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Get broken bolts out?

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Old Sep 3, 2011 | 11:51 AM
  #1  
ktmracerx009's Avatar
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From: Lorton, Va
Car: 1987 Camaro
Engine: 2.8 tpi
Transmission: 5 speed
Get broken bolts out?

Hey guys got the manifold off on the passenger side and the two rear bolts were broken off which was causing the, the bottom one had a stub on it and I could get it out but the top one ist broken off and can't grab it, same story for the middle one that I broke

What is the best way to get them out?
Right now I'm out drilling into the middle one using my drenel tool with a 90 degree head

Any tips would be helpful this is taking firever
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Old Sep 3, 2011 | 12:54 PM
  #2  
//<86TA>\\'s Avatar
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From: Central NJ
Car: 86 Trans Am
Engine: 408 stroker sbc
Transmission: TKO600
Axle/Gears: Moser full floater m9, 3:70 trutrac
Re: Get broken bolts out?

drill and an E-Z out, but are they in aluminum? if they are, they may never come out since the steel bolts tend to fuse with hte aluminum over time.
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Old Sep 3, 2011 | 02:53 PM
  #3  
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From: Ogden UT
Car: '88 Camaro (Gone...)
Re: Get broken bolts out?

You can weld a nut onto what's left of the bolt to get it out
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Old Sep 3, 2011 | 03:13 PM
  #4  
ktmracerx009's Avatar
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From: Lorton, Va
Car: 1987 Camaro
Engine: 2.8 tpi
Transmission: 5 speed
Re: Get broken bolts out?

Yeah I have an easy out but I can't drill enough into the bolt to get it to catch
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Old Sep 3, 2011 | 06:05 PM
  #5  
Project 3.4 Camaro's Avatar
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Joined: Jul 2009
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From: PA
Car: 1996 Camaro, 1985 Camaro
Engine: 3.8, 3.4
Transmission: WC T5, 700r4
Axle/Gears: 3.23(?), 3.42
Re: Get broken bolts out?

Dremels suck for drilling, use a real drill on it. Couple different ways to do it, bolt extractor is one way, welding a nut or a bolt onto it is another, sometimes you can slot one for a screwdriver, but that would not at all work for an exhaust manifold bolt, worst case scenario, drill it out completely and retap the head with a heli coil or similar. Also the extractors have to be tapped in with a hammer(carefully). So that might be why it won't bite if you are just trying to push it in.
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Old Sep 4, 2011 | 01:09 AM
  #6  
Base91's Avatar
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From: Georgetown TX
Car: Base 91 'bird
Engine: 3.1 v6
Transmission: 4L60
Axle/Gears: 9-bolt 3.27 & PBR
Re: Get broken bolts out?

It also might be easier in the long run just to pull the head so you can work it on a bench.
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Old Sep 4, 2011 | 07:20 AM
  #7  
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From: Pennsylvania
Car: 1987 Iroc-Z
Engine: no clue-_-
Transmission: Auto
Re: Get broken bolts out?

DO NOT USE AN E-Z OUT!!

Personal experience here: with rust occuring over time and with all of the heating/cooling cycles that engine's gone through over it's life there can be more fused metal in the exhaust bolts of a head then probably anything else on the car. Then what happens when you take an (not so) ez-out to it? The hardened carbon steel gets brittle and breaks. THEN you're left with drilling out some of the hardest material made by man. Not an easy job, even with diamond studded dremel burs.
IF you can it's much better to take the whole head off, drill it out AS STRAIGHT AS POSSIBLE, and tap it. If you can't do that then the next best thing IMO is, again as straight as possible, drill it out with whatever you can find. Yes a drill with either kobalt or some other hardened coating will last longer then a dremel. Then though because your not gonna be able to get it straight, go find a heli-coil set that matches the exhaust thread sizes, and go through the steps with that. A lot of times, I'm actually looking for an excuse to use mine.

Last edited by SWenholdIV; Sep 4, 2011 at 07:32 AM.
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Old Sep 4, 2011 | 07:21 AM
  #8  
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J91
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From: Columbus Ohio
Car: 91 Z28,64ImpalaSS4094spd,67 Galaxy
Engine: Dart 415Profiler hd,cmprlrs,Hlly750
Transmission: Built 700R4, 3200 stall
Axle/Gears: 3:89 Moser 9"
Re: Get broken bolts out?

Pull the head and do it right, drill it and remove, retap or as a last resort install a helicoil. Once done reinstall bolt using anti-sieze.....
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Old Sep 4, 2011 | 02:58 PM
  #9  
ktmracerx009's Avatar
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From: Lorton, Va
Car: 1987 Camaro
Engine: 2.8 tpi
Transmission: 5 speed
Re: Get broken bolts out?

Yeah i was debating taking the head off so I guess I will since the drenel isn't going anywhere
I do have the heli coil in the tool box
Thanks for all the help guys
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Old Sep 4, 2011 | 07:04 PM
  #10  
Maverick H1L's Avatar
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From: LeRoy, NY
Car: 2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT
Engine: 2.7L V6
Transmission: 6-speed
Axle/Gears: 4.41
Re: Get broken bolts out?

Put the manifold back on and use that to align the drill bit.

Thread size for the manifold bolts is M8x1.75... I'd go out and get all new bolts to start with and install them with anti-seize.
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