I don't have a welder yet but for future reference what is your method for getting bolts out with them?

 

I just weld another bolt to it and spin it out.

 

How do you weld the new bolt to the old one if the old bolt is broken off below the surface of the head without welding to the head too?

 

If it is an aluminum head, the weld won't stick to the head, only the bolt. I have extracted a few broken exhaust bolts out of aluminum heads this way. However, if the broken bolt is in iron/steel, the weld method is a little more tricky.

 

While were on the topic, my roommate snapped a bolt off where the oil cooler block off plate was that has now been replaced by the sandwich adapter to feed my turbo. The bolt isn't very large, so I'm nervous about trying to drill through the center of it to start an bolt excavator.

What would everyone recommend? I have a mig welder, is that iron in that area like the block is?

 

It's "pot metal" its a very low quality cast aluminum. I'd definitely drop the pan to do it.

 

An arc welder is the way to go. You can bend the rod and reach hard places. If the bolt is recessed you build it up first and then weld it to the nut.

 

I have some square proto easy outs that I use for work. They work well.

 

:beginrant/:

Oh yea, **** this bolt.

I removed my downpipe, and cross over pipe to realize I had no room to fit a drill in between the frame rail and where this bolt snapped off. I decided I had to pull the pan and that was all there was to it.

The pan got hung up on my rack and pinion, I finally got it out by bending one of the hard hydraulic lines slightly (who knows if that will have negative consequences).

When the pan finally let loose it smashed the hell out of my pinky finger, blood was everywhere and my finger was absolutely throbbing.


Then, after all that this POS extractor didn't do **** to this bolt. I used the smallest bit I had and began a starter hole. Then used the 7/64 bit that the extractor recommended, drilled down quite a ways. Then swapped to the extractor, left it in reverse rotation, and it would never grab. What an absolute colossal waste of time.

Looks like I will be going to the hardware store tomorrow to purchase another drill bit and a 6mm x 1.0 thread tap, if they have one.

:end rant/: