The evil bolts that destroy my tools...

[EL1NOR]

I'm trying to take off this old shifter adapter plate from the 4-speed toploader I purchased recently so I can install the new Hurst adapter plate... BUT -- The 3 damn bolts just refuse to turn at all! My arms are sore as hell right now and I just bent my 3/16" tool.... lol

Any recommendations? Besides going to the store right now and buying a breaker bar... renting a body-builder, and praying that those things come loose?

-Tim

 

[allcarfan]

let them soak with some liquid penetrant? apply heat?

 

[68keyblr]

Physics

Use the law of physics to your advantage by lengthening the lever (wrench or ratchet) you are using to turn the bolt. I do this by sliding a 2 ft metal pipe over the handle of my ratchet.

Let some penetrating oil soak in first though so you don't break anything

Good Luck

 

[EL1NOR]

Oh man..... this sucks...

I tried the leverage method... I used the socket piece with the inner tip... can't remember the correct name for the life of me... it goes INTO the bolt because they're that irritating type. I put a pipe over the wrench and turned and TADA! It worked!! First bolt done! Now onto the next two right?... wrong!

Second bolt... go to turn it and SNAP! socket attachment piece BREAKS OFF INSIDE THE DAMN BOLT! wonderful....

Now I have to go to the hardware store and buy an "easy-out"??? I'll have to drill into the bolts and use the easy out thing to pull them out?? Jesus.. this is ridiculous.

-Tim

 

[10secgoal]

ALWAYS IS man. It's called ''Murphy's Law'', "A can of worms, happens to everyone. I think it happens to me the most though.

 

[RajunCajun]

using the crisco and heat method ive never broken a bolt off yet, patience is a virtue

 

[EL1NOR]

oh my god....

EVEN THE EASY OUT DIDN'T WORK! I drilled into the screws and went to use the easy out piece yet it won't bite the damn thing! Once it gets tight enough to finally bite, I turned it hard and slow and then it got loose again! So I pull it out only to see that the p*ssy easy-out actually bent inside the hole somehow and the sharp edges that are SUPPOSED to grip inside the bolt actually flattened out because the old Ford metal is stronger!?!?

I hate this, I'm done for the day,
-Tim

 

[Hack]

Easy outs are pretty crappy. I've never gotten a bolt out with them. If the bolt is stuck enough to snap, the easy out probably won't do it.

My advice for next time is similar to above. Soak in penetrant for days, try it.. if it's too hard, soak more. Use a MAP gas torch to get it good and hot, hit it with a big hammer a couple times, more penetrant.

If that doesn't get you there, take it to a shop and have them throw an impact wrench on it. It might just break loose. The shock from the impact wrench really helps.

The goal is to not break it off if at all possible. Only use the big lever option if it's a large, hardened fastener - like front suspension type of deal. Good quality combination wrenches are sized to prevent too much force being applied.

Anyway.. at your current stage I would say there are a couple options. You could try drilling gradually larger holes through the bolt to try to remove as much of it as possible - then use a sharp tool to pick out the remnants.

More likely to work is a helicoil thread insert.

Good luck, I feel your pain. It's happened to me a few times as well.

 

[ssppiitt]

Try a product called Liquid Wrench. Spray it on and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Tap on it witha hammer. Spray on some more and then SUPRISE, it should come loose. If it doesn't then spray on some more and let it sit for like 30 minutes.

 

[WORTH]

What are you trying to get out? Is it a counter sunk torques? Or is it a round head torques? If it has a head you may be able to get it with a visegrip. If not you may have to drill the head off of it, get your bracket off, then work on the stud portion of the bolts with a small punch to turn them out.

If you have something to grab it with, try heating the bolt and using "parafin wax" you can get it at the hardware store and it works pretty good.

 

[EL1NOR]

What are you trying to get out? Is it a counter sunk torques? Or is it a round head torques? If it has a head you may be able to get it with a visegrip. If not you may have to drill the head off of it, get your bracket off, then work on the stud portion of the bolts with a small punch to turn them out.

If you have something to grab it with, try heating the bolt and using "parafin wax" you can get it at the hardware store and it works pretty good.

UPDATE---

Well, they are counter sunk screws... they suck @$$. lol

So I started today with the 2nd bolt because yesterday the first actually came out with leverage. The 2nd was stripped and I went to Sears and spent $57 on screw extractors (diff. sizes), drill bits (apparently strong grade), and a tap wrench.

