Ever wish you could roll back the clock?

[Neilnaz]

Suspension refresh gone (slightly) wrong!

Elephant spring arm bushes on to cleaned and painted spring arms
Bolts being used to push the bushes in - I was using 4 bolts (the 2 supplied plus 2 stainless items)
In my hurry and excitement I neglected to dab some grease on the bolts and one of them decided to stop and wouldn't tighten or loosen and then just sheared off!

The other bolts went in fine. Unfortunately the snapped bolt is the top one so I cannot (easily) drill it out. There is a further issue - the bolt that sheared off is stainless.

I cannot get a drill in to try to drill out the bolt. Maybe I could buy a new drill which is much shorter.

Any great ideas?



I am sure I can take it to a mechanics to drill out and get a nut-sert or similar in there but it is awkward unless there are drills/tools that can et into that confined space.

Cheers for any pointers,

Neil

[Quicksilver]

Stainless isn't that hard to drill so it may not be that bad. A 90° drill (or maybe even an adapter) should let you drill it. I would get some sort of tube or something to act as a jig to force the bit to stay centered.

To step back a bit... Why do you have stainless bolts? Stainless is generally a bad idea unless you are worried about keeping the bolt heads pretty or if you are fastening stainless.
Porsche didn't screw up in their choice of fasteners. The anodic index of stainless will cause galvanic corrosion. For anything that is intended to last it is a good idea to check the anodic index to make sure the metals are compatible or at least make sure that the sacrificial part isn't the part being fastened.

[Neilnaz]

Hi Wayne, thanks for the pointers with regards drilling and the 90 degree drill or adaptor.

With respect to the stainless bolts - I wasn't intending to use it as the final fixing I was merely using it as a longer bolt to push the bush in. The Elephant bushing kit supplies 2 longer M10 bolts for this purpose and I was using 2 more to even out the load. I was intending to use the original (shorter) bolt once the bush was pushed into place. The stainless bolt just happened to be one I had which was long enough.

I appreciate your points though. It sounds like, whether I have a go at removal or take it to a mechanic, I should get a good outcome.

Cheers, Neil

[Quickstep192]

Would a drill like this one help?





https://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/corded/0370-20


I have one and find all kinds of uses for it.

[gomezoneill]

Remove the spring plate and cover grind the head of the bolt flat (take your time ) then using a punch put a dimple in the exact center then start out with a 1/8 drill (use high quality only no cheap bits) work your way up to the size just smaller than the bolt then you can use a ez out or most of the time you can pick the threads out of the hole. I think the ez out will have no problem removing the bolt because there's no tension on it. Don't use stainless. Unless it's high quality stainless it's not stronger or harder than a normal grade.

[rwest]

Originally Posted by gomezoneill

Remove the spring plate and cover grind the head of the bolt flat (take your time ) then using a punch put a dimple in the exact center then start out with a 1/8 drill (use high quality only no cheap bits) work your way up to the size just smaller than the bolt then you can use a ez out or most of the time you can pick the threads out of the hole. I think the ez out will have no problem removing the bolt because there's no tension on it. Don't use stainless. Unless it's high quality stainless it's not stronger or harder than a normal grade.

If you can get the plate off, you might have enough bolt to get a vice grip on and loosen.

[Dpmulvan]

Can you get a dremel in there?

[Neilnaz]

Some answers:
That drill would work - maybe I could find something similar
I can get a dremel in there but only at an angle
I can take the spring plate off
I don't think there is much bolt left to grip onto

I am going to call in at a tool shop this morning to see what they advise. If I can drill the threads of the bolt out I can remove them cleanly or install a thread insert.

The other option is to take it to a mechanic and admit defeat.

There may be little difference between paying for some tools and paying for the work to be done.

Cheers,Neil

[Neilnaz]

I talked to a local tool specialist who thought drilling was not going to yield good results. He thought that welding to the broken off bolt would do the trick.

I don't have a drill that will allow me to drill the bolt out nor do I have a welder so I have admitted defeat and called round to a Porsche specialist and have booked the car in for next week. I will get them to adjust ride height, camber and toe while they are there.

Cheers, Neil

[jwakil]

If you can take the plate off, then try using vice grip as previously suggested. If that doesn't work, you can use a dremel tool to cut a slot for a flat head screwdriver, eat out as much of the perimeter of the bolt as possible (without damaging the hole threads), and hopefully it turns with the screw driver.

[gomezoneill]

Originally Posted by Neilnaz

I talked to a local tool specialist who thought drilling was not going to yield good results. He thought that welding to the broken off bolt would do the trick.

I don't have a drill that will allow me to drill the bolt out nor do I have a welder so I have admitted defeat and called round to a Porsche specialist and have booked the car in for next week. I will get them to adjust ride height, camber and toe while they are there.

Cheers, Neil

Welding stainless might be difficult.

[sugarwood]

There is no disgrace in bringing it to a pro. At least you're trying, and a broken bolt is no joke.

Why did the bolt break off in the first place? Why would it not be able to reverse out? Was it the wrong size bolt?

[Neilnaz]

Hi Gomezoneill I understand that welding stainless is not a problem but I it maybe more difficult than normal steel - I am certainly not an expert on this!

Hi Sugarwood, I believe that the bolt broke off because of the following factors:

Possible corrosion in the thread of the body into which the bolt was being tightened the bolt being used was longer than the original as it was being used to push the cover over the spring arm bush

Ineptitude on my part as I didn't dab some grease onto the bolt before starting it into the hole or use a thread chaser which my have ensured that the bolt didn't seize

I am being philosophical about it as kicking myself every time I look at the car doesn't help. I am sure the Porsche specialist will get it sorted when I take it in next week. They seemed confident that they will get it sorted for me.

Cheers, Neil

[Willem Fick]

Drilling should be your first choice, using Neil's suggested method. Some grades of stainless work harden when machined so you may find the drilling easy at first, but impossible as you continue. If this is the case welding is your next option. Stainless can be (DC) welded, and often the welding process causes the bolt to loosen naturally as a result of heating and contraction.

[DanielDudley]

Stainless steel tears up and galls in the hole. that's what caused it to seize and break.

Welding is not going to solve your problem, only careful drilling will. Stainless steel is soft, and easy to drill. Most of us have been there. It always seems like SS will be a good thing on manifolds etc., but this is often the result.

With a drill and a Dremel tool, you should be able to get this. You shouldn't need the Dremel, except as back up.

[Jonny H]

You shouldn't use grease on any bolts with a torque setting btw. Should be assembled dry or you'll break the bolts again!

It was the stainless that messed you up.

[javadog]

What I would do is remove everything first. Then, have a machine shop turn a small drill guide from mild steel that would fit in the hole of the spring plate cover and guide a small pilot drill, maybe 1/8". You can probably get one made for $5-10, it would only take a couple minutes. if there's any part of the bolt protruding from the hole, grind it flat on the end. Install the cover, insert the drill guide and start drilling. Once you get a decent hole in it, you should be able to enlarge it easily with successively larger drill bits. Go up one step at a time, don't get greedy.

JR

[911tracker85]

for drilling out broken bolts, I use drill bits with the cutting thread reversed. not sure what to call them. that way as you drill, you are drilling in the counter clockwise direction the bolt need to turn.

good luck.

[javadog]

Most people call those left-handed drill bits.

JR