1955 4 door wagon - Rusted Roof Hiinge Bolts - Upper Tailgate

[AMTRAKJOE]

Experts- I'm tearing down the jewelry off the wagon in order for the body to get blasted and get in primer. I got most of the hardware off around the tailgate having to drill through rusted Phillips screws by the dozen. I'm at a point where I'm deciding what to do with the upper tailgate hinges. I know I could put the ratchet to the bolts and they would break right off. For each hinge, the forward facing bolts - I could drill through whats left and tap the hole for new bolts. But......when I break off the top 2, I imagine the only way to replace those two would be to cut holes in the roof to drill out the broken bolts forceing me into a sheetmetal patch and repair.

The hinges swing freely and are straight and square. I seek opinions. If I leave them, blast and paint them in place- do they last a while? Should I take the time now to get them out ? I don't know if they re-pop them and if they did - are the re-pops any good.

Thanks everyone for any opinions offered.

Joe