Technique suggestions

[skeletonizer]

Stainless nut seized on cut off bolt. Cast aluminum winch housing.

Thoughts?

 

[skeletonizer]

Nut spun in its... pocket.

 

[mike93lx]

Can you jamb a screwdriver in on the side and rotate the rest of the bolt with vise grips?

 

[KwikFab]

Stainless nut seized on cut off bolt. Cast aluminum winch housing.

Thoughts?

I would place a washer over the exposed stud.

Place a nut on the threads, should be able to thread one on right?

Then weld the nut onto the stud and unbolt it like a normal bolt.

 

[cvairwerks]

Use visegrips to lock the stud in position and then drill a couple of small holes in the wrench flat of the nut. Reposition and do the same on the opposite flat. Use a small burr or a sharp cold chisel to split the nut.

 

[GlennSullivan]

Stainless nut seized on cut off bolt. Cast aluminum winch housing.

Thoughts?

Small die grinder wheel - possibly Dremel to cut through the top of nut. If nut can spin, do the same as on top (and you are done) if nut cannot spin. A) use wheel to flatten nut so it can rotate or b) use heat and HD screwdriver with wrench to open the slot you created in the nut enough to extract the shaft.

Possibly these Dremel wheels or something similar, they look like maybe small enough https://www.dremel.com/us/en/p/ez541gr-2615e541ac

 

[sqznby]

What does it look like from where the bolt is coming out from?

Tef-Gel is your friend when it comes to stainless hardware.

 

[Muckin_Slusher]

First of all, don't never use stainless bolts with stainless nuts unless you plan to cut them apart in the future. Stick a regular nut on the side that's not visible.

The threads don't slide well over each other, especially when spun on faster than by hand. I've ran stainless nuts on stainless bolts on, then off, and then on again. The during the second "on" the nut would seize on the bolt, welded forever. This was before the nut even got to the plate it was fastening.

If you have access to a plasma cutter you can blast that nut out (carefully so you don't damage the winch).

Is it a nice winch (Warn premium)

 

[sqznby]

First of all, don't never use stainless bolts with stainless nuts unless you plan to cut them apart in the future. Stick a regular nut on the side that's not visible.

The threads don't slide well over each other, especially when spun on faster than by hand. I've ran stainless nuts on stainless bolts on, then off, and then on again. The during the second "on" the nut would seize on the bolt, welded forever. This was before the nut even got to the plate it was fastening.

If you have access to a plasma cutter you can blast that nut out (carefully so you don't damage the winch).

Is it a nice winch (Warn premium)

If you work with stainless hardware at all, whether it's one nut n bolt or a cabinet full of them use Tef Gel.
Guarantee you'll never seize stainless hardware again. And a little goes a long way.

ULTRA Tef-Gel Anti Corrosion Protection & Lubricant

Original ULTRA Tef-Gel® lubricates and eliminates corrosion between dissimilar metals by preventing saltwater from getting to those connecting metals.

ultratef-gel.com

 

[djbmw]

I would place a washer over the exposed stud.

Place a nut on the threads, should be able to thread one on right?

Then weld the nut onto the stud and unbolt it like a normal bolt.

This is what I would personally do as well.. weld a nut onto the stud and then get it out like a normal bolt (use vice grips or jam a screwdriver into the existing nut to prevent it from spinning)

 

[danielbuck]

my first try would be clamping the stud with vise grips, and sneaking in a thin pneumatic body saw to try and cut the bolt off on the other side. It looks like there would be enough room, but hard to tell.

 

[sqznby]

The nut is seized on the now broken bolt. You will never be able to unthread the seized nut from what is left of the bolt, it's basically fused to the threaded section now.

If there is any way to hold the nut and have as much of the threaded section of the bolt stick out as far as you can, grab it with some vise grips and twist it until it snaps off.

 

[Jswain]

Do you have an oscillating tool? Might be able to grind a cutting blade down narrow enough to fit in the gap & cut the stud.

If you have a welder I would also try a washer/nut/weld...it probably won't help the stud unscrew but with any luck will break it close enough to the nut to extract.

Might be able to drill down through most of the nut then split it gently with a sharp chisel. Could even try the chisel by itself but i would be gentle with the expensive cast aluminum housing...

 

[Beerhippie]

First of all, don't never use stainless bolts with stainless nuts unless you plan to cut them apart in the future. Stick a regular nut on the side that's not visible.

