Trouble with front grill bolts!

[MxGaza33]

A while ago I replaced my front grill for a black one and while doing so you need to remove 3 bolts holding the top of the grill in place (highlighted below)

[URL=http://s111.photobucket.com/user/gaza_rocks/media/Grill_zps959633f7.jpg.html][/URL]

Two of these bolts were stuck solid and instead of unscrewing, whatever is on the underside 'cracked' free so the bolts just spin in place. I had a go at trying to get a hold of whatever is on the underside and using some penetrating oil but i cant get a good enough grip on it nor see what it is, so as a temporary job I cut the heads off the bolts so that I could swap the grills and It's been like that ever since with one bolt and a cable tie holding it in place at the top! (which works fine I might add, but doesn't look ideal!)

It's only now that I'm looking to sell the car within the next month or so I'd like to sort it properly, as of right now my only option seems to be drill the whole bolt out but I still don't know whats on the other side.

Can anyone shed some light on what these bolts screw into or have any bright ideas on how to get them out?

Thanks

 

[S3_Jacko]

Dunno if this might help you out any?? I'm not sure if they just screw right into the top of the bumper?

But looking at the diagram above, it looks as if they do... if its the side 1's then it looks as if there is nothing below them, judging by the pic of my car with the bumper off

 

[MxGaza33]

Unfortunately it seems whatever they screw into is inside the beam with the bonnet catch on between the headlights in your picture, so I can't see them. The only thing I could fit in there was a pair of snipe nose pliers but they couldn't grip.

 

[S3_Jacko]

Unfortunately it seems whatever they screw into is inside the beam with the bonnet catch on between the headlights in your picture, so I can't see them. The only thing I could fit in there was a pair of snipe nose pliers but they couldn't grip.

Just went outside and had a look... there are 2 brackets that come out where the screws go into at the sides... if you look at my pic, there is nothing below them to hit with a drill by the looks of it... but just beware the headlight housing is close to there

 

[MxGaza33]

The diagram is a bit misleading, the 2 bolts on the right and left side go straight through both the grill and the bumper and then into the beam. The bolt in the centre only goes through the grill. So there's something inside the beam holding it in place.

The strange part is they are still fairly tight when trying to turn them with pliers, if there was a nut on the other side that had cracked off I would have thought whats left of the bolt would have fallen down or atleast be loose where it is, so I'm a bit puzzled!

 

[S3_Jacko]

Might have been the heads cracking though... tried to get you a slightly better zoomed image

 

[S3_Jacko]

wont let me post large though for some stupid reason!

 

[S3_Jacko]

The diagram is a bit misleading, the 2 bolts on the right and left side go straight through both the grill and the bumper and then into the beam. The bolt in the centre only goes through the grill. So there's something inside the beam holding it in place.

The strange part is they are still fairly tight when trying to turn them with pliers, if there was a nut on the other side that had cracked off I would have thought whats left of the bolt would have fallen down or atleast be loose where it is, so I'm a bit puzzled!

if its just threads in there then any sort of dirt or whatever will hold them tight... might just have been the heads of the bolts cracking if you were putting a good bit of oomph into getting them out