!Help! rusted bolt...technique anyone?
Thread Starter
Need donor car in Fairfax
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,759
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From: Northern Virginia
!Help! rusted bolt...technique anyone?
oh man, im in a bit of a rough spot. I was unbolting the cat, and got 3 bolts off, (one with hack saw), and im down to the last bolt, its rusted on, has a stripped head, and......the hacksaw blade is dull. I have another blade SOMEWHERE but that isnt happening tonight.
Without using any type of air tool (too late..neighbors) and without a blow torch or heat gun, what do you all suggest i do? (got all basic tools)
Without using any type of air tool (too late..neighbors) and without a blow torch or heat gun, what do you all suggest i do? (got all basic tools)
I don't see what you can do.
Geez, if the head is stripped, and it frozen on, and all you have are hand tools????
You can do many things though.... like tack weld/braze a box end wrench on it.... cut it off with a hacksaw... whatever... but nothing with a few simple hand tools besides getting a good grip on it with vise grips or something, banging it with a hammer... using penetrating fluild... whatever...
Geez, if the head is stripped, and it frozen on, and all you have are hand tools????
You can do many things though.... like tack weld/braze a box end wrench on it.... cut it off with a hacksaw... whatever... but nothing with a few simple hand tools besides getting a good grip on it with vise grips or something, banging it with a hammer... using penetrating fluild... whatever...
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 6,096
Likes: 9
From: So Cal where the OC/LA/SB counties meet
Try this
If you have a really small pipe wrench and some WD 40, and a wire brush you hook onto a drill, you might still get it off.
First, brush off as much of the rust with the wire brush you can. Then drench the threads with WD40 and let sit for about 15 minutes. Then put on the pipe wrench and give it a good tug. You might want to slide on a pipe to the pipewrench for extra leverage.
If you can get it a little loose, then tighten up brush up again, WD it again, and work it out back and forth a bit at a time.
If that doesn't work, try dynomite.
First, brush off as much of the rust with the wire brush you can. Then drench the threads with WD40 and let sit for about 15 minutes. Then put on the pipe wrench and give it a good tug. You might want to slide on a pipe to the pipewrench for extra leverage.
If you can get it a little loose, then tighten up brush up again, WD it again, and work it out back and forth a bit at a time.
If that doesn't work, try dynomite.
Once again I try!(sixth time)
Hammer a slightly smaller socket (1/2" drive only) all the way onto the stripped bolt or nut. SAE stuff works well for metric hardware. With a suitable breaker bar on the socket and a good wrench on the other side (brace the wrenck against something solid), loosen the bolt. It should come loose or shear off. You may have to TIGHTEN the bolt to get it to shear if loosening does not work. I have done this many times, but not on anything larger than a 15mm bolt head.
Be creful!
Good luck!
Hammer a slightly smaller socket (1/2" drive only) all the way onto the stripped bolt or nut. SAE stuff works well for metric hardware. With a suitable breaker bar on the socket and a good wrench on the other side (brace the wrenck against something solid), loosen the bolt. It should come loose or shear off. You may have to TIGHTEN the bolt to get it to shear if loosening does not work. I have done this many times, but not on anything larger than a 15mm bolt head.
Be creful!
Good luck!
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Oh, yeah, if you use cheap tools or a ratchet instead of a breaker bar, you may break the bolt, socket, breaker bar, ratchet, and maybe a bone. Think it through before you do it.
Three spinning triangles
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 554
Likes: 0
From: Been all around this world and still call Texas home (Ft Worth)
go to sears and get a .....this is going to sound painful...... a nut splitter. when dealing with rusty nuts and bolts there isnat anything better or easier.
Gross ignorance here: would a nut splitter work on a bolt head. I think thats what was described in the lead post?????? Yeah. I need a nut splitter. There's been some nuts I've cut off with the Dremel, which works good, but I question whether a nut splitter would work on a bolt head.?????????


