Need HELP drilling out Broken Valve cover bolts!!!

[Kdubslugga]

Well my car is in storage for the winter, and its time to begin my winter project. I bought some cheap chrome valve covers a few months ago, "didnt know better then". Well anyways i bought new stainless steel bolts to go along with them, and in the prosess of torqueing them down i popped the heads off three of them. "i know pretty stupid" Anyways i ditched the cheap covers and polished up my stock ones and am going to reuse those. But i still have the bolts broken. I bought some easy out at the store, and i began drilling some 3 hours ago. I havent even put a dent in these things. I know it cant be this tough, is there a special drill bit i can get for this. Are there any special techniques to use, if i keep drilling like this, i wont be done til next winter, its ridiculous. If i had money id just get new heads, but right now thats not an option. I need all the tips i can get on this one guys!

 

[lxsteed]

Is there anything sticking up to get a pair of vice grips on? I had the same thing happen to me about a year ago. I couldn't get the damn things out either, and towed it to my local speed shop. After 5 hours of labor, they got it out.

 

[Kdubslugga]

Theres barely anything sticky up, ive tried vice grips, but they keep slipping off. Theres enough to get vice grips on it but its just eating away at the bolt. Maybe a set of good vice grips would help, the ones im using are kind of old!!

 

[gt90stang]

Kdubslugga,

Well if they didn't bottom out you could use a dremel with a small cutoff wheel and put a small slot in the bolt, not too deep. Do it along the axis of the valve cover seal so if you nick the head seal area it won't affect the seal. Then use a screw driver to remove them.

Usually you just snug the bolts down by hand. Don't ever use anything but an inch-pound torque wrench on those. I learned the hard way trying to torque some nuts to 8 ft-lbs with a 120 ft-lb wrench set to 5 ft-lbs, stripped the suckers right off.

Good Luck, Don

 

[Kdubslugga]

Kdubslugga,

Well if they didn't bottom out you could use a dremel with a small cutoff wheel and put a small slot in the bolt, not too deep. Do it along the axis of the valve cover seal so if you nick the head seal area it won't affect the seal. Then use a screw driver to remove them.

Usually you just snug the bolts down by hand. Don't ever use anything but an inch-pound torque wrench on those. I learned the hard way trying to torque some nuts to 8 ft-lbs with a 120 ft-lb wrench set to 5 ft-lbs, stripped the suckers right off.

Good Luck, Don

Tried that! It didnt work i had the slit in the top of the bolt and the screw driver snapped 1 side of the bolt off! Anyways! I just got done with 1, i got one out! It took me 8 hours including a lunch and bathroom breaks!! "didnt have work or school today"!! Well i got two left, and there in the very back, should be fun!!!!!!!!!

 

[Black 93 Fox]

I had the VERY exact samething happen to me. I bought cheap valve cover's and I broke the bolt on the back of the drivers side head. I had the same problem drilling nothing happened. Tried cobalt, titaninum, black oxide, left hand drill bit. I tried everything nothing would drill into that damn bolt. I ended up taking the head off and running it up to the machince shop they got it out. Only cost 10bucks. Good luck

 

[Skoobie]

Im in the middle of the same problem only with intake bolts. Heres what you do:

Tap a hole in the top of the broken bolt, starting with a small bit and working your way up to about 2/3 the size of the bolt. Make the first drill deep and each successive bit a little less deep. (About half way though the broken bolt)

Next go to the hardware store and snag a set of SPIRAL screw removal bits

Take the largest SRB that will fit in your tapped hole and hammer it in till its good and embedded.

Next take a socket or wrench and slowly back out the bolt while applying downward pressure. This should work for you.


G/L

 

[Ourobos]

Skoobie is exact with the easiest way to do it, I've done it several times. Thing is, he said these are stainless bolts. Good luck with that one. I would recommend you grind them flat to the head first, then possible a carbide bit will get a starter hold going. If you can get one hole deep enough in them, you can step drill them with regular bits.