Date:         Fri, 17 Nov 1995 14:58:31 -0800
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         wabbott@megatest.com (William Abbott)
Subject:      Easy outs

	Whoever noted that care and patience are required, and that
the broken threaded thing is a symptom, not the cause, had it right.
I've had better than 50% success with easy-outs, but I've also
noticed that the successes are often in cases where the broken
bolt or pipe (!) had accumulated a lot of cracking before it failed-
as in, you can see the rust or discoloration over a sizable area, and
fresh, clean, fractured metal may not be the largest part of the
broken-off-end.
	1) LOTS of liquid wrench, even if you've already soaked it.
	2) Drill the biggest hole you can into the old fastener, so
	you can use the biggest easy-out
	3) Soak more liquid wrench after each try
	4) After you take your best shot at turning the easy-out,
	let it soak some more.
	5) I bought some left handed drills from Griot's, and I
expect they'll help too.

	I'm going to have to do my engine hatch hinge screws one
of these days, probably shoud start 'em soaking now ;)

	I've never had to give up and go the a machine shop yet-
I've always had success or something I could use as well as success
on the car. 

	On my 67 Corvair, an exhaust stud broke, but not flush with
the head. I weenied out and put the exhaust pipe clamp and nut on
that side first, tightened the nut as far as I thought I could get
away with and then horsed the other end of the clamp down. I'm not
proud of it, but it did work.

	My one abject failure: On my 77 Rabbit, the alternator bracket 
8mm bolt sheared. I drilled clean through it with a 1/4 inch drill and 
soaked it and still couldn't get it out. After half a day, and this
was my only car, I re-assembled the alternator bracket using a 1/4-20 bolt
and nut and aluminum spacers and washers to make the 1/4-20 ACT like an 
8mm. Then I replaced the 1/4-20 every time I did 15,000 mile maintenance.
The steel bolt had obviously corroded into the aluminum head casting and
wasn't free-able. 
	This experience made me a demon anti-sieze user!

	Bill