You may need a sharper drill bit, and run the bit as sloooooow as possible to reduce heat.

this ^^^ and maybe use some cutting fluid, then replace with some nice polished or painted S.S. fasteners.
Jay D.

Alright, thanks for the suggestions. I'll see what I can do with these fasteners using the screw extractor method. Filling the holes will be my last resort.

if you drill just enough to get the head off you might have a stub sticking up to get some Vise Grip pliers on to.
Jay D.

badsix wrote:if you drill just enough to get the head off you might have a stub sticking up to get some Vise Grip pliers on to.
Jay D.

^^This. If you can get the heads drilled off, the pedistals should come come off and you should be able to get after the remaining screws with a vise grips.

If you were going to cheat and not remove the screws, I'd throw it in your cabinet blaster to do the screws and not use a wire wheel. Or grab your spot blaster. Why do you have to remove the pedestals? If it is not a concours resto, leave them on. Epoxy after blasting, seam seal the screw perimeter prior to paint and install it.

Silicone has no place in a shop. PB Blaster and other non-silicone penetrants have never caused problems in places I've painted.

I cannot see the job, but after 30 years of doing this BS, not every screw removal in composite material is without additional labor. No big deal if you are charging hourly or just love your personal car enough to spend endless time on it. You might get lucky after drilling those heads off, or just gain more knowledge for other resto work. Regular cheap, "sharp" bits may not fly, you may need carbide bits.

Alright so I'm going to revive this thread so I don't have to start a new one.

I successfully removed one of the pillars to the spoiler that I'm trying to disassemble. I ended up drilling the heads off of the rusted fasteners instead of using a screw extractor. Then I used a pair of pliers to try and remove the rest of the fasteners' bodies that are still sticking up from the spoiler. However, I was only able to get one (with almost zero effort) out of the four (which will soon be eight) off. The other three are stuck no matter how hard I twist with the pliers. Now the bodies of what's left of the fasteners are shredding and getting smashed almost to the point of not being able to get a grip on them with the pliers. So what do you suggest I do now? Here is an updated pic of what I have:

I would have liked to seen you use some penetrating oil on the studs that are left from the drilling of the heads. stay away from the aerosols you don't want to get it all over your work. your local hard ware store should have some in a dripper bottle. put a few drops on each stud and let set , it may take a few days. when you clamp the vise grips on clamp them tight, they should also have good jaws. then try and turn it out a little then back, do this several times if it doesn't come lose let it soak with the penetrating oil more. if they don't come out this way I doubt you will get them out with an EASY OUT. if you can't find good penetrating oil diesel mixed with alcohol at apr. 4 parts diesel to 1 part alcohol works reasonably good keep putting it on if it soaks in or evaporates. good luck
Jay D.

I soaked them in PB Blaster over night as that is all I have. And they still won't budge. The bottom left one has hardly enough space on it for any sort of grip. Is it possible to drill into them and break them out?

Hairy Harry wrote:I soaked them in PB Blaster over night as that is all I have. And they still won't budge. The bottom left one has hardly enough space on it for any sort of grip. Is it possible to drill into them and break them out?

Soak them overnight again, when you're trying to remove them; Jay D gave you great advise. If you can get a quarter turn loose, turn it right again and repeat. Think about it like you're tapping new threads.

If there's enough of a stub left, but you can't get on it with a vise grip; take a 1/4" bolt and sharpen the end of it and weld it to the stud with a few good tacks. Then take a open end wrench and you should be able to break it free.

Dealing with rusted fasteners is something I have to deal with almost every day, there's always a way to get them out sometimes it's just a little more difficult then it should be.