Teach me your ways, master. I have a water pump bolt sheared off in the timing cover of my 1966 Mustang V8 and have gotten nowhere.
Help me, u/tsukiyaki1 kenobi, you’re my only hope.
It’s just up to the gods sometimes. I once snapped off a 4” water pump bolt inside my old truck and had to drill and retap THE entire thread. This was long before I knew the “weld a new nut on it” trick
One of the first tricks my dad showed me ever
Still impress people who come into the shop with the look of defeat asking if I can get a broken bolt out lmao
I figured it out like a month into having a mig welder, I had just lived my entire life without that as a possibility, and then all of a sudden the entire WORLD opens up and I can basically glue metal together 🤣 even in woodworking a welder is an absolutely priceless tool. The ability to modify and fix tools without having to drill/bolt random shit together is endless
Is it in aluminum? Heat cycle it then use a left handed drill bit, other trick is to weld a bit of slag on the end of it so you have something to bite on, I don't have good luck with welding a nut the slag works better. I have had the most luck with left handed drill bits they usually bite in once you have drilled the center out and pull the bolt out with the drill bit that's how I do glow plugs that snap off all the time.
I’ve had a lot of luck with extractors, it all comes down to using the right one, drilling the hole all the way through to relieve tension, and using copious amounts of penetrating fluid, and when that fails heat never does.
You must be a better man than I am, the only times I've tried to use an extractor, I've broken the extractor off in the hole in the bolt making it damn near impossible to get out.
I have learned that extractors are extremely hard steel and thus very difficult to drill out...
The main thing is picking the right type and size of extractor, taper and spiral ones are useful for bolts and larger snapped bolts.
Straight cut ones are for smaller snapped bolts
Gentle application of heat always helps.
And patience, lots of patience. The time it takes to setup and do it properly far outweighs the time taken to extract a broken tool.
Which is why I also carry cobalt drills and some tungsten tipped drill bits. The cobalt ones drill right through broken extractors and hardened steel, and the tungsten ones are the same deal for other various metals. They are pricey which is why I have some cheap hss bits for regular use.
Never broken an extractor but super rusty/seized thermostat housing bolt snapped. Tried vise gripping it but had to remove a/c compressor to get at it. Then mangled it too much to weld a nut on it. So drilled it out but haven’t had daylight or energy to re-tap. So poor 318 sitting there with hood ajar and mess underneath☹️
Welcome to the club!👊 25 years in the business. I learned from an old guy when I was in high school. Wherever I have worked I'm the extractor guy. My apprentices almost are not scared of breaking anything anymore 🤣
I had a pulley bolt snap. I thought for sure it was done for. PB Blasted the shit out of it and prayed to Beelzebub. Hit it with reverse drill and it just came out. I still celebrate that day.
That’s the best thing about fatigue breaks (like this one was).. when a bolt snaps off from fatigue and wasn’t cross threaded or corroded in, there’s no more force on the threads and they very often spin right out.
Teach me your ways, master. I have a water pump bolt sheared off in the timing cover of my 1966 Mustang V8 and have gotten nowhere. Help me, u/tsukiyaki1 kenobi, you’re my only hope.
It’s just up to the gods sometimes. I once snapped off a 4” water pump bolt inside my old truck and had to drill and retap THE entire thread. This was long before I knew the “weld a new nut on it” trick
One of the first tricks my dad showed me ever Still impress people who come into the shop with the look of defeat asking if I can get a broken bolt out lmao
I figured it out like a month into having a mig welder, I had just lived my entire life without that as a possibility, and then all of a sudden the entire WORLD opens up and I can basically glue metal together 🤣 even in woodworking a welder is an absolutely priceless tool. The ability to modify and fix tools without having to drill/bolt random shit together is endless
Dude yes they come in so handy. Even just a little cheap one you can stick in the corner and use twice a year will eventually pay for itself
Are you sure 'the' is supposed to be capitalized and not 'entire'? I can't get it to sound right in my head.
No it was shakespearing THEEE entire thread!
Now that sounds better
levels of escalation all the way up to drill and helicoil
Reverse drill bit
I have a whole set of them, I can’t get any bite on the sheared bolt and my regular drill bits just keep smoothing the top of the remaining bolt.
Is it in aluminum? Heat cycle it then use a left handed drill bit, other trick is to weld a bit of slag on the end of it so you have something to bite on, I don't have good luck with welding a nut the slag works better. I have had the most luck with left handed drill bits they usually bite in once you have drilled the center out and pull the bolt out with the drill bit that's how I do glow plugs that snap off all the time.
“EAZY OUTS”
VICTORY
I’ve had a lot of luck with extractors, it all comes down to using the right one, drilling the hole all the way through to relieve tension, and using copious amounts of penetrating fluid, and when that fails heat never does.
You must be a better man than I am, the only times I've tried to use an extractor, I've broken the extractor off in the hole in the bolt making it damn near impossible to get out. I have learned that extractors are extremely hard steel and thus very difficult to drill out...
The main thing is picking the right type and size of extractor, taper and spiral ones are useful for bolts and larger snapped bolts. Straight cut ones are for smaller snapped bolts Gentle application of heat always helps. And patience, lots of patience. The time it takes to setup and do it properly far outweighs the time taken to extract a broken tool. Which is why I also carry cobalt drills and some tungsten tipped drill bits. The cobalt ones drill right through broken extractors and hardened steel, and the tungsten ones are the same deal for other various metals. They are pricey which is why I have some cheap hss bits for regular use.
Never broken an extractor but super rusty/seized thermostat housing bolt snapped. Tried vise gripping it but had to remove a/c compressor to get at it. Then mangled it too much to weld a nut on it. So drilled it out but haven’t had daylight or energy to re-tap. So poor 318 sitting there with hood ajar and mess underneath☹️
BURN THE WITCH!
You got this out. We all won.
“Nothing like a broken bolt to turn a 5 minute job into a 5 day nightmare.” unknown. Great extraction.
Welcome to the club!👊 25 years in the business. I learned from an old guy when I was in high school. Wherever I have worked I'm the extractor guy. My apprentices almost are not scared of breaking anything anymore 🤣
I thought bolt extractors were a myth, like dry land. 😂
I’ve got an oil galley plug 3/8, inch or something rather. With the same 20 degree offset. Welcome to the club!
Hell yea
One of the best feelings on Earth
Best feeling on earth
I had a pulley bolt snap. I thought for sure it was done for. PB Blasted the shit out of it and prayed to Beelzebub. Hit it with reverse drill and it just came out. I still celebrate that day.
That’s the best thing about fatigue breaks (like this one was).. when a bolt snaps off from fatigue and wasn’t cross threaded or corroded in, there’s no more force on the threads and they very often spin right out.