danebrewer Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Hi all, I have a small massive problem I have broken off a screw extractor in the axle tube flange, I sheared off 2 bolts doing them up, actually I hadn't realised I had sheared the first 'till I came to undo it. I managed to get the first out, at the 8 oclock position of the 7 holes in the axle tube, but the top one, obviously in the hardest to get at place, turned a 1/4 turn and got stuck, heating didn't work, heating the axle tube and cooling the bolt with freezer spray also didn't work, so I drilled the bolt through so it is not a cylinder with the view to filing it out so I could get an M10 tap in there to get the bolt out that way. buuut as ever, "oh I'll give it one last try" and I snapped it. double carp. which of course allowed me to display my wide grasp of anglo-saxon words..... I'll let the pictures do the talking: DSC_0545 by danebrewer12, on Flickr DSC_0548 by danebrewer12, on Flickr DSC_0547 by danebrewer12, on Flickr Either I was thinking of removing the shock. with a view to drilling a hole through the shock/spring mount to get a punch in there to hopefully knock the screw extractor out (Will be referred to henceforth as the bstrd) or getting a bunch of those grining bits for the dremel, blocking the axle case up so I don't get any grit in there and going through the bits one by one, gradually grinding the bstrd out untill I can carry on with filing the hole out and re-tapping it to get the bolt out.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorrick Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Just an idea, if you can get some localized heat on it (Oxy acetylene) with a fine nozzle, if you heat up the broken extractor to cherry red and let it cool down naturally , you should be able to drill it out with a cobalt tipped drill or even a normal one. I have a set of anti clock drills for just doing that, as you drill it sometimes grips enough to unscrew it. Hope this is of some help. From someone who has been where yo are. Regards Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jai_landrover Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 It must be that time of year. I broke a stud extractor last week and it twas a bastid to get out but it did come out after some effort. I ground a flat on one end of the exposed end and used a small decent mole grips Actualy a Leatherman Crunch but clamped it wiggled it and leavered it out. I was lucky it can be a bastid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil37 Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Has it as been said heat and drill should do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KKMobile Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 With the lenght of the bit sticking out could you not put a nut over the end & weld it in the middle?? The heat from the weld should give it a nice glow & then undo with spanner?? Just another idea HTH Kev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disty Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 I had this exact problem except I think my bolt heads were to blame. I used just a puny blowtorch to heat up the axle area immediately surrounding the stuck bolt, and then used a pair of mole grips. I'm not sure you have the room for the mole grips, but if you do get the extractor out, you could try this before you stick the next one in!? Obviously somebody has already mentioned oxy acetylene.. their idea probably makes more sense.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danebrewer Posted August 22, 2011 Author Share Posted August 22, 2011 liking the heat idea but is the axle tube not heat treated in some way? my only concern is that the heat may affect the temper? I could perhaps weld a nut on the end but I think it might end up leaking onto the axle case... good idea about the anticlockwise drill never even heard of them before! any ideas on where to get one? so far I'm liking the heating up the extractor to cherry red method and drilling it out... I'd think it'd ruin the shock absorber bush though..... they need replacing as does the front shock as it's weeping a bit... well they'll all be replaced at some stage anyways... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HPLP Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 something that was suggested to me in a similar situation was to get a 4" nail or punch and use that to tap the bolt round. It takes time but once its free you may then be able to get it out ennough to get a vice grips onto it. H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Train Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I'd go for the welding a nut on it solution. You get heat and something to turn it out with. The heat should be localised enough not to affect anything else unless you go silly with the welder. If you place a tight fitting washer over it first and then an over sized nut the washer will stop you from welding it onto the axle and the loose fit on the over sized nut will allow a bit of penetration in the gap as well as a bigger nut to turn it with. Remember to turn it clockwise to wind the extractor out though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I vote welding a nut on, has worked nicely for me a couple of times - if the nut is the right size it shouldn't hit anywhere else unless you're using Will's welding pigeon, and the heat won't transfer overly much to the axle tube, not that it's critical if it does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Another vote for welding a nut to it - always works for me! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danebrewer Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 I did try tapping the bolt out, thing is that the extractor has quite a fine pitch thread so it has expanded the bolt(it had a crack in it from when it sheared off) so the bolt has been expanded sticking solid in the hole..... will try it again though... Have just heated up the extractor, and drilled a hole in it! thanks gawd it's not air hardening steel! I won't have acess to the oxy for another week yet so I'll try something else in the mean time..... and fit a door..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuck Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Danebrewer, Where abouts do you live? Someone may offer to nip round and give you a lift if you say where you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon White Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Weld a nut to it. Thats the only way i ever try to remove sheared bolts and I've never failed to remove them! IMHO those screw extractors are utterly useless! Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robhybrid Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 If you place a tight fitting washer over it first and then an over sized nut the washer will stop you from welding it onto the axle Even though I have been working with welding in one form or another for the last 20 years and have removed countless broken studs by welding too them and either turning the weld lump with a mole grips or welding on a nut. I only learnt this washer trick a few months ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorrick Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Sorry to be so late getting back to you, the Anti Clock drills I got from Blue Point, but Snap-on do them and so do Draper, if it helps all Lath drills are Anti clock due to the chuck rotation. Hope you have it out by now Regards Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Lathe drills are clockwise or anti- clock , ac drillbits are usually used on capstans/cnc's to allow drilling ops while turning off the rear toolpost Western used a carbide burr in a dremel type tool to get over a similar problem iirc a while ago cheers Steveb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danebrewer Posted August 26, 2011 Author Share Posted August 26, 2011 carbide burr? what I think I'll do is go with the washer/nut idea, but put a piece of cardboard over the extractor so any weld spatter dosen't stick to the flange, if that dosen't work, it'll have to be the application of heat and a drill! Thanks for the help chaps, really apreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danebrewer Posted August 28, 2011 Author Share Posted August 28, 2011 Yay! got it out! managed to build up a small pile of weld on the top of the extractor, I protected the flange with a big penny washer filed so it just fit over the stuck extractor, and a piece of card behind that to catch any spatter, the first one snapped off, so I build up a seconf pile of weld and undid it with the mole grips! thanks again! I will still get some ACW drills as I need to drill the bolt out a bit more, hopefully the chattering, like you guys suggest may be enough to loosen it and unscrew the bolt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danebrewer Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 YEEEES! got it out! got a 10 piece Snap-on extractor set, the cobalt LH drills are brilliant, really sharp and cut through the bolt like butter, I filed out the bolt a bit and got it turning, but the largest extractor wouldn't grip a second time as I took it out (silly me) so the no 4 extractor managed to find purchase, and I slowly managed to screw the bolt out! it's obvious that the Snap-on tools are so much better,m in terms of the quality of steel used, I'm sure the other ones would have snappped, the ammount of tension I was putting on it, plus, the shallow pitch of the thread in the extractor and the shallow cone, meant that the extractor was gripping more and tending to expand the bolt less as was the issue with the previous extractor..... I'm not sure much of that made sense.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Result Snapon do make some good specialist stuff On with the rebuild now then cheers Steveb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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