Easier method to remove broken bolts

[just me]

Since everything I try to remove for service is frozen solid and I break more bolts than I remove, I have become rather good at removing the remnants. I use the usual Kroil ahead of time and let the stuff soak, Use heat and all the normal things when working on old iron. But still, I break a lot of bolts. The most recent was the water pump bolts. 2 of the three broke. One had enough sticking out to get out with a small pipe wrench, soaking, tapping and heating. The other was broken 3/16" from the mating surface.
After removing the one and chasing the tap through those two holes, I made a bushing that was an interference fit to the new water pump housing with a ctr hole the size of the tap drill for the broken bolt. Used my cutoff wheel to dress the broken end as close as possible and as parallel to the mating surface. Mounted the pump and with the bushing in place, made a center mark with a transfer punch and drilled out the broken bolt. As I got nearly through, it broke free and started to spin in. Stopped the drill and got out a smaller left hand bit and used it on the remains. Spun it right out. Easy-peasy.
I'm sure I will be doing this on the manifold bolts when I repair the heat riser and on the head bolts/studs if and when I have to pull it. Have to make a bushing for two of the winch bolts as I broke two of those in preparation for removing it for rebuild.

[ashyers]

I may be giving this a try, we just broke 3 of the 4 bolts that hold the manifolds together. I can see why, they had nearly 1" of thread engagement for 60+ years! PB Blaster, heat, wax, SNAP...DOOOHHHHH! Good way to end the week at school.

[w30bob]

Hi Guys,

I had an interesting conversation with a co-worker just yesterday about how to remove stuck bolts/studs. He's an old time dirt track racer and knows his stuff.......so I was a bit surprised when the told me "what works every time". Instead of heating the nut or surrounding surface he heats only the bolt or stud. His line of thinking is this.......the bolt/stud cannot expand radially because it's constrained by the hole or nut.......so it expands linearly (gets longer). But when it cools it is free to contract in both directions, which it does. He does the heating/cooling thing a few times and says he's never not gotten a stuck bolt or stud out. Makes sense.....but I need to try it for myself.

regards,
bob

[isaac_alaska]

I pulled every one of my manifold studs without having to drill or easy-out them from the block. Had to drill the two long ones, but only enough to get the manifold to come free of them. Then I used an "Impact stud remover" on the studs, and every one of them came out without issue. Definitely a tool worth having for manifold studs, i think I paid $30 for it

[T. Highway]

How about a picture, name and model number of the impact stud remover for others?

Bert

[isaac_alaska]

The one I got is made by Titan tools. There are much more expensive ones but I can't say they would work any better.

Here's a link: http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDispl ... fgodrLIKNg

And here's a photo, I just used it with a 1/4" impact and an adapter, but I did have to break most of them loose with a ratchet, after using the impact to make sure the chuck was tightened down on the studs

image.jpg (136.18 KiB) Viewed 1698 times

[Jess]

Isaac, Is that basically a keyless drill chuck? Reason I ask, is that years ago, I bought a Craftsman 1/2 drive drill chuck and never used it. I had intended it for augers and an electric impact wrench that I already had but ended up buying a very large drill for the purpose. I ran across the chuck the other day, still in the box.

[RMS]

I need to buy one of those 1/4 drive impacts that is The Easier Method to removing the stock fasteners without breaking wrenches bolts and knuckles.
I was so impressed when last summer we stripped a driving truck down to frame over a couple lazy afternoons. quick wire brush action to any exposed threads, a little aft. then went around with that tiny little impact driver and with the aid of a 1/2 in breaker bar on a few tight ones the sheet metal was in pieces. we even managed not to break a any bolts off in the captured nuts on the cab.

[Jess]

RMS, Those impact drivers are tool that until you own one, you never know you need, but after breaking down and getting one for a large dock project, I'd never be without. Something like an air framing nailer. Gets the job done, faster, and much easier.

[RMS]

cant beleve i dint ask for one at Christmas...

I was so shocked we didn't brake the 3/8ths adapter bit. we did manage to break a few Philips bits on the box floor but not nearly as many as when we used an impact driver and hammer.

those bed bolts can be a bear..... luckily the dermal squared them off so a wrench could be used.

[isaac_alaska]

Isaac, Is that basically a keyless drill chuck?

Similar, but it has a 3/8" square drive in the back for impact use. It's also designed only for removing things, the tighter you turn the back of it counter clockwise, the tighter the chuck teeth grab into the stud.

Somehow it's also fairly gentle, even using it right on the threads of the studs I could have easily re-used all the studs with just minor thread cleanup.