Broken Bolt

dirocyn · 06-22-2009, 10:29 AM

I was in the process of replacing my driver's side front fender with a slightly bent (thanks UPS) replacement part. Nearly at the end of my repair, it looked as though everything would pull in and line up correctly but then one of the bolts snapped. This is the bolt at the top of the fender, the one you have to have the driver's side door open to reach. Without that bolt there, the fender does not line up correctly. There are other parts of the car where you can leave out one bolt and it's no prob, but this one is necessary.

Okay, broken bolt. The head's snapped off below the level of the surrounding metal. That's a pain, but not the end of the world, right? I went and got an extractor, drilled out the end of the bolt, and attempted to extract. And the bolt extractor broke off.

I got what I thought was all of the bolt extractor out, attempted to re-drill the hole in the tip of the bolt and try again with a new extractor. No dice, the fender keeps being in the way. So I drive another vehicle for a couple weeks, waiting for a chance to work on this. Which came today. I took off the fender for clearance, and attempted to drill a new pilot hole for a new bolt extractor. In this attempt, I discovered that the bolt is harder metal than the bolt-hole, because my drill bit keeps slipping and eating away at the surrounding metal. It got real hard to tell what's bolt and what's bolt-hole, so I put the drill down to take a closer look.

What I find is a chunk of bolt extractor wedged into my bolt. There's not enough of that to be able to grab it with pliers. I think I've messed things up pretty good here. I can barely tell what's bolt and what's frame, now. But I've got to get this bolt out, and some kind of new bolt in.

Any suggestions?

Jackstand Queen · 06-22-2009, 10:52 AM

Yes, quickly drill through the mess. Make a new hole. But a nice round hole. Go to your supply of bolts and find a bolt slightly larger than the hole. Go to your supply of taps and tap in new threads which match the new bolt. You might want to cross over from metric to SAE standards to keep the new bolt small.

The best spent car repair/maintenance dollar I've spent in the last 10 years was a bottle of anti-seize bolt lubricant. Its really needed anytime you bolt into aluminum threads. Reduction of thread wear. It prevents rust in iron based parts. Bolts lock down smoothly, and back off smoothly. And it doesn't interfere with electrical conductivity.

You have experienced S.O.P. standard operating procedure for UPS. The bend and dent 100% of all body parts they ship. No exceptions.

dirocyn · 06-22-2009, 04:30 PM

Thanks, Jackstand. A bigger drillbit was exactly what I needed. Now I'll be able to put my fender back on.

tjmr2 · 06-23-2009, 01:50 AM

Never Sieze, Paste from the Gods. Use it on everything or suffer the pains of siezed, rusted bolts the next time you work on something.

06-22-2009, 10:29 AM	#1 (permalink)
dirocyn Cage Fighter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Murfreesboro, TN Posts: 1,177 Thanks: 14 Thanked 110 Times in 108 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Broken Bolt I was in the process of replacing my driver's side front fender with a slightly bent (thanks UPS) replacement part. Nearly at the end of my repair, it looked as though everything would pull in and line up correctly but then one of the bolts snapped. This is the bolt at the top of the fender, the one you have to have the driver's side door open to reach. Without that bolt there, the fender does not line up correctly. There are other parts of the car where you can leave out one bolt and it's no prob, but this one is necessary. Okay, broken bolt. The head's snapped off below the level of the surrounding metal. That's a pain, but not the end of the world, right? I went and got an extractor, drilled out the end of the bolt, and attempted to extract. And the bolt extractor broke off. I got what I thought was all of the bolt extractor out, attempted to re-drill the hole in the tip of the bolt and try again with a new extractor. No dice, the fender keeps being in the way. So I drive another vehicle for a couple weeks, waiting for a chance to work on this. Which came today. I took off the fender for clearance, and attempted to drill a new pilot hole for a new bolt extractor. In this attempt, I discovered that the bolt is harder metal than the bolt-hole, because my drill bit keeps slipping and eating away at the surrounding metal. It got real hard to tell what's bolt and what's bolt-hole, so I put the drill down to take a closer look. What I find is a chunk of bolt extractor wedged into my bolt. There's not enough of that to be able to grab it with pliers. I think I've messed things up pretty good here. I can barely tell what's bolt and what's frame, now. But I've got to get this bolt out, and some kind of new bolt in. Any suggestions?

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06-22-2009, 10:52 AM	#2 (permalink)
Jackstand Queen Cage Fighter Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 840 Thanks: 75 Thanked 64 Times in 60 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	Yes, quickly drill through the mess. Make a new hole. But a nice round hole. Go to your supply of bolts and find a bolt slightly larger than the hole. Go to your supply of taps and tap in new threads which match the new bolt. You might want to cross over from metric to SAE standards to keep the new bolt small. The best spent car repair/maintenance dollar I've spent in the last 10 years was a bottle of anti-seize bolt lubricant. Its really needed anytime you bolt into aluminum threads. Reduction of thread wear. It prevents rust in iron based parts. Bolts lock down smoothly, and back off smoothly. And it doesn't interfere with electrical conductivity. You have experienced S.O.P. standard operating procedure for UPS. The bend and dent 100% of all body parts they ship. No exceptions.

06-22-2009, 04:30 PM	#3 (permalink)
dirocyn Cage Fighter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Murfreesboro, TN Posts: 1,177 Thanks: 14 Thanked 110 Times in 108 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Thanks, Jackstand. A bigger drillbit was exactly what I needed. Now I'll be able to put my fender back on.

06-23-2009, 01:50 AM	#4 (permalink)
tjmr2 Cage Fighter Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 409 Thanks: 0 Thanked 62 Times in 59 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Never Sieze, Paste from the Gods. Use it on everything or suffer the pains of siezed, rusted bolts the next time you work on something.