove the chamfer. The fresh sharp edge of the socket will now have a far better grip on the head of that low profile bolt head.

ChrisSalerno

Thanks for the tip I've already did this plus took Some other helpful advice and it worked. Now I'm still faced with fhe convertwe attached to the flex plate. I thank I'm going to stack my wood blocks so they aren't in the way of removing this last bolt then hopefully my ground socket will hold up. The 4ft extension I welded together worked ok for the housing bolts, but there's parts that arent on center so it has an orbiting effect.

AlpineRAM

If you have some spare wood you can fabricate something that has a hole that slips over the stub at the rear of the TC and has "ears" that support the load on the frame rails.
If the hole is tight enough the TC can't tilt, and the ears can be clamped to the frame so you basically have a wooden "transmission simulator" to keep the TC from falling down.
Or you could make a wooden block with said hole and clamp it to a car jack.

ChrisSalerno

Thanks for the tip. I ended up grinding off the end of a socket and tried my home made 4 ft extension and your last tip about installing another bolt and the converter fell off perfectly onto my blocks of wood. I'm good now.