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bolt removal

5K views 25 replies 13 participants last post by  arch 
#1 ·
I snaped a bolt for the termostat housing on my intake. It was sticking up about 1/4" inch, I soaked it in liquid wrench for a day then i tried some vice grips on it, didnt move. next i tried drilling it out and removing it with a bolt extractor. (kind with reverse threads on it). I snaped that inside the bolt, and the top 1/4" of the bolt split open. I tried to drill the tool out, except its made of some kind of extremely hard steel alloy, and I snaped 2 brand new drill bits on it, and it was barely scratched. (cobalt drill bits for hard metals)
Now I have it cut down flush with the intake and am completely lost on what to do.
any suggestions?
 
#2 · (Edited)
i would say ur in a bit of a jam, i think your best bet is to take it to a machine shop, and see what they can do. Or start lookn on ebay for a new intake and all new bolts.

I dont know what kind of intake you have but i have a cast iron 4 bbl sbc intake, non EGR, its off my 71 chevy 350, i would be willing to sell ya if you really need one and cant afford an aftermarket alluminum one.
 
#4 ·
71-C-10

If you have a wire feed welder you could try welding another 1/4 inch bolt onto your struck one. This will heat the stuck bolt and when it cools what ever is holding on to it will let go and you will be able to twist it out.
This will work with an aluminum or a cast iron intake because neither one will welt to the broken bolt. You may need to J-B weld the area and file it smooth but you should be able to get the thing out of there, just be patient.
Scholman
 
#6 ·
The only good thing about the broken off easy-out is that the hardness can work for you. Try using a chisel or punch and try and break up the easy-out. It should break up in to little chunks and the pieces should come out without too much of a problem. For future use, stay away from the easy-outs that twist into a broken bolt. They seem to always cause more problems than they solve. I have had better luck with the four sided easy-outs that are tapped into the hole of the broken bolt. They don't seem to cause the excessive expansion problems (or breakage) the the threaded ones cause.
 
#7 ·
Its an aftermarket TPI, SLP aluminium intake, ported and polished. Removing the intake is the last thing I want to do, and I hope I dont have to. As for heating it, I tried... didnt do much of anything for me. I also dont want to warp the intake from heating it in one spot. The first easy-out I tried, I stripped it inside the bolt. The second one was one of the four-sided ones, and that was the one that broke. I took a dremel tool to it with a cone-shaped grinding bit with the point in the center, it took some metal away, not much though. I think Ill get some new drill bits of different sizes, and just work my way up from small to big, then re-tap the bolt hole... If that works that is...

Thanks for all the suggestions so far... :)
Any other suggestions?

oh, and no welder on hand :(
but I have some JB weld handy

oh, and no welder on hand :(
but I have some JB weld handy
 
#9 ·
Save your sanity and knuckles, take this manifold to a machine shop that does E.D.M. (electrical discharge machining) work. Did you ever take a screw driver or and other tool and cross the battery connections? I'll take a big hunk out of it. Well this is what E.D.M. machining does, only repeatedly. It's not cheap, but normal wouldn't be an arm and a leg either. Good Luck! ...Mark
 
#11 ·
arch said:
Its an aftermarket TPI, SLP aluminium intake, ported and polished. Removing the intake is the last thing I want to do, and I hope I dont have to. As for heating it, I tried... didnt do much of anything for me. I also dont want to warp the intake from heating it in one spot. The first easy-out I tried, I stripped it inside the bolt. The second one was one of the four-sided ones, and that was the one that broke. I took a dremel tool to it with a cone-shaped grinding bit with the point in the center, it took some metal away, not much though. I think Ill get some new drill bits of different sizes, and just work my way up from small to big, then re-tap the bolt hole... If that works that is...

Thanks for all the suggestions so far... :)
Any other suggestions?

oh, and no welder on hand :(
but I have some JB weld handy

oh, and no welder on hand :(
but I have some JB weld handy
I would have thought that breaking the bolt would have been the last thing that you wanted to do. Since you've done that, you might be better off taking the manifold off to fix it. It is easier to drill and so forth with it out where you can get right at it.

