Can I cut this bolt
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 4,022
Likes: 30
From: Los Angeles CA
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,072
Likes: 1
From: Oklahoma City OK
St. Jude '10
Im replacing my cat back pipes/mufflers. I cant get it loose, the bolt will twist enought so that I cant get it to pop.
Last edited by C4fan; Jun 13, 2009 at 04:14 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 4,022
Likes: 30
From: Los Angeles CA
clamp a vise grip on there hard it doesn't matter if you bogger up the threads since you won't need good threads for the nut to bite, don't worry you can get it out, witha vise grip and you won't even have to hold it once it rotates to a wedged position.
good luck.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,072
Likes: 1
From: Oklahoma City OK
St. Jude '10
Cant get a socket on it, so cant get impact on it. The bolt is not rotating per say, it's acting like a spring. I can only get a 9/16 box wrench and very little leverage. I really think it is a 2 sided stud with a flat washer like place that holds the narrow bracket to the cat and with a longer stud which is visable coming back to the exhaust pipe. I'm thinking if I can get the pipe out of the way maybe I can break loose the rest of the stud from the cat with a small pipe wrench and then replace with a bolt.
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 152
Likes: 0
From: Westerville Ohio
I ran into this just a couple of weeks ago. I cut the existing stud off with a cutoff wheel leaving just about 1/16th of an inch sticking out so I could find the center. I then center punched it and drilled it out with progressively larger bits until I got to the right size for the tap. I bought the new studs from NAPA. Have a good set of bits and use plenty of spray lube because the metal will be somewhat hardend from the heat.
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Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,072
Likes: 1
From: Oklahoma City OK
St. Jude '10
I got them 
I took the torch and heated the pi$$ out of the nuts. They gave up the grip. Definitely a RPITA It's amazing what cooperation you get when you put a torch to the nuts 
Thanks for all who helped.
I took the torch and heated the pi$$ out of the nuts. They gave up the grip. Definitely a RPITA It's amazing what cooperation you get when you put a torch to the nuts Thanks for all who helped.
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The OEM bolt/stud also tightens the catalyst bracket . The catalyst bracket has to holes. Using the new bolt will not tight the bracket.
There are two of those and a third bolt looks like the one you are holding on your hand.
There are two of those and a third bolt looks like the one you are holding on your hand.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,072
Likes: 1
From: Oklahoma City OK
St. Jude '10
Thats what I thought. These are pretty rusted but should hold for now. Ive got headers ordered and will be changing the stock cats to hi flow as well.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 148
Likes: 0
From: Rindge NH
Finally found a use for the small MAPP set up I've had for years - exhaust system bolts and nuts. Heat until they glow red and twist them right off. Only way I could get the exhaust off my car to do the propeller shaft u-joints.
Works great on 20 year old O2 sensors, too.
...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,482
Likes: 196
From: folsom california
try this first:
soak throughly with penetrating oil, then:
use a dremel tool or a drill with a small stone or cutting wheel in it.
grind off one flat from the frozen nut; grind just until the threads
on the stud begin to show.
take a hammer and drift punch, smack the nut sharply with the intent of "spreading" the nut apart; this will seperate the bond of rust between the nut and stud.
this is almost always is successful and works where heat has failed (or is unsafe to try) and will save an otherwise servicable stud where a breaker bar and six sided socket (or impact gun) can result in a broken stud with all the attendant problems of broken stud removal, drilling and retapping, etc.
clean the threads of the stud; apply copius amounts of anti-seize, install a brass nut (or two, using the second as a lock nut)
From your photo, the stud looks servicable, I'd say give this a try, if it fails, nothing is lost and you can always go to plan "B".
good luck
soak throughly with penetrating oil, then:
use a dremel tool or a drill with a small stone or cutting wheel in it.
grind off one flat from the frozen nut; grind just until the threads
on the stud begin to show.
take a hammer and drift punch, smack the nut sharply with the intent of "spreading" the nut apart; this will seperate the bond of rust between the nut and stud.
this is almost always is successful and works where heat has failed (or is unsafe to try) and will save an otherwise servicable stud where a breaker bar and six sided socket (or impact gun) can result in a broken stud with all the attendant problems of broken stud removal, drilling and retapping, etc.
clean the threads of the stud; apply copius amounts of anti-seize, install a brass nut (or two, using the second as a lock nut)
From your photo, the stud looks servicable, I'd say give this a try, if it fails, nothing is lost and you can always go to plan "B".
good luck
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,072
Likes: 1
From: Oklahoma City OK
St. Jude '10
try this first:
soak throughly with penetrating oil, then:
use a dremel tool or a drill with a small stone or cutting wheel in it.
grind off one flat from the frozen nut; grind just until the threads
on the stud begin to show.
take a hammer and drift punch, smack the nut sharply with the intent of "spreading" the nut apart; this will seperate the bond of rust between the nut and stud.
this is almost always is successful and works where heat has failed (or is unsafe to try) and will save an otherwise servicable stud where a breaker bar and six sided socket (or impact gun) can result in a broken stud with all the attendant problems of broken stud removal, drilling and retapping, etc.
clean the threads of the stud; apply copius amounts of anti-seize, install a brass nut (or two, using the second as a lock nut)
From your photo, the stud looks servicable, I'd say give this a try, if it fails, nothing is lost and you can always go to plan "B".
good luck
soak throughly with penetrating oil, then:
use a dremel tool or a drill with a small stone or cutting wheel in it.
grind off one flat from the frozen nut; grind just until the threads
on the stud begin to show.
take a hammer and drift punch, smack the nut sharply with the intent of "spreading" the nut apart; this will seperate the bond of rust between the nut and stud.
this is almost always is successful and works where heat has failed (or is unsafe to try) and will save an otherwise servicable stud where a breaker bar and six sided socket (or impact gun) can result in a broken stud with all the attendant problems of broken stud removal, drilling and retapping, etc.
clean the threads of the stud; apply copius amounts of anti-seize, install a brass nut (or two, using the second as a lock nut)
From your photo, the stud looks servicable, I'd say give this a try, if it fails, nothing is lost and you can always go to plan "B".
good luck
