The Joys of Old Bolts

It was a nice sunny day out and I didn't have to work for the first time in I don't know how long. So I decided to work on the Jeep to try to get a few things wrapped up. I was having carb flooding problems and so I decided to switch carbs with the '68 and put it on the '70 to get it fired up.

I literally had the carb off the '68 in about 10 mins. Things are looking good. At this rate I'll have this thing fired up in another hour....NOT
I managed to break off the two front bolts on the '70. I barely applied any presure and snap

So now what's left of the bolts are soaking, I'm hoping they will come out with a pair of vice grips.

If this doesn't work, how hard is it to remove the intake manafold? It looks pretty easy, but then that's what I thought about the carb too.

Jim

 

I sure hope the vice-grips gods are with you. They've been with me most of the time. If'n you really didn't apply much pressure, it "shouldn't" require much to back it out. Have you tried it yet?

 

They snapped while trying to remove the second carb. I spent a little time trying until my hands hurt from trying to lock the pliers tight enough, then decided to let them soak for a while.

Jim

 

Oh, ouch. I was thinking that they snapped when going back in.

If you do have to remove the intake, it's not that hard. Drain the coolant first, of course. Putting it back on, well...there're many threads posted on the best way to affix it back on.

Just don't booger up the manifold, too! Don't hesitate to take it into a machine shop if you can't get 'em. The situation can escalate quickly by trying to dig 'em out yourself. AMHIK.

 

If possible, you may want to run the stubs of the bolts through a few heat cycles. Use a MAPP gas torch, and heat 'em up good. Let them cool down, and repeat. The heat expands the studs and theoretically "crushes" the corrosion in the threads, thus loosening it.

Good luck to you.

 

Also, if you ever heat up a baddie bolt, touch it with an ice cube (but protect your fingers from the scalding steam!). It'll expand & contract with the head & cold, and separate from what it's stuck to. Werks for me using el-cheapo propane torch & ice cube a couple times. Takes about 5 - 10 minutes total max.

 

When I removed the Saggy mounts from the DJ5C donor Jeep that I installed on my M38a1, every, and I do mean EVERY single one of the old bolts broke off! In fact, what I couldn't see was that the old bolts had rusted out inside the frame rails to where they lookd like an hourglass. I took all the pieces in to work where we have a big ol' propane rosebud, got 'em cherry red and turned 'em all out with Vise Grips! Methinks I just got lucky...

 

I read where heating the broken bolt and running parafin down the threads works . Never tried it myself though.

 

Welding a nut that fits over the broken stud works well.

 

Don't forget with a small nut the harder you sqeeze with something like a visegrip your actually distorting the nut and sqeezing it into the threads. If'n you use the proper(sorry for sounding like the shop teacher) wrench it will not distort the nut as bad. Enough of the lecture. Like the others have said small propane torch is good to try.Some good thread penatrant and time. Also if you can get a back up hammer on one side of the nut and then give it a quick wack with another hammer helps as well(probably no room for that one) Good luck just don't get to much in a rush cause haste makes waste. And you are smarter then the machine your working on.

 

I got one out today , but the other one keeps getting smaller Tried the torch today, but it started raining, so I went back to soaking it until tomorrow.

Jim

 

have had good luck with welding a nut to broken bolts.

 

The second bolt is rounded now to the point where it's time to try something else. It's only about 1/4" to 3/8" above the manifold. If I try to weld on a nut, is there something I can apply to the manifold surface to make sure I don't weld the nut to it also?

Will a carb work with only 3 bolts holding it down instead of 4?

 

use the next size up (ie: 5/16 use 3/8 ). also weld the inside the nut to the broken bolt.

 

Yeah. That'll almost definitely get it. The heat of the weld loosens all the crud in the threads and frees it up. Spray some PAM or welder nozzle spray on your block so you don't get any spatter sticking to your gasket surfaces. Hold the nut on the stud with a pair of Vice Grips so you can fully weld the inside of the nut without burning your hands. It'll come out. Good luck.

 

If it's rounded might try a bolt extractor that will fit over the head.. I've used them a few times and they work fairly good.
Keith

 

blow it out of the hole with the cutting torch. Then chase the threads. The cast iron won't be affected by the cutting torch if you don't take all day doing it.

JB

 

That might be plan "C". I don't have a torch so I'd have to drag the Jeep somewhere.

Jim