Gaaah! I'm so frustrated!!

[Nathans_Dad]

Trying to get my shifter off to replace the bushings. I got all the hex head bolts off except some genius who had the car before me put in a nearly stripped hex head bolt. Well, that sucker isn't coming off for anything.

I have tried hammering in a larger hex head, cutting a slot in it with a Dremel. Neither one would budge it.

Then I went to the hardware store and bought some easy out bits, that mother@*&#$ sheared off in the bolt!

Now I am left with this:



Suggestions?

[vash]

sears "bolt out"?

can you take a pic from the side? is there much more sticking up?

[vash]

like this..you have enough material for these to work?

Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more

no porsche shadetree guy should ever be without these.

[Bob Kontak]

I would Dremel the entire head off now that the easy out is stuck in there.

[Nathans_Dad]

There are three sides sticking up, one of the four sides broke off when the easy out thing sheared off.

Not sure if that bolt out kit will work for something this small?

[Nathans_Dad]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

I would Dremel the entire head off now that the easy out is stuck in there.

I thought about that but the cutting wheel I have is too big to get all the way down to the base of the head without cutting into the housing. Don't they make smaller dremel cutting heads?

[RWebb]

hose it down with penetrant; tap it 12 times with a steel hammer & wait - do that every hour for a couple of days

put the other bolts back in & tighten them (may relieve some pressure on this bolt)

then try vice grips on it - I can't tell if the extractor is still in there from the pic - if not, you can always drill it out with a left hand drill bit (which means it may un screw before you have it drilled all the way)

do you have a MAPP gas torch with a pencil head?

[vash]

small? i've used it for just a broken bit of threaded stud..

can you remove that one remaining bolt, cut the effed up head off, remove shifter and use bolt out on remaining stubby piece?

[Jim2]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the shifter can be removed without takeing those two bolts out, they just hold the guide bushing for the shifter shaft. Just remove the pictured rear bolt and the two on the front of the shifter. It will be just a little tight to get at the set screw at the front of the shift but then you can work in it on your bench.

[newms]

It looks like you are in a tough spot. I would go reverse thread drill bit or a regular drill bit and just get the cap of that 5mm hex head off. Just try and stay shallow so you don't mangle the shifter housing. You could do a little then remove all three 6mm mounting hex head bolts and pry up on the shifter...drill a little and pry up til it pops off. You may find there is enough left on the shaft bushing to remove with vise grips.

[Nathans_Dad]

To answer the above question, you can get all the bolts off except the set screw that goes in the shifter cup. That is yet another hex head and you can't quite get the angle to get a hex head wrench in there to turn it. I can get a smaller sized one in there but I don't want to strip yet another hex head screw.

Looks like I will be drilling it out or cutting off the head with my dremel. I got about 1/4 of the head cut off before my wimpy Dremel lost juice. I am so getting a better Dremel for Christmas.

By the way, I think hex head fasteners should have been banned from use long ago...the stupid things ALWAYS strip.

[john walker's workshop]

cut the 4mm allen wrench shorter at the short angle to access the cup setscrew. then put a small pipe or something like that on the allen wrench to increase leverage to get it loose.

[Flat6pac]

Get a set of 12 point as used on the early doors and the flywheel and try to drive it in the hex, then you use a 3/8 drive to remove.
Bruce

[5String43]

+1 on RWebb's suggestion.

[Flat Six]

Or you could try to grind / drill out the rest of the bolt head so that all that remains is the bolt shaft. Pull off the shifter housing, remove set screw (which may have its own surprise -- no telling, given what PO did to the bracket bolt) then pull the bracket off and remove the rest of the bolt while bracket is securely mounted in your vise. At that point apply heat, BFH, etc.

Maybe apply heat, BFH to PO, too.

Good luck to you.

Dale

[Bob Kontak]

The spousal unit will let you spring for the Dremel 4000 since it is Christmas. Buy a couple of small stone grinders and do the grunt work for 10 minutes or so to grind the head off. There is a Dremel 8000 now that is battery powered but the 4000 is ac powered.

I do like RWebs suggestion of putting the other bolts back in to help relieve some pressure.

[herman maire]

Originally Posted by vash

like this..you have enough material for these to work?

Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more

no porsche shadetree guy should ever be without these.

These are a life saver and not many people know about them. I use a hammer to really bang it on to get a lot of bite.

[john walker's workshop]

take a small chisel or screwdriver and hammer and using the notches you cut, knock it in a c/clockwise direction to loosen it up.

[Walt Fricke]

If you have access to a welder, consider welding a bolt onto what is left. Maybe a 10mm bolt with a 17mm hex head? But an 8mm bolt with the usual 13mm head ought to be strong enough.

[Porscheman912]

I agree with Bob. I would grind the head off at6 this point. This may work too, but you have to have a small torch. You can remove the front and rear bolds, after removing the rear coupler, and lift it up a bit, and heat the nut. It works good, just had to do it on some muffler clamps that someone used the wrong bolts on, and ran them in until the end o the threads. Anyways, whatever you do, me, I would cut the head of the bolt off, good luck. If you cut it off, and it still will not come out of the nut, after you pull it apart, use heat. Even if someone put a SAE bolt in it, it will come out. Plus, allen bolts are great, a little anti sieze, and not trying to tighten it down as if the are a 10mm bolt the work great.
One other thing. If you find a allen head bolt that will not come out again, use an impact driver, the old screw driver ones, and allen sockets. I have had seat bolts in a few cars not want to come out, and this has worked everytime for me.