The threads don't slide well over each other, especially when spun on faster than by hand. I've ran stainless nuts on stainless bolts on, then off, and then on again. The during the second "on" the nut would seize on the bolt, welded forever. This was before the nut even got to the plate it was fastening.

If you have access to a plasma cutter you can blast that nut out (carefully so you don't damage the winch).

Is it a nice winch (Warn premium)

Working in a brewery, everything is stainless-on-stainless. Just use a good anti-seize and it's fine.

I even have food-grade anti-seize for product contact parts:

 

[KwikFab]

This was posted 32 hours ago - I'm sure it's out by now but no update, right?

 

[Jacko264]

Do you have a air saw to cut the bolt between the nut and cast
G

 

[danielbuck]

Do you have a air saw to cut the bolt between the nut and cast
G

that's what I was referring to, I call them body saws

 

[Jacko264]

Sorry Daniel I must have missed your post yes same thing different names
great minds think alike

 

[danielbuck]

Sorry Daniel I must have missed your post yes same thing different names
great minds think alike

and now we wait and see what the OP actually did cheers

 

[skeletonizer]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I have not had time to get back to this yet. I'll post when I get it taken care of and what technique i used.

It's a Warn Zeon 12. I replaced a zeon 10 that was roached out by Michigan road salt. Water got into the case and all the fasteners were seized up.

I was removing the new one for the winter asi have to drive the jeep periodically in the winter. Had only been on since April.

Might not get to it until spring.

 

[paranoid56]

i would take it apart and pull it out, its going to **** trying to cut it out.

 

[skeletonizer]

Got it with the Dremel. Pretty painless, just a little paint scuff. As you can see the wheel isn't deep enough to get the bolt so I had to attack the nut. One diagonal slice down to the threads and it then spin off.

Thanks for the suggestions fellas.

 

[PCustoms]

Looks like Glenn was spot on...

 

[bwringer]

Stainless galling is no joke, and so the only way forward was to attack the nut.

Nicely done!

 

[danielbuck]

glad ya got it

 

[GlennSullivan]

Stainless galling is no joke, and so the only way forward was to attack the nut.

Nicely done!

I learned that the hard way when I installed all stainless hardware on my 95 Cobra exhaust system. A year later when I was swapping clutch and trans, I had to cut off every single one of the bolts - and they were all ARP ($$$$) ouch!

 

[mark-NJ]

I learned the hard way with ss screws that held the floorboards of my boat in place. I got "smart" and power drove them with a bit in a drill. What a mess.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Stainless galling is no joke, and so the only way forward was to attack the nut.

Nicely done!

When I bolted down the benches in my boat, I was depending on galling, along with the nyloc to give a rivet-like attachment, just like the original.

 

[Snip's]

Kay... Sometimes SS galling is a feature...

We use a lot of T304 SS fasteners in the shop... A small bit of anti seize will prevent galling...
There have been times when you can feel the galling start to happen, and if you stop immediately and squirt a bit of oil, you can gently back the nut off before it welds tight... But if you crank it past that point, it's done...

 

[Muckin_Slusher]

I just installed a million 10-32 screws and nyloc nuts in ice shack runners.

After a couple galled and snapped I tossed a snowball into the bucket. The water was enough to keep the galling away.

 

[PCustoms]

I just installed a million 10-32 screws and nyloc nuts in ice shack runners.

After a couple galled and snapped I tossed a snowball into the bucket. The water was enough to keep the galling away.

I bet that doesn't work so well when you go to take them apart...

 

[RPH]

We used stainless all around the induction machines. Some magnetic and some non-magnetic types. Stainless would stretch quite a lot when first used on the electrical connections. It became a problem on some systems. Dropping back to brass bolts in the situations fixed that. The would stretch once and tightened again, done. Stainless would be forever retorquing.

 

[aka Larry]

When I rebuilt my utility trailer I decided to go with all stainless hardware. I learned (the hard way) in the past to ALWAYS use anti-seize, and NEVER use a power tool to tighten the nut. I've removed and reinstalled these bolts/nuts several times since without the galling effect.

 

[Snip's]

In the shop, whenever we would weld a SS nut to a panel or plate, the heat from welding would slightly distort the SS nut...
If we didn't run a tap through the nut, it was guaranteed to cause galling issues... Re-tapping solved the issues, but we still added a small bit of anti seize...

 

[Muckin_Slusher]

I bet that doesn't work so well when you go to take them apart...

They're like huck bolts to me.

I don't want them to come apart. Ever.