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Water pump bolt head snapped off


37silverstreak

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Just wondering if anyone here had any tips/ tricks for removing a broken bolt from a block? I was removing the water pump from my '48 Plymouth today and the head snapped off the second bolt I was trying to remove- GRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks in advance!

Kevin

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you said head snapped off...am I to assume you have some body of the bolt sticking above the head?   If so, run this bolt trough a few heat cycles with a torch and get it cherry red and allow to cool....on the third cycle of red, just as it loses the read...use a stud remover tool or a high quality vice grip and try to move it..working it back and forth a few times prior to trying to take it out one fell swoop..if it gets snug, again heat it..little back and forth when it loses the read and repeat as needed.  

 

If flush with the block...you can easily blow the bolt with a cutting torch or drill and use the better square extractors after the cherry red cycles...the torch in either case will dissolve the rust bond...wicking with candle wax is a good lube...better than oil when heating with the torch...

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You can put some beads of weld on the broken face to make it "longer". This will provide a larger area for a vice-grip or even to then weld a nut onto the stub. The heat from welding also creates the heat cycle as mentioned above which is key to this technique as well.

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In the worst case, broken stud can be ground flush with surface, center punched, and stud drilled out with an inner thread diameter bit. Spiral stud remains then can be removed with sharp pick and thread chased with a proper tap.

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I'll offer a 3rd option, vaugely similar to the others. Even if flush with the surface, place a large washer over the offender and then run a weld bead around the ID.

This is easier to do with TIG or Mig than stick. Then place a large nut on the washer and weld around the nut.

As many times as I have tried to drill out a broken bolt,  I have wasted alot of time and and never found the exact center 

Reverse twist extractors? I have never successfully removed a broken bolt with them.

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If your really stuck and none of the above work find you local "hole shooter". They use metal  disintegration to burn it out. Your local machine shop will know who is the local guy.

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Local Blacksmith is an expert at welding a nut on even a flush break.  He reaches inside the nut and welds it to the stud,lets it cool a bit and screws it out.  If not the first time the second or third time.

 

If there is enough shaft to pound on it to break rust that usually works for me.  Pound and vise grip it out.  Or weld next size up and weld good.  Then a  little pound and turn the nut.   Bend the welding rod if it fits better

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Hey guys,

I got the broken bolt out of the block today! Once I got the water pump off, there was enough of the bolt sticking out that I was able to get a stud remover onto it. I soaked the heck out of the bolt with PB Blaster for a week and it came right out. I think the bolt was seized more in the water pump as I had quite a time getting the pump off of that bolt than anything.

Thanks to all of you for your input, I really appreciate it!

Kevin

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