broken bolt help

[D.Hearne]

Y'all need to try the welding the nut to the bolt trick, works every time. No need to drill and retap the hole. Doesn't matter how bad the bolt is stuck. When you weld the nut to the bolt, it heats it up, free's the threads and it'll come right out if you immediately put a wrench to it.

 

[Hack]

Y'all need to try the welding the nut to the bolt trick, works every time. No need to drill and retap the hole. Doesn't matter how bad the bolt is stuck. When you weld the nut to the bolt, it heats it up, free's the threads and it'll come right out if you immediately put a wrench to it.

Now that I have a welder, I'll have to try it. Good idea!

 

[Ozsum2]

Been there, done that. at least a handfull of times. You're right heat helps. I'm pretty carefull not to apply too much torque and break off a fastener, but when the threads are seized so badly that the head will twist off, an EZ out cannot apply more torque gripping inside the fastener than the entire thickness of the fastener will support.

I still try an EZ out every time, but it has never worked for me in that situation. Helicoil and/or retapping works.

I'm not sure I agree. The head is the weakest link. The main body of the bolt is the strength. It's not going to twist inside itself. That would be like the EZ out is counter drilling a hole all the way down with only the threads, the new weakest link holding it back. It just isn't sound physics.

 

[1320stang]

I've done the welding the nut to the broken bolt trick before as well. It seems its a bit easier with a larger bolt as with the smaller ones, it wants to draw the arc to the threads on the inside of the nut. One solution to this is to take the nut to the grinding wheel and make it thinner. But seriously, cut off a sliver off the bottom of one of your wife's candles and touch it to the base after you've welded the nut to the bolt, you can dang near back it out by hand.