crossthreaded

Just bought a pair of SIDI winter shoes for a great price and a problem. The black (steel) cleat bolts are rusted to the internal sole plate. The cleats are Crank Brothers, so no problem using the shoes. The problem will be when the cleats wear and need replacing. I have tried a popular rust breaker spray on the bolts and the plate. The 3mm hex won't budge and I don't want to round them. I tried heating the bolts with a soldering iron, no success. The plate isn't accessable from inside the shoe.
So, any problem solvers out there with a surefire solution?
THANKS

operator

Drill always works.

CACycling

+1 Had to drill one out on a pair of Shimano MTB shoes I picked up for my wife for $2. Even salvaged the SPD cleat.

joejack951

Heat isn't advisable due to the chances of melting the sole of the shoe. I'd try some good quality penetrating oil and just torque until something gives. If the head strips, then break out the drill. There's no harm in rounding out the bolt head since the only other alternative is drilling anyway.

I_bRAD

And when you put the new ones on, be generous with the grease! You can fill the hex holes on the screws with melted wax also to keep stuff from packing in them when you put your foot down.

NewAgeNarcissus

That melted wax idea is brilliant. I think i may have to try that. Thanks for the suggestion!

dabac

Last time I had that issue I brought out the arc welder and a pair of M6 nuts. I centered the nut over the offending bolt and ran a quick bead down the center, welding the nut to the bolt. A quick dunk into a bucket of water to prevent the heat from spreading, on with a socket wrench and the bolts came out w/o further issues.

Despite the success I wouldn't try this w/o torquing the tool interface to bits first.

crossthreaded

First off, thanks for the ideas. Question: when I drill the 3mm bolt (through the center I'm assuming) how does this free up the remains still rusted threads in the sole plate?

jkmartin

Lately I've had good luck with vinegar on rust frozen parts. Doubt you'll want to soak the shoes in it but if you can get an eyedropper, apply around the bolts, and let set overnight you may have some luck.

roberth33tiger

have you tried an impact screw driver? i removed toe clip screws from a friends pedals using mine.
they were slotted-head screws.

Al1943

Usually what is left of the bolt will collapse. Or you can use an "Easy Out" extractor.

Raleigh71

Using a Dremel tool with a grinding stone you can remove the screw heads and eventually take out the whole assembly.

Al1943

I use blue Locktite on all cleat bolts. It protects the bolts from oxidation, helps hold them in place, and makes them easier to remove.

Al

phantomcow2

+1. "Easy Out" will almost always work. Put some PB plaster in there first. As others have said, loctite or some sort of antisieze is advisable for the future. Good luck.

bikinfool

Pretty much covered. Question, did you think it was an exceptional deal on the used shoes just because it came with cleats you didn't have to change out?

crossthreaded

It was just an added bonus. The shoes are a great deal (practially new at 30% of new price). They're the only shoes so far with just a pair of wool socks to keep my toes from freezing. I figured there would be a way to remove the cleats when I needed to.
Thanks again to everyone for the great ideas. I wonder if wine vinegar will work, it does when I start to get a sore throat.