As for using easy-outs, usually people have a tendancy to use the one that is closest to the size of the bolt. That causes the spreading that leads to breaking the easy-out. If you have any room left between the edge of the easy out and the edge of the bolt, you can try drilling realy small holes about (1/16") in the bolt around the easy-out. That will often relieve some pressure so you can tap it out with a small punch by twisting it backwards. You may then need to drill the hole out and install a helicoil or a larger metal threaded insert.

I have been known to make my own inserts. You take the largest bolt that will fit in that area, and still leave enough original metal there for needed strength. Drill and tap the hole for that bolt. Insert that bolt into the hole and cut it off flush with the surface. Then drill a hole at the edge of the bolt, where it cuts into the threads of the bolt and original metal. The hole should be a tight fit for a pin of somekind, I like to use a small nail. Drive that pin into that hole and grind it off flush. That will prevent the inserted bolt from turning out. Then drill and tap a hole into that bolt for the bolt that you are going to use.

Another option for replacing the threads is to use one of those inserts that are installed using a tool like a rivet gun. They are designed for use in sheetmetal, but can possibly work for that, since it isn't a high pressure area.
 
#15 ·
Sorry to hear of your trouble. You might try taking a small punch, and taping the broken easy-out CLOCKWISE. That should loosen it up, as you turn in counter-clockwise to get it to bite into the broken stud. Take your time and work on all 4 corners of the easy-out. Once you have loosened it up, and gotten it out, use the left handed drill technique in the link above. I have sharpened regular bits "left handed" in a pinch, and gotten things out that way, but real left handers will obviously work better. Also you should always use anti-seize compound on anything that's screwing into aluminum.
Good luck and let us know how you make out!!!

MF

:pimp:
 
#19 ·
NO PROBLEM!!!
I'll fire up the grinder, and the digital camera, and have it for you tomorrow!!!!
All I'm doing is grinding the bevel for the bit backward. It will drill in reverse. It doesn't reverse the whole twist. Don't tell me you can't do this yourself!

MF

:nono:
 
#20 ·
OK I've tried four times to send the pictures, even tried zipping one and sending it, but I get a message that the file is too big. If I'm doing someting wrong, let me know. However, I'll try to explain it to you. The bit is sharpened backwards, or left handed. It is not a great drilling bit, and probably wouldn't drill through on it's own. But if you drill a pilot hole into or through the broken off bolt or stud, then sharpen the next size bit backwards, and drill into it in reverse, as the bit tries to bite into the bolt, it will "bump" the bolt counterclockwise, and sometimes take it out. This works better on bolts or screws that have had the heads twisted off, or a screw that the head is mangled on and then ground flat to drill through. If it doesn't take it out, but drills through, go to the next size bit. Eventually it will come out,or you will have it drilled out? Either way, it's a good thing. Hey, it ain't glamorous, but it's sometimes effective!

MF
:pimp:
 
#21 ·
MF... What you describe is nothing more than ruining a drill bit, and wearing thru whatever you are trying to drill thru. Try installing a regular sheetmetal screw by turning it counter-clock-wise. That will work about as good as sharpening a right turn drill bit to cur backwards. Since a regular drill bit cannot be sharpened to properly cut in reverse, it makes considerable more sense to save that bit for normal use, and buy reverse bits for removing bolts.
 
#22 ·
I'm sorry if I'm not as astute as you are, and have a perfect world in which to work. The drill bit, as I described it DOES WORK! If you choose not to try it, so be it. However, not all of us have actual left handed bits at our disposal. All I was trying to do, is help out a fellow rodder, with a cheap solution, that has served me well in the past. Sorry if I offended your sense of what is right, but it can be done, and I'm sorry that you are not open minded enough to try to see it.

NEXT TOPIC!!!!!!!!
MF

:thumbup:
 
#23 ·
Update

I didnt want to start a new thread for the same problem... so this is just an update/new question.

