What did you do?

[True School 240Z]

Greetings,

 

I've searched and advanced searched the forums for what I thought would be many solutions to my problem... no dice. I am trying to put a front lip on my brothers 1973 240Z. I can see where all the bolts that connect the fenders to the lower valance are. I've gotten two out with some effort (where the fender meets the lower valance closer to the wheel), snapped two bolts (where the fender meets the lower valance closer to the scoops), and stripped (on the engine bay side) the one under/behind the bumper guards on the pass. side. I'm reluctant to try to loosen the other corresponding one. I'm sure plenty of you vets have faced this minor frustration before. I thought I'd ask before I take a large drill bit to this ridiculous bolt.

[GOTHALOSISM]

At most hardware stores you can get a bolt removal tool set that drills out the center of the bolt and then u use another part of the set to back it out with. helps alot with those broken bolt heads plus you don't ruin the thredding of the nutplate.

 

 

 

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79 280zx (ugly lime green)

[Georgia Flash]

You could also just drill it out and re-tap the hole. Be carful not to break off the eez out if you use one. I have heard that they are a pain to get out once they have broken off in a hole.

[spotfitz]

Penetrating oil is your best friend when pulling these old Z cars apart.(PB Blaster works great)

4 hours with a diamond tipped barb bit taking the "easy out"(what irony) and the original stud out was not the way I wanted to spend an afternoon when I just wanted to replace the leaking intake/exhaust gasket. I threw the whole "easy out" package away after that nightmare.

My point: Even after breaking the "easy out" off in the stud, inside the cylinder head I was able to remove that mess and retap the threads and put another stud in the same hole. Why risk the chance of making it so much harder by using the "easy out" rather then just drilling it out to begin with. You have to drill a hole in the stud/bolt to use the "easy out" anyways.

Get you some GOOD drill bits in sizes ranging from smallest you can find to the width of the "land" on the bolt you are trying to take out, or larger set for future use. Get you some punches to set your starting point for drilling dead center. You can re-punch if not dead center. Take it slow and straight with the drill bits and tap slowly afterwards using either a penitrating oil or carb cleaner or even compressed air to clear the threads occasionally. What ever you do, don't use a cheap tap. You'll be in worse shape then breaking the easy out off in the hole if you break the tap off in the hole.

Edit: I just remembered a story a friend of mine told me. He broke a stud, used easy out and broke it then drilled it all out and broke the tap off in the hole. He then tried another easy out and broke it off in the hole in the tap. He ended up taking the head to a machine shop and they got a big kick out of it.