Date:         Sun, 12 Mar 2000 07:31:20 -0800
Reply-To:     Brent Christensen <bpchristensen1@HOME.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Brent Christensen <bpchristensen1@HOME.COM>
Subject:      Re: How to drill-out broken bolt extractor?
Comments: To: Glenn Britton <britton@NOC.UTORONTO.CA>
In-Reply-To:  <Pine.GSO.4.21.0003120857030.26679-100000@drop>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I think I had to do this one time - as I recall there is a very special (and
of course expensive) drill bit for doing this.  I was working in a friend of
mine's machine shop (I miss living near him!) rebuilding an engine and the
same sort of thing befell me.  It was a very tedious operation (I used a
drill press and lots of machine oil as I recall).

You may want to take the head to a machine shop and have them extract the
bolt for you.  It will probably be expensive...

Good luck!

Brent Christensen
'89 GL Syncro Westy "Klaus"
Santa Barbara, CA

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
Of Glenn Britton
Sent: Sunday, March 12, 2000 6:33 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: How to drill-out broken bolt extractor?


I have been lurking on the list since I bought an 87 Westfalia last
October and can't hold by tongue any longer! (Actually I need
suggestions/advice on removing a broken exhaust bolt, with a broken
bolt-extractor from the head of the 2.1 waterboxer)
I have broken one exhaust bolt thats stuck in the head while removing
the complete exhaust system.  I tried propane torch/tapping with
hammer/penetrating oil over a couple of days...no luck.
Tried using a bolt-extractor made of chrome-vanadium steel and snapped it
off too...and of course it broke flush with the head so there is nothing
to grab at (~ 1cm of extractor is stuck in the bolt).  The drill bit
(titanium nitride coated) used for the
pilot hole in the bolt hardly scratches the broken extractor.

Anyone else been there? Solved it?  Any and all suggestions would be
appreciated.  I 'll report whatever works.

Glenn Britton
britton@noc.utoronto.ca
87 Westfalia, Toronto