Found a way to get a better grip

mproseusa · mproseusa's Garage

I started the TB / WP job on my 1982 928. I'll be 66 in August and I guess with age, strength decreases on a cubic curve. The PO had the TB / WP job done in 1997. I basically did not drive the car much for the past 10 years or so. I guess I just didn't trust it ... long story. Anyway I found Pelican 928 Tech Forum and have a revised enthusiasm. I found that a lot of the bolts and nuts seems extremely tight ... the strength thing. I finally started to remove the Water Pump when BLAMMO I broke water pump bolt. The Head of the bolt broke clean away from the stud.

mproseusa · mproseusa's Garage

Since there was a lot of bolt exposed, I used a pair of 10" vice grips. However, the age thing again, I could not get enough clamping force to really dig into the bolt. All I did was basically remove the exposed threads of the bolt. Then, the wisdom part of age appeared and I decided to use a clamp on the vice grips to get a better bite on the bolt.

I thought this little tidbit may help other weaklings like me. The bolt did break loose, although a slow process, I held the bolt high over head and did the 928 victory dance.

mproseusa · mproseusa's Garage

Whoops ... picture didn't go through!

Since there was a lot of bolt exposed, I used a pair of 10" vice grips. However, the age thing again, I could not get enough clamping force to really dig into the bolt. All I did was basically remove the exposed threads of the bolt. Then, the wisdom part of age appeared and I decided to use a clamp on the vice grips to get a better bite on the bolt. I thought this little tidbit may help other weaklings like me. The bolt did break loose, although a slow process, I held the bolt high over head and did the 928 victory dance.

MPDano · MPDano's Garage

Your lucky as most of us have to drill them out and tap.

mproseusa · mproseusa's Garage

I forgot to mention that I used vast quantities of PB Blaster over the 2 1/2 days trying. Here's a picture of the removed bolt.

Dean_Fuller · 05-28-2011, 03:40 PM

Vise grips are a "must have" for the tool box IMHO.

stepson · 05-28-2011, 05:23 PM

Mike,
Are you in contact with Don or Bill down in H-town? They have monthly Get To Gethers and wrench on others' cars. They both show up on Rennlist periodically.

Pete R · Pete R's Garage

Pliers work for me.

nuc · 05-28-2011, 08:43 PM

Good job, Mike

Danglerb · 05-28-2011, 10:30 PM

Trick I use from time to time is a shop towel wrapped around the thing I want squeezed and the ends twisted with a wrench or screwdriver. Works great with two wrenches for a "counter" hold like on line fittings.

Anytime you use muscle to "force" a fastener, you take an extra risk of getting hurt or breaking something.

17" and 24" handles on ratchets are pretty nice, and I also like using the extra long set of combo wrenches I bought from HF.

tmpusfugit · 05-29-2011, 02:09 AM

Mike, glad you were able to remove the bolt. I assumed you found a solution since your last email ....

I spent the last 2 days installing a 4 post lift, so I am well aware of the way strength seems to evaporate past age 50. In my youth I could "clean and jerk" 400 pounds...today a pair of concrete blocks are killers...and 400 pounds requires an engine hoist....

The lift totalled out at about 1700 pounds and I feel every one of those pounds right now....maybe installing it by myself was not a good idea?

mproseusa · mproseusa's Garage

Wow Jim. Great looking lift. I sent you an email last Friday volunteering my "weak" assistance in the Lift installation, but you may have missed it in all of the activities in getting the lift. Hopefully, I'll be able to get down this week sometime to view your new treasure.

mproseusa · mproseusa's Garage

"Mike,
Are you in contact with Don or Bill down in H-town? They have monthly Get To Gethers and wrench on others' cars. They both show up on Rennlist periodically."

Thanks John, I have been in touch with Don and unfortunately was not able to go to his place for an engine removal a few weeks past. Good guy and helpful.

palaur · 05-29-2011, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mproseusa

Whoops ... picture didn't go through!

Since there was a lot of bolt exposed, I used a pair of 10" vice grips. However, the age thing again, I could not get enough clamping force to really dig into the bolt. All I did was basically remove the exposed threads of the bolt. Then, the wisdom part of age appeared and I decided to use a clamp on the vice grips to get a better bite on the bolt. I thought this little tidbit may help other weaklings like me. The bolt did break loose, although a slow process, I held the bolt high over head and did the 928 victory dance.

Hi, if you break the bolt, but you got some treads. you just put on two thin nut. you counter drag it against each other and then you use a normal wrench and hopefully you are in the clear..... I broke 5 bolt when i changed the water pump and got them all out using this method...

mproseusa · mproseusa's Garage

Hi palaur. That was the first thing I tried. But, for some reason I could not get enough interference between the nuts to grab the bolt. I think the reason I finally got the bolt to budge was the mass quantities of PB Blaster over a 2.5 day period. I was prepared to either brake the Vice Grips, the clamp or the bolt. However, when I got the assembly (Vice grips and clamp) together and started to twist counter clockwise, I heard a BINK ... took a close look at everything and found nothing broke. I reversed direction and turned the bolt back in a half a turn or so, then continued to remove. Prior to getting it out I had a nice discussion with O'Reilly Parts regarding Heli Coils. I was certainly lucky it finally came out.

tmpusfugit · 01:51 PM

Just a couple of thoughts regarding a fair number of the bolts in our 928's....the first thought is many of them are dead soft screw machine steel, or something very close, metallurgically speaking. Water pump screws would be a good example.

Second thought has to do with the miss mash of heads, slotted here, Phillips there, Allen head where most likely to get full of junk, torx someplace else, a few 4x3's tossed in, 12 point hex, 6 point hex heads elsewhere. Little rhyme or reason applied to the selection, other than in the 4x3's holding the flywheel and the 12 point rod nuts. Allen head bolts in the seat rails come to mind, full of dirt, dead soft, often subject to water, sand, etc etc....In two cars i have had to drill out 3 of those.....

Just an unpleasant surprise at the variation of fasteners and the low quality of many.....and the use of lesser reliable styles in places that are already hard to access and prone to collecting dirt or rust or corrosion....and things like the water pump bolts that enter the water jacket....

End of complaints….just felt the need to vent.....for very expensive cars Porsche cut some corners...I guess I should quit complaining, they could have used phillips everywhere!