Reply To: Transom Clamp Bolts REALLY Frozen

[Bob Wight]

If you haven’t tried heating it yet, go ahead and heat up the clamp bracket area around the clamp bolt and apply the PB Blaster. Keep applying heat and penetrant and see if you can loosen the bolts. My ’72 Evinrude had been a salt water motor and the clamp bolts were frozen solid. I ended up drilling 2 small holes through the brackets (one hole on each side of the bracket) to access the inner thread area of the bolts which allowed the PB Blaster to work its way deeper into the entire thread area after I applied the heat. Took a lot of time and patience but I got them out. I plugged the drill access holes with a dab of JB Weld.

Bob

1937 Champion D2C Deluxe Lite Twin
1954 Johnson CD-11
1955 Johnson QD-16
1957 Evinrude Fastwin 18
1957 Evinrude 3022
1958 Johnson QD-19
1958 Johnson FD-12
1959 Johnson QD-20
1982 Evinrude 25hp

“Every 20 minute job is only a broken bolt away from a 3-day project.”
"Every time you remove a broken or seized bolt an angel gets his wings."