After 30 minutes of drilling, changing bits, redrilling, and trying different sized screw extractors I lucked out and the damn thing came out!!! Leaving me with 1 screw left. The evil third screw with the broken bit still inside of it.

WELL, little did I know that no matter what force, bit, angle, ANYTHING I used, I could NOT even scratch that broken tool that was inside of it! NOTHING WORKED! It's like made out of some sort of super grade undrillable steel that apparently snaps easy as $h|t, but can't be cut. So I whipped out my dremel and cutting disk and went at it for another 30-45 minutes of slicing into it and the head of the screw.

I go to put in the extractor and it turns! HOORAY right?? WRONG! The head just came right off. So now I took the bracket off and I have this one screw still inside the damn hole with no head. I can't even drill into it because when I went to extract it a second time the $5.00 extractor bit BROKE OFF INSIDE OF IT and just like the original ratchet bit that broke off, I CAN'T DRILL THROUGH IT or pull it!

So yet again here I am saying F-It..... any ideas??

-Tim

 

[dolfan87]

So yet again here I am saying F-It..... any ideas??

Yea, buy a Chevy, that stuff just falls apart.

Can you get a pair of vise grips on any part of the remaining screw? If you can, spray the screw down with WD-40, get the vise grips on the thing as secure as you can, and then twist. Heat it, oil it, hammer it...do it all, eventually it will come out.

87

 

[paintballtommy]

i dont know exatly what it looks like but it sounds like you got yourself a big problem. heres my idea. take a circular cutter on the end of a drill jsut big enough to fit over the hole. cut the damn thing out so you got yourself a hole then weld or braze in a correct size nut. that should fix it? its what id do.

 

[stephen4785]

As far as liquid penetrate's my favorite has to be P.B. blaster.You can buy it at Orielly and the stuff works great.As far as your broken off bolt the only thing Iv ever been able to succesfully remove that kind of a break is to find a piece of metal that will fit int the hole.get an arc welder hook one lead to the work are and the other to the metal.Leaving the welder off touch the piece of metal that fits in the hole onto then be sure that metal just touching the broken bolt and turn the welder off and on quickly.while its stil hot get some pliers,bend the metal and twist out.The broken bolt and surrounding area get hot and you can usaully unscrew it out.But since you probably dont hav a welder and that bolt is small that method wont work.Iv heard some old mechanics tales about getting a birthday candle and placing it around the bolt while heating up the area with a troch.The wax gets sucked into the threads and you can unscrew it.But Ive never tried it.well crap since the head is broke off thats not gonna work either. Go spend some money on a titanium tiped drill bit and try it.just drill it all out and if the threads are ruined heliacoil it.You can also drill a different hole in the plate then mark and drill a hole in the surfaces and use a fla tap to tap the hole then use a new bolt and bypass the broken off bolt/easy out all together.Hopefully something will work for you.For future refrence get a can of P.B. Blaster and try it.

 

[Swede958]

I hear ya on the broken bolt thing (if ya do a seach, look for my 'broke a bolt off in friend's intake" thread).

Yes, the easy-outs and taps are a PITA, but most of the stuff that you buy over the counter CAN be drilled, it just takes a big ass drill. In my case, I used a big 2 hand (sawzall size) drill and a 14$ (highest grade bit they had)bit from home depot. I managed to cut a little into the easy out I broke with a dremel, then went at it with the drill. OH yeah, if you haven't hardened it already too much by trying to drill to much, you may see if you can use a punch and shatter the easy out (dad works in a machine shop, helped me through all this).

I would say at this point, screw saving the threads, drill the damn thing out and heli-coil it. After that incident with my friend's intake, I will never try an easy out again if I can help it. Helicoils are so much easier.

Good luck man, I feel ya, and hope the car gods are nicer to ya in the future.

And yeah, Mr. Murphy can, does, and always makes an appearance when he isn't wanted.

ANd P.B Blaster get's my vote for penetrating oil, broke loose my leaf spring bolts no problem.

THe Swede

 

[one2gamble]

man you have some ****ty tools lol

 

[Hack]

I agree with the PB blaster votes. I've always used Liquid Wrench and recently switched over.