Warning - Champion High Tensile Bolts

[gxl_d4d Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close gxl_d4d]

Just a warning to all who need to buy replacement bash plate bolts. I just snapped a Champion gold passivated bolt on the transmission cross member. I had my torque wrench set to 30Nm. The bolt head kept turning then snapped. Though the bolts are labelled high tensile, I don't believe they are. The heads are not stamped with WT8.8 or any other marking.

Now the fun job to extracting the bolt. I'll have to now get a screw extractor with a drill guide as I don't trust myself to drill the bolt centre.

There's a thread still out so I could weld a nut to it however I'll try to do it the proper way first.

[Rusty62 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rusty62]

If the head has broken off, without stripping the thread, you should be able to use a fine center punch to gently unwind the bolt.
Have done this technique many times. Gently tap the punch on the outer diameter of the broken bolt on a slight angle. You may also have excess thread on the other side you can grab with pliers. unless the bolt goes inside the chassis.
A second technique is to center punch the middle of the bolt and drill a hole just smaller than the inside diameter of the nut. As the drill 'bights' the bolt it will wind it's way through.

Rusty.

[Rusty62 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rusty62]

If the head has broken off, without stripping the thread, you should be able to use a fine center punch to gently unwind the bolt.
Have done this technique many times. Gently tap the punch on the outer diameter of the broken bolt on a slight angle. You may also have excess thread on the other side you can grab with pliers. unless the bolt goes inside the chassis.
A second technique is to center punch the middle of the bolt and drill a hole just smaller than the inside diameter of the nut. As the drill 'bights' the bolt it will wind it's way through.

Rusty.

[gxl_d4d Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close gxl_d4d]

Thanks Rusty. I'm not sure if the threads are stripped. They shouldn't be as the bolt went in by hand before I started tightening it up.

I'll try the punch before I go and buy any tools.

[Redsand Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Redsand]

You can buy drill bits that dril in when the drill is in reverse.
I had a bolt break on my boat and just the pressure from the reversing drill bit was enough to spin it back out.

Using a normal drill only tightens the bolt more.

[Rainman Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rainman]

http://www.aldn.com/Pages/drillOut.php

[oceanracer Moderated member Find all posts View Profile Close oceanracer]

The bits are called screw extractors

[Anth120playdo Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Anth120playdo]

I use those bolts a bit, but they are marked 8.8.
Never had an issue, but with manufacturing cutting costs, quality control missed a dud maybe.
I find that with bolts that come with bullbars, very annoying.

[Redsand Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Redsand]

The bits are called screw extractors

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No that's not them, the ones I used look the same as a normal drill bit, but the thread is cut in the opposite direction. So the drill needs to be in reverse to get the bit to cut.
I was expecting to have to use the screw extractors but the pressure from the drill bit spin in reverse was enough to spin the broken bolt out.

[oceanracer Moderated member Find all posts View Profile Close oceanracer]

Ive tried the others but on bigger bolts there next to useless so I use the easyouts

[RanJ Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close RanJ]

Easy outs for me! But then I have magical phone number that puts me through to The Thread Doctor. Guy makes his living by doing on site thread removals like this! Must make a killing from us diyers haha

[oceanracer Moderated member Find all posts View Profile Close oceanracer]

Unless you break a tap then you need these

[sparksy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sparksy]

For damaged bolt heads or stripped socket head bolts Ive been using these for years. They work great.
http://www.irwin.com/tools/screw-bol...-grip-base-set
The harder you turn the more they grip.