Ok so here is the situation I am in. I was trying to mount my lower Alt mounting stuff to be able to attach mt powermaster alt. (everything is custom done on this car, so don't assume any stock stuff).

But there was a bolt that broke. Not that big a deal as I am not running power streering and can just mount the alt high instead. There is also plenty of thread showing so 2 nuts jammed togeather might do the trick.



Now on to my real problem.........PLEASE fill me in if this has happend to you

Installing my waterpump and the first bolt snapped. It was pretty deep to. So I take the pump off and see what I am dealing with.

There is about 1/8" showing, covered in now dried up locktite. So far i have tried drilling into it, but due to the possition and crappiness of my drill bits I just can't really get into it, I am also not very centered so I am affraid this will not work.... I know how to weld at a moderate level.

Would it hurt anything to quickly weld up a nut or a piece of metal bar to the end of it. and use that to twist it out?

I don't wanna hurt anything on the inside of the motor from the heat of welding. I have some expensive heat shielding cloth that is going to go on my starter, maybe i can cut a little holt in it, and cover the area of the block so it will be protected from the heat of the weld. I am pretty confident that i can get it to work.

The motor is all forged internals and has Aluminum trickflow heads. The welding would be in small spurts.

Please advise. Would it be better for the garadge to be warm or cold. It is allways around freezing these days. But I can warm it up.

I am just worried that the temp difference in the metal might do somehting with all the heat from the welding being introduced.

Thanks in advance.

-Dennis

 

Wow, broken bolts installing components? How did you manage that? Were the threads dirty, the bolts of insufficient proof strength or were you over-torqing them? I've certainly have my share of broken bolts tearing my car down. I had a bellhousing bolt snap off in the engine block with maybe 1/4" of thread protruding. To get it out, I heated the bolt and surrounding area with a torch and then sprayed a liberal amount of a penetrating oil (i.e. PB blaster). When the bolt cools, it contracts a small amount and 'sucks' the lubricant into the threads. After trying about 10 cycles of heating and lubricating, I was able to clamp a pair of vice grips on the bolt and back it out of the block. I've heard of many doing the same for exhaust manifold studs...so, you may want to try lubricating the threads before you attempt to get the bolt out.

As for a minimal amount of welding on the bolt, I really wouldn't be concerned about it. The block is a really thick hunk of iron to deform on you from a small, short amount of heat...not to mention the engine is designed to exist in a large variety of temperaures and is subject to the heat of combustion during operation. I probably wouldn't even waste the heat shielding cloth. I also doubt the the temperature of your garage will matter too much either...were the block wamer, it would undergo less of a temperature change during welding, but tens of degrees in light of 100s I doubt will have any impact. Warming the bolt some may be an idea...it will be less brittle that way, but again, room temperature variations won't have much significance. If you were dealing with plastic, then the story would be much different.

 

Thanks man.. That was just the kind of post I was looking for You bring up a lot of good points. i will try the welding first off after tapping it with a hammer and some WD-40 and some heat too. The block is pretty thick and strong and the welding will be light. Thanks for cooling me down, I was ready to lock the garadge till spring.

Later

-Dennis

 

Oh, that's a good one I forgot about--giving the bolt a good rap with a hammer often helps to loosen the threads. At any rate, best of luck with it man. A little determination and you'll get it out. It's funny how something so little as a bolt can nearly drive you to the point of giving up (and I can understand this--all of my worst experiences have involved seized bolts!)

 

Often, you can put a nut on the remaining few exposed bolt threads; tighten it down flush; and drill the bolt using the nut as a drill bushing. By the time you make it all the way through the nut, you'll have good centering for the bit on the remaining part of the bolt.

If you use a left-hand drill bit, sometimes the bolt wil come out on its own.

Sounds to me like you had bolts that were too long though, and it's probably jammed in there pretty good. I don't believe I've ever had a water pump bolt break off while putting it in, in all my days. Trying to get one out, maybe; not going in. Something just isn't right about that.

Count on using a Heli-Coil afterwards, to make a new pristine and perfect bolt hole.

 

couple things....

first fill me in heli coils..... I have searched but all the things i find assume u allready know what thry are talking about.

Also the threads were dirty. Really dirty i guess. The bolts were in., I was just taking them out to change the pump. So I know they re the right size.

I got some ARP yesterday. Now I just need to get the old one out and clean the threads well. Oh well..... I will let you guys know if the welding works.

 

http://www.helicoil.com/products/helicoil.html

 

allright. Thanks thats what I thought they were.

 

Yeah, not rocket science or anything. Very effective and easy, though.

You can get them at AutoZone, Advance, CSK, real parts stores, NAPA, etc. Maybe even Home Depot or Lowe's.

 

i broke one last winter installing the starter bolts..didnt even tighten it really snug yet and snap.. took me a few days of messing with it, but finally i went to home depot and bought a 6.00$ drill bit for metal(ask for proper bit to make pilot hole in exsisting bolt) and the "easy out bit"...only had to drill into it enough for the easy out bit to get started in it.start drilling forward till it feels snug then switch it to reverse and it will come right out back it out slow...less than 5 minutes it took me to do it this way..hope this help and good luck