Got to love Torx and rusted bolts!

[XEON]

Well this morning I wanted to install my Quick Discos get some stuff done before I go on vacation. So I now have a impact wrench (Its a lift saver) and a few bolts to take off. Last night I got my windsheild light brackets on well only one... I got 7 out of the 8 torx nuts off... the other one the head is stripped you know where the torx bit goes in... So I have to get some thing to take that out. Now today doing the discos I had to take the whole sway bar out to hammer some seaxed bolts... So I popped the head off of the on bolt that is like crapped in between so many things... go me... all the others came off like it was nothing...

So my question is what would you do to take out a torx bolt and a bolt with no head? :D THanks so much maybe when I do my lift you can all come over and help me with some bolts too :D Because well I knew this was all going to happen anway...:) THnaks :shock:

[MikeN]

One of the the ususal machinsts method of removing snapped off bolts is to EDM them out but since you don't have an EDM machine, you'll need some PB Blaster a set of good drill bits, a good drill and an easy out. For the windshield bolt, start soaking the bolt with some PB Blaster. Select a bit just slightly smaller than the and an easy out and drill out the center of the bolt. Spray some more PB in there. Stick the easy out in there and tap it LIGHTLY with a ball peen hammer. Put a wrench on the easy out and try backing it out. Put as much force as you need to on the easy out but be careful you don't snap it off in the hole. The longer you let the PB soak it the better the chances are of you getting it out.

With the othe one the process is the same. Soak it in PB, drill it out just smaller than the bolt, Soak it some more and use the easy out but since it's on a disconnect bolt down under the vehicle, I think you should have room to use a torch down there to get it nice and red and then use an easy out.

As you've said before, you've worked around cars and so you know the value of a "Flame Wrench" for getting the stuck unstuck. :D

MikeN

[XEON]

Well got the JKS quick discos in :D minus the one bolt holding the sway bar braket. It seems to hold good I wont be driving it aroun anytime soon so... its all good. When my LIFT XEON's Jeep/Fix evertyhing else day comes you will all have to help me with it if you can come... :)

[87F-150]

Hey Xeon (Justin?..lolol...sorry not sure of your name) The bolt for the sway bar.....is there any of the bolt sticking out? If so.....I wouldn't bother with drilling and tapping. I'd grab the bolt (after repeated PB soakings and or torching) w/ a pair of vise grips and turn it out. Obviously if there's no bolt to grab....then you have to do the drill and extractor thing.
As far as the windshield.....I'd knock the stripped bolt head of w/ a chisel....take the hinge off and try the vise-grip thing :lol:

[sentinal02]

personally, i don't trust the ez outs. seen too many threads about them snapping off when you don't want them to and then you really are screwed since you can't drill them. what i've found works, is to go get some cobalt drill bits, left hand twist if you can find them. start with a small one, say 1/4", and carefully drill out the bolt, as close to center as possible. step up a few sizes and repeat. usually, by the time you get to a bit about 1/2 as big in diameter as the bolt, the heat, vibrations and stress relief will back the bolt right out (which is why you want left hand twist bits). if you can't find them, take a dremel and slot the striped head of the bolt for a screwdriver and get one of the BIG flat head tips from an impact driver and put it on your gun. once you have that first hole drilled and before the bolt cools, try unscrewing it. try each time you step up a bit size until it comes out. if it never comes out, you'll just have to retap the hole after you drill the bolt out entirely. be careful with the smaller cobalt bits as they're brittle and snap easily. not good as then you're in the same boat as the ez out. i've had good success with this method, having drilled out a wheel stud (that was not fun!) and two skid plate bolts on a friend's jeep. (one of these days i'll get around to doing mine :roll: ) the other trick i've heard of for the windshield bolts is to stick a soldering iron tip in the torx recess and let it heat up the bolt before trying. if you want to try hammering a slightly bigger bit into the recess, you might try that as well. HTH

[tjinpa]

Have access to a welder? I've welded nuts onto the heads of the torx bolts in the past. It's worked out well.

[XEON]

Have access to a welder? I've welded nuts onto the heads of the torx bolts in the past. It's worked out well.

I wish I had a welder... I only know a few people with welders but I am not good freinds with them...

I am just going to do the dirll and such method

[tjinpa]

How far from Hanover, PA would you happen to be? It's litterally a 2 minute job. I'd be happy to assist.

[XEON]

Well my zip code is 07869. I tried to see about how far with mapquest but there are a few other hanover pa's... it says york, northhampton... Let me know we are going to do all this work on the day of my lift install probally hopefully... so you are invited to come help out!