I drilled out most of the bolt. The real problem is the easy-out thats broken inside of it, it just about dulls the drill bits on contact (3 brand new 13pc sets now (Im also drilling out 2 other bolts broken off on the collector of my header)). Although, I have drilled about 1/2" of the bolt out. Bad news; while drilling It cracked the outer edge of the bolt hole, and the only two options I can think of off the top of my head are, Ethe a new intake baseplate ($400+) or JB welding the thermostat housing onto the intake. At the moment im leaning towards the cold weld, and planning to get the baseplate replaced in a couple weeks, when I have that kinda money back in my budget (around $20 right now).
I guess my question is, will the JB weld be fine for about a month so I can use to the car to go to work and get some money for the intake. I've never really used the stuff before, and I keep reading about it fixing engine blocks 'n such, So I dont really see any reason it cant hold the housing onto the intake (without leaks), and Im not planning to ever take it off the intake, since I'll be replacing it soon anyways, and I'll just put a cheap-o thermostat in it.
Unless somebody has some knowledge of a reason why it wouldnt work?

Ironic part of all this, I only wanted to take the housing off to checkout/replace the thermostat because of overheating problems and I found the thermostat in there was perfectly fine. (Lesson: If its not broke, dont fix it)

Oh, as for the 'left-handed' drill bits, great idea, but they didnt help me out much, they just ended up being more drill bits i ruined.
 
#24 ·
Easy outs are extremely hard. That is why they break so easy, and are almost impossible to drill out. Try, as I had indicated earlier, drilling a series of really small holes (1/16") around it to relieve the pressure, so you can get it out. Once it is out, drill a hole that is large enough to make it round again. Then either make an insert or buy one.

To make an insert. Drill the hole and tap it for a larger bolt. Usually 1/2" or 5/8" will work. Install the bolt, not a hardened one, into the hole. Cut it off flush with the surface. Drill a small hole in the edge of the bolt, at the threads, the size of a finishing nail. The idea is to get the nail in the hole where the threads are on the bolt and the intake to prevent the bolt from turning. Cut the nail off flush. Now you have filled the hole in the intake so you can drill and tap it for the original size bolt for the housing.

Another choice is to take the intake off, take it to a machine shop and have them fix it. They can remove the problem, weld it up, if necessary, and drill and tap the hole for you. It will be alot cheaper than repacing the part. It would probably be less than you paid for the drill bits that you ruined.

I doubt that the JB weld will work.
 
#25 ·
Arch....you have your butt in a bind. If you do not want to take it off and have it done you will need to get two items. A carbide drill bit and a drill bushing for guidance of the drill. Well make that three things. You will also need a piece of steel or aluminum to mount the drill bushing. Take the steel, drill two holes the same spread as the goosneck, put the bushing in one end and bolt the other end down to the intake. This will allow you to guide the drill above the broken stud / easyout. A carbide drill will remove the easy out but you have to take it slow. Real slow puching but high speed with the drill bit. I am a machinist and have to remove broken taps and easy outs all the time because others do the same thing, then bring it to me as a last resort. If you absolutely don't want to remove the intake and are not in a hurry, say like for a day or two I can make you up a drill jig and send it to you. But you have to let me know by this evening so I can make it up tomorrow. If you have any local machine shops thay can also do the same thing for you for a small fee. I'll attach a sketch of what I am talking about. Good luck.

Kevin

 
#26 ·
I Just typed 2 paragraphs, and then Previewed it, and went back, and everything was blank, and I forgot what I said.... :pain:

The problem is the drill bits are too short and the chuck of the drill keeps bouncing off the fuel rail, so getting the proper angle with the smaller bits is almost impossible. Take off the fuel rail? Another project I cant get into. (As I said before I have $20, and new O-rings cost more than that.) As for the machine shop, The work required and the expenese of taking everything off, machining it, and putting it all back on, with new gaskets 'n' such, just isnt worth it to me right now. The car has been off the road for about a month now, and all I was doing was a transmission swap (took less than a day to finish that, out & in). :pain: Damn bolts.

This is what im dealing with:

If you can tell, there's no more outter edge of the bolt hole. And I cant drill any farther, because all its doing is eating away the wall of the outside edge.:(
 
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