Stuck Bolt - ideas?

[Chuck]

Except there are no threads, it's a splined bolt... the threads are gone and not relevant. It will be difficult to TURN as you need to strip all the splines... the goal is to push it out.

Gotcha, missed that a moment ago! Whoops!

 

[351cmach]

Propane isn't going to touch that. You need an oxy fuel torch for that kind of heat

My thoughts exactly. You need to heat the bolt cherry red to soften it not the flange. A press might work but you might also bend/distort the flange.

 

[Jd34]

I would soak the splines with PB blaster penetrating oil and give it a try first. A big enough hammer and a hard enough blow and it WILL come out.

 

[nehog]

I would soak the splines with PB blaster penetrating oil and give it a try first. A big enough hammer and a hard enough blow and it WILL come out.

Well, being that is an exhaust system, I think there'll be so much play in the pipe hangers that one would be unable to hit it hard enough... All that energy will be absorbed by the hangers and play in the system, little by the stuck stud.

I still think it needs to be pressed out.

 

[Flexia]

Try a c clamp and a big socket to press it out. Heat will help tons too

 

[efncrx]

Heat, and lots and lots of Kroil, then patience. If necessary you can weld on a nut to get a better grip for the air ratchet.

air ratchet? drinking and the internet dont mix.

 

[bubinga]

Heat it cherry red, punch it right out. Replace with bolt. This is my standard practice in the rust belt, been done many times.

l say this too.....................

 

[bmxr4life87]

Pointed bit on an air hammer. Ive done this soo many times its not even funny. Install bolt and nut and use anti seize so this will only be a one time occurrence. I seriously can not believe how hard some people are trying to make this

 

[bmxr4life87]

Remember that small bursts from an air hammer are more productive than just holding the trigger for a minute straight

 

[owenst7]

Pointed bit on an air hammer. Ive done this soo many times its not even funny. Install bolt and nut and use anti seize so this will only be a one time occurrence. I seriously can not believe how hard some people are trying to make this

Anti seize will prevent the knurled, pressed in stud from holding? Sounds like a hindrance to me.

Simpler to comment than to read, huh?

 

[bmxr4life87]

Anti seize will make sure the replacement nut and bolt wont seize up with the heat / cool cycles exhaust fasteners are exposed to

 

[ffjeeper]

To get results with a hammer, hold a sledge hammer on the backside. As was mentioned earlier, the exhaust mounts will give a little at each strike. A sledge hammer on the backside will make each hit more productive.

 

[Slowbra]

Thanks for all of the suggestions guys! Sounds like I need a little more patience and persistence.

I want to try and do my best while the pipe is on the car. The last thing I want is to strip or mess up any of the manifold to xpipe bolts as that would create more problems!!

 

[n8n]

Anti seize will prevent the knurled, pressed in stud from holding? Sounds like a hindrance to me.

Simpler to comment than to read, huh?

I was following him, rather than using a pressed in bolt drill the splined hole to a through hole and use a regular old bolt, then if it *does* seize up again it'll just be a matter of cutting off the bolt head or nut and a few taps with a pin punch. Makes sense to me.

 

[n8n]

Anti seize will make sure the replacement nut and bolt wont seize up with the heat / cool cycles exhaust fasteners are exposed to

A brass nut helps too. If it *does* seize up then you can burn it off with a torch more easily than steel. Once upon a time Studebaker used nickel plated bolts to hold on the exhaust manifolds; those were nice but are probably expensive to buy new.

 

[MoonRise]

A 'little' propane plumber's type of torch ain't gonna do it.

If you couldn't heat the stud remains and flange area around the stud 'stub' to red-hot, you didn't get things hot enough.

Oxy-fuel torch with an appropriately sized tip is gonna be needed to get enough heat into that.

There is a BIG difference in how the flame heat comes out of a plumber's propane torch versus an oxy-fuel torch. Oxy-acetylene has a flame temperature of about 5720F and oxy-propane has a flame temperature of about 4579F. Air-propane has a flame temperature of about 2600F (lab or 'perfect' conditions, no heat loss to surrounding air or incomplete combustions, etc,etc) and a 'practical' flame temperature closer to 2000F. A typical oxy-fuel welding tip produces a pencil-point very intense flame tip (good for melting and welding steel) while a propane plumber's torch tip produces a wider and broader flame/heat zone (good for heating copper pipes to around 500-600F to solder them). You can melt steel with an oxy-fuel torch, you can't with a propane plumber's torch.

Apply the intense direct heat to the stud stub and get -that- red-hot. Let cool. Apply intense direct heat to the stud stub and then use the air hammer with a pointed tip to punch out the stud. Watch out for the falling/flying still-hot stud piece.

Make sure you are punching the stud out and not driving it further into place in the flange.

Also be careful of the intense oxy-fuel flame. See above about the part where the flame is hot enough to melt steel? You probably don't want to melt your exhaust flanges.

 

[APEowner]

If you have an Oxy-acetylene torch just cut it out. If you don't know how to to that you owe it to yourself to learn (perhaps not on that actual part though).

 

[mtmgtz]

Step 1 - Crack open a fresh beer.
Step 2 - Stare at the thing for a good 15-30 minutes.
Step 3 - Crack open another fresh beer.
Step 4 - Commence yelling obscenities at the issue.
Step 5 - Crack open a fresh beer but head on in to your recliner this time.

DISCLAIMER - The steps above will get you no where but it will allow you to keep your sanity.

 

[darwyn]

Anti seize will make sure the replacement nut and bolt wont seize up with the heat / cool cycles exhaust fasteners are exposed to

If only there was a nut involved in this...

 

[Slowbra]

Thanks to all who chimed in. I ended up renting a tie rod puller from Autozone after no luck with hammering and drilling. Things went so easy I decided to remove all the studs since the threads were garbage from the previous owner of the pipe.

Here are pics of the solution. Those of you who suggested it be pulled or pressed our where right on the money.

 

[nehog]

Exactly!

 

[n8n]

Good show; now put it back together with stainless or nickel plated bolts and brass nuts and never worry about it again

 

[jeff000]

Good show; now put it back together with stainless or nickel plated bolts and brass nuts and never worry about it again

Use anti seize. But really with a nut and bolt you can always just shear or cut one end off and it will come out easy.
I hate brass nuts, never feel like they tighten on the way they should. And when stainless does seize it's the biggest pain in the *** to cut off if it won't shear.

PS, I think one of those pullers is probably a good tool to have in the old tool box. For 20 bucks I'll order one on Amazon right now, lol.

 

[Slowbra]

All the stuff I tried was comical. This tool made quick work of it. I replaced it with a stainless nut and bolt so it should be trouble free now!