Home › Forum › Ask A Member › Help with broken bolts › Re: Help with broken bolts
Frank has summarized a life time of experience into a few words. Read and read, again. There is great wisdom there.
I might add a few things from my own personal perspective. If you are going to have to drill out a bolt or screw, from an aluminum housing, you might as well PLAN on using a heli-coil. About nine times out of ten, you’re going to need it, no matter how careful you are.
It is truly a great day when you are able to drill a starter hole directly down the middle of the bolt. However, this usually ends up in just being good form and really doesn’t help the matter, as opposed to going a little off-center. You’re going to have to split the remaining chunks of bolt out either way. What I have been having good luck with is using an 1/8" carbide burr in an electric drill, to remove material in a sideways direction, after removing as much as possible with a drill bit or two. Whether you are dead center or off center, this will allow removal of bolt material right up to the edge of the threads, which will make it easier to split out the pieces.
Long live American manufacturing!