Broken Bolt!!!! Help!!!!!!!!!
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 686
Likes: 0
From: Southeast
Broken Bolt!!!! Help!!!!!!!!!
The front part of my passenger side headlight is about 1/4 inch below the body of my 71 Vette. I tried to adjust the bolt to allow it to even up with the body. When I tried to turn it, the bolt was so rusted that the head of it broke off. How do I get this thing out or at least loosen it up still to raise the front of the headlight door? I don't want to take out the headlight assembly to do this. I'm not a wonderful mechanic and am afraid that I will break more than what I fix. Please let me know how to do this. Thanks for the help.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 2,675
Likes: 13
From: Sudbury MA
If there is enough of the bolt left to grab with a pair of vicegrips, then I would attmept to soak the remaining part of the bolt with PB Blaster, WD-40 or whatever you have for a few days and then, and only then, would I try to remove it with the vice grips. If you try to remove it before you let the penetrating oil do its job, then you might break off what is left of the bolt. That's why I usually let something soak for a few days to give it a chance to fully penetrate. Use cloth or plastic to prevent any adjacent painted areas just in case.
If there is no part of the bolt protruding, then you will have to try to drill a small hole in the center of what is left of the bolt and try to use a bolt extractor (like an EasyOut).
Go slow and don't rush so you don't end up doing more damage.
If there is no part of the bolt protruding, then you will have to try to drill a small hole in the center of what is left of the bolt and try to use a bolt extractor (like an EasyOut).
Go slow and don't rush so you don't end up doing more damage.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 1,603
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco, CA
Assuming you can still grab it, you need to soak with PB Blaster and soak again before trying to remove it. If it is broken to far down, you will have to drill it out and replace it. This is not rocket science, but you need o go slowly. Can you post a picture of the problem?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 2,386
Likes: 3
From: far, far away
One other possibility... if there is enough of the bolt sticking out to do so safely, you might try spot-welding a nut on it, to replace the broken-off head. As for soaking, use a penetrant like Liquid Wrench (yellow can), not WD-40. If getting desperate, sometimes a few cycles of heat and cold will help the penetrant get in. I've done that with a small propane torch followed by ice, and in really tight spots I've used a soldering gun and ice. Go cold, then hot, then apply the penetrant.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 51
Likes: 1
From: Boca Raton Fl
Sears sells a set of drill bits where the flutes of the drill are reversed from a standard drill bit, thus, when drilling it is also unscrewing the broken bolt. I have used these in the past and they work very well. I think a set (5 or 6 bits) run around $18.00 Hope this helps, GOOD LUCK
