busted rear leafspring bolt in diff case
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 830
Likes: 1
busted rear leafspring bolt in diff case
Ummmm...okay...
strange on here:
Last night I was under the car and noticed that the plate holding the rear leaf spring was loose. VERY LOOSE. Wiggly loose. Good grief!?!?!
On a 1980 there are only three bolts on the rear leaf spring plate. One was loose enough to remove by hand. One was semi tight and the other is snapped with the thread still inside the diff case.
I tried to drill out the busted bolt but I only have bits for drilling wood. not aluminum or heavy steel (this was pissing the hell out of me too)
This was taking f o r e v e r to get nowhere.
I am thinking that I will have to get a tap & dye set, correct?
What type of bit (metalurgy question here) should I get to drill out the busted bolt? and/or...should I get a helicoil kit??
I am lost in this one kiddies!
strange on here:
Last night I was under the car and noticed that the plate holding the rear leaf spring was loose. VERY LOOSE. Wiggly loose. Good grief!?!?!
On a 1980 there are only three bolts on the rear leaf spring plate. One was loose enough to remove by hand. One was semi tight and the other is snapped with the thread still inside the diff case.
I tried to drill out the busted bolt but I only have bits for drilling wood. not aluminum or heavy steel (this was pissing the hell out of me too)
This was taking f o r e v e r to get nowhere.I am thinking that I will have to get a tap & dye set, correct?
What type of bit (metalurgy question here) should I get to drill out the busted bolt? and/or...should I get a helicoil kit??
I am lost in this one kiddies!
Last edited by OregonVette80; Feb 22, 2008 at 01:32 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 15,833
Likes: 90
From: Fairfield, VA
Just get an EZ out kit - drill like 1/8" hole in the center of the bolt, the EZ out is reverse threaded and you merely unscrew the busted bolt. Probably douse it w/ PB blaster for a while 1st. Good lusk.
Mark
Mark
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 19,610
Likes: 778
From: Forked River NJ
You want to get a high speed drill. A carbon steel drill will wear out quickly and can't stand up to the heat. Get one with some cobalt in it and if you can find one that is coated all the better, It will cost more but it will do the job. There are carbide bits but for a hand drill these will break with any movement in the drill and they are $$$. I have a set of coated high speed drill bits that I have sharpened many times and they are still working quite well. I sharpen them with a Drill Dr.. I thought this was a gimmick but it has saved many of my dull and broken bits. The easy out or left hand drill should work. If you damage the threads a heli coil will work OK. If you just nick the threads you might be able to clean it out with a tap.
