stupid pinch bolt

[GreatHumungous]

Yep, I broke the rear pinch bolt head off in the knuckle. I plan on drilling and replacing it with a nut and bolt. But I can't get it to drill out. I've used mapp gas and I'm drilling with cobolt bits. That bolt is really tough. It's just spinning on top of it. What I don't get is I was able to use a hacksaw and cut through the bolt at the pinch pretty easily but when I go to drill it , nothing. What do I do to get it out besides what I've tried?

 

[92ShoOff]

I had the same problem just last week. I broke off the bolt head to one of the rear pinch bolts and tried drilling it out with a cobalt bit. I decided to rather spend $75 and pick up a used spindle from a salvage yard..... that drilling was getting me NOWHERE. I recommend you do the same, otherwise it's more than likely going to be a lot of wasted time and effort on this broken bolt. Hope that helps!

-Andrew

P.S. Make sure you're using a VERY GOOD (ie: expensive) can of lubricant/penetrant and letting it soak on the bolts a few days prior to removing them. And also make sure you're getting the rear portion of these bolts very hot with either a propane torch or MAPP gas before you even try removing them and breaking off another head. The whole bolt is not threaded, only the rear portion of it. So once that bolt starts breaking free it becomes easier and easier to continue to remove.

 

[Kean_SHO]

I did mine last week as well. I didn't break them, though I was having a heck of a time with the control arm to spindle bushings. I broke both bolts on both sides.I finally decided to put it all back together and take the new bushings with me when I go to get it aligned and ask them to put them in.
I did like 92ShoOff said and soaked them with PB Blaster for a day. Then, I used an impact set to low torque to back the spindle bolts out.
From here, I too would head out to the bone yard in search of a new spindle. Or take them to a shop to have them remove the bolt.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

You guys probably need to start with a smaller drill bit.

Go slow, and use lots of oil to keep the bit cool ( I use WD-40). Because once you overheat that bit, it is useless. It dulls out instantly and becomes an expensive paperweight.

 

[92ShoOff]

Yeah, I mean.... I did start off with a drill bit the same size as the bolt when I tried drilling it out. But I was trying to avoid spending $100+ in cobalt drill bits to work the hole up and possibly end up messing up the hole in the knuckle by still doing something wrong. The new knuckle/spindle combo was well worth the cost to me, knowing I couldn't break anything putting it back together.

 

[trueSHO]

You guys probably need to start with a smaller drill bit.

Go slow, and use lots of oil to keep the bit cool ( I use WD-40). Because once you overheat that bit, it is useless. It dulls out instantly and becomes an expensive paperweight.

It also hardens the metal (that you're trying to drill) when it heats up, doesn't it. Slow and cool is the key when drilling metal

 

[GreatHumungous]

Well I got it all done today and it rides great. No more clunking! About the pinch bolt, I just ended up taking the nuckle off and taking it to a local shop. He was able to get the broken bolt out pretty easy by drilling and blowing it out with a torch. It only costed me $10! Well worth it.

 

[Racer X]

I had this happen to me last weekend on my 92. I got it out by heating the spindle with the fire wrench, and hitting it with the impact gun. Then I had a brain fart and tried to reuse the bolt.

Snap.

Luckily, I was able to thread it through the other end with a vise grip because of where the bolt broke (thank God for small miracles), and I replaced the bolts with a MUCH stronger replacement (a 10.8 metric bolt should do the job, no? ).