Don't you hate it when this happens?

So, I'm finally getting ready to bolt the entire rebuilt front suspension back on my 912 after more than 5 years (don't ask) of it being off and apart for restoration. Everything's clean, painted, new bushings, strut inserts, ball joints-even got all new Metric Grade 10 bolts to replace all the old hardware-so I get this great idea to thread all the new bolts into the tapped holes in the front suspension pan, just to make sure all the threads are nice and clean. I started all the bolts by hand(and yeah, I double-checked the thread pitch-all 10mmx1.5), but decided to use my new air ratchet to zip them up all the way (you can see it coming, can't you?)-BUT-one of them gets about halfway in, starts to get real hard to turn, then stops cold. "HMMM", I think, "that's odd-I'll just back it out and see what the problem is". NOT. It's STUCK-and I mean it's so stuck my impact wrench won't move it. I'm screwed, I'm screwed, I'm screwed. Got so pissed I threw the Craftsman across the garage and impaled it in the drywall. Just when I think I'm actually getting somewhere on this car, **** like this happens.......

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Clay McGuill '66 912, '97 Jeep Cherokee www.geocities.com/the912guy

That does suck Clay, but the best you can do now is just sit back for a minute, and take a good long deep breath and ask yourself one simple question... what the hell am I going to do with that wall?

keep the faith clay. in time, when you've resolved the problem it will be a story to share with the board and help others. also, just think of how much money you've saved by not paying a wrench $90 hr. besides do you think he would have re-painted everything all nice and "perty"? good luck and keep us posted.
bob
'68 911L

These things happen all the time, you're not the first and you wont be the last.

Good part is the impact stoped, if it had kept working you probably would have snapped off the bolt's head, then the pain would really begin.

Where do you go from here? Take a long handled break over bar and slowly begin to back out the bolt, hopefully the bolt will be chewed up and you can replace it. If the bolt threads are good the receiving threads are probably chewed up.

Get a tap and run it through the threads, after five don't ask years there is surely some corrosion in the bolt hole.

That's plan A, if the bolt snaps off go to plan B: drill and tap it.

After five years of love and devotion now is not the time to get frustrated! What you do now will be the details that are seen by all, so go slow and be careful. Anything that can be broken can be fixed, DON'T SWEAT IT!

Will the ever popular trick for exhaust studs work in this situation? ie. heat the surrounding area then back the bolt out.

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85 Carrera Targa

Yeah, the wrench in your hand at the time of the Nolan Ryan inspiration is always the one you throw, and also the one you need. At least you don't have to look far for the wrench. Could be out in the grass or in the neighbor's windsheild. I find that boxed end wrenchs tend to come back like a boomerang if thrown correctly. Open ends are best for penetrating drywall though.

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Robert Stoll
83 SC
83 944

Clay,
I will be doing the same thing hopefully within a few months. Hang in there.
It could have been worse, at least you did not break the head of the bolt like someone else mentioned.
WIth my luck the craftsman would have taken out the quater panel...
I was working on my brothers car one time with a large open end wrench it slipped and I gave myself a black eye with it, needless to say my brother had to walk half way down the block to pick up the tool, they bounce real good on pavement..

It does make you fell better after that..

Good luck with it.
Bruce

Don't feel bad. I recently saw an '83 SC which had the front engine/transmission mount bolts crossthreaded and stripped through by an overly strong impact wrench. The fix that the new owner inherited was a drilled mount with odd bolts thrown in to hold up the transmission. Our local wrench master had a fine time reconstructing the mess...it cost too. Keep the air wrenches away.

Fixed it. Took lots of Liquid Wrench, heat, and back-and-forth twisting with the big ratchet (the one I retrieved from the wall), and it finally came out. Tapped the threads and a Helicoil put me back in business-the entire front suspension is now torqued correctly back on the car-nice to see evidence of progress! Thanks for the help, guys-I just had vent a little there....

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Clay McGuill '66 912, '97 Jeep Cherokee www.geocities.com/the912guy

You mean "nearly fixed".

Now get a sharp knife and cut all the rough edges off of that hole in the wall - make it rectangular. Measure the thickness of the drywall then head down to Home Depot, buy some drywall compound and ask for a scrap of drywall the thickness you want - they'll give it to you.

Cut a piece of plywood bigger than the hole which will pass through the hole diagonally then drill a 1" hole in it. Push it through the wall and hold it in place with your finger through the hole and secure it with drywall screws. Cut the drywall to fit and screw it to the plywood. Quick finish it with compound, after it's completely dried sand it, lay on a final coat of compound, final sand and paint.

While I haven't thrown any tools through the wall yet, I have fallen through the ceiling.

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Allan Broadribb
'70-911E, 2.2l with Webers