This whole 383 setup has become a freakin nightmare!!!!!....

I broke a bolt completely off in my intake..i was installing a plate on top of the intake so I could use it to install the motor in the car. and SNAP!!!!!!!!!.....I tried an easy out and that SNAPPED off too......but I got the peice of easyout out...I cant get the broken bolt off..

what do you guys suggest I do? Im thinking the only thing I can do is drill and tap for a new bolt....but Im also thinking I cant make he bolt any bigger cause of what bolt it is.....the bolt is broken off in one of the holes that hold the PLENUM down on the intake.

so what do I do?

 

Go up one size on the EZ out, a larger EZ out is stronger. Carefully drill down the center of the bolt so that a good portion of the EZ out catches. The more metal you remove from the bolt, the weaker it gets. Just be careful not to drill into the manifold.

 

Hell of a way to find out how strong you really are.

I like to use the largest EZ out possible for the same reasons IROC magman mentioned. Unfortunatley, EZ outs are hardened steel, so you really have your work cut out now. Make sure you drill it deep.

Try using a compressed air drill over an electric drill instead. I feel you can control the speed better yet have more torque (at max PSI). I find a "90* right angle" air drill is really easy to control too - much lighter and easy to get into tight places.

Lastly, make sure you squirt lots of WD40 on the bolt before you attempt to use the EZ out. Possibly the threads were a little dirty or had a burr and that might be is why the bolt snapped and is hard to get out.

Finally, whatever you do, make sure you use stronger bolts next time.

Good luck.

 

Edit

 

Man! I dont want to take the ****in intake off the motor just to take it to a machine shop...the bolt cant be in there that tight.....I hope!..

I'll got get another easyout...bigger size and see if I can get it out that way.....then I try something else

 

Edit

 

how will a shop get it out? cant I do what they do?

 

gcpoland, if a person is not mechanically ept, I would agree with you. Then I may even question why they are doing any work to their car at all.

FYI, guess what most machine shops will do? Yup, use an EZ out (though they may tell you differently).



Wishmaster, worst case, if you end up drilling out the whole thing, you just re-tap and use Heli-coils. It's not a big deal. It's just another one of those typical automotive chores where some "gremlin" catches you in the butt. But, it's also where you learn things and end up buying a whole bunch of new tools.

 

Edit

 

I got half the bolt out...I guess I didnt go striaght with the drill....I wil just use a tap and try and get the rest of it out...

 

Gcpoland, have you ever tried using an air drill like I suggested to Wishmaster in my earlier reply? Air drills are much lighter and easier to control than an electric drill. An air drill permits very slow speeds but maintains max torque, thus making centering easy. I especially like my 90* air drill. I find that really light and great for tight spots.

If I had to take something to a machine shop everytime I snapped or stripped a bolt or anything similar, I would be broke and given up on doing my own modifications/repairs a long time ago. Esepically if it involved having to pull the motor or a major tear down.

I would much rather spend my money on buying tools and do the job myself.

Wishmaster, glad to hear you are making progress. I'm sure you'll get it out.

 

done

 

what I got from work was a 5/16th 18 cutting tap....Im hoping it should be able to drillout the remainder of the bolt and at the same time tap it for the threads....yeah, I HOPE.....Im not going to use a drill I going to do it by hand...

the bolt walls should be brittle...I hope too!...LOL

 

I suspected that.

No problem. I'm extremely busy. I'm over 50 and I have been working on cars for over 35 years. I have a very limited amount of time to devote to TGO these days, so I am very selective in the people and the posts I try to help. I'm glad that you won't need any assistance.

How about telling Wishmaster how to fix the problem instead of just telling him go to a machine shop? It's my opinion that you are overstating the difficulty/seriousness of the problem. It's just a broken bolt with an EZ snapped off. It's a pain in the butt, but it's not the end of the world. If Wishmaster posted a picture, he might even get other suggestions. He currently seems to be slowly getting it out as we speak.

Great, then teach us - you got a bunch of guys here who are all ready to learn. Anyone can make a flipant remark, but a real pro helps.

TGO is all about Doing-It-Yourself. We try to teach people how to fix it themselves as much as possible. It's all about sharing information and learning new things.

Wishmaster can correct me, but it is my belief that he was looking for information and knowledge on how to remove the broken bolt himself, or he wouldn't have made the post first place. Wishmaster has been posting on TGO long enough to know that he could ALWAYS take it to a shop if all else failed.

If you REALLY want to help, then share your vast knowledge and tell us how to fix it WITHOUT having to go a machine shop. I'm sure others, including myself, would be very interested in hearing how you would remove it without using an EZ out.