Need help getting rusty grade 5 bolt out of stainless steel.

[sixdogs]

My 1997 Ford F250 side mirror had a bracket held on with a regular steel bolt threaded into the end of a stainless steel rod and it's rusted stuck. I snapped the head off. I'm soaking the stub in PB Blaster right now and will put Kroil on it tomorrow. Any ideas how to get the bolt stub out?

I was thinking about heating the stub bolt in hopes the heat and cooling will pull the oil into the threads then and I could get a pipe wrench on the bolt stub.. Is that a good idea considering it's stainless? I wouldn't heat the stainless but it could get hot.

I could cut the stub off and drill it out but that's a lot of work and I would prefer something quicker. Any ideas how to get the rusty carbon steel bolt out of the stainless rod?




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[oosik]

Standard procedure would say - heat the stainless rod - pipe wrench on the bolt. It shouldn't take much heat on the stainless to break things loose.

 

[sixdogs]

Standard procedure would say - heat the stainless rod - pipe wrench on the bolt. It shouldn't take much heat on the stainless to break things loose.

I'm going to buff the stainless piece before it goes back on but will heat discolor it?

 

[Topzide]

X2 on heating stainless to expand a bit to loosen the bolt. Might get enough heat from heat gun to avoid fire and flame, but don't won't to spoil your fun!

 

[Topzide]

Shouldn't discolor if a good grade of stainless and low heat.

 

[sixdogs]

X2 on heating stainless to expand a bit to loosen the bolt. Might get enough heat from heat gun to avoid fire and flame, but don't won't to spoil your fun!

I plan to use acetylene torch. OK?

 

[oosik]

My experience is with sheet stainless. It WILL discolor if you get it near red hot. I think I would use my commercial heat gun. Also - we were able to buff the discoloration out of the sheet stainless.

Just start easy and increase the heat in reasonable steps.

 

[CalG]

Keep the torch ONLY on the broken bolt, get it red hot!

Stainless steel is such a poor conductor of heat that I bet you could melt that stud out before the "polish" would show blue. (factious)

Stainless can only surface oxidize, any color will buff to a pale yellow at the worse.

But really. Heat the broken part red hot, the heat will drive out the chemically bonded water in the rust and allow that stuck fastener to spin out.

Once ANY movement of the stuck fastener is detected, that's when to apply Kroil.

I use the smoke wrench a lot!

 

[sixdogs]

Should I even try the Harbor Freight heat gun on high setting or go straight to the torch?

 

[CalG]

Should I even try the Harbor Freight heat gun on high setting or go straight to the torch?

If the bolt is rusted in, It takes red heat!

Warming things up, hoping for expansion, is for under the covers with your main squeeze!

 

[not2old]

I had the same problem with my 1990 F250 a few years back. When the auto wrecker told me it would be $15.00 for a used mirror head, I said I'd take two. Still haven't used the spare.

 

[5030]

I plan to use acetylene torch. OK?

OK, soft flame however.

 

[sixdogs]

Ok, I ran an errand and then got the torch. I was itchin' for red hot and got the bolt close to that before it budged. I was on a roll so just kept turning till it was out. No damage to the stainless bar because I kept the flame away as instructed.

Thanks for the sound advice on dealing with a bolt snapped off in stainless.

 

[NibbanaFarm]

You could have heated one, the other, or both red hot and turned it with a vice grip. Once it moves let it cool, put some penetrating oil on and it will spin out. By just heating the stud you risk it getting too soft and twisting off. Just polish the stainless after you're done. No problem. Works every time.

 

[Gord Baker]

My 1997 Ford F250 side mirror had a bracket held on with a regular steel bolt threaded into the end of a stainless steel rod and it's rusted stuck. I snapped the head off. I'm soaking the stub in PB Blaster right now and will put Kroil on it tomorrow. Any ideas how to get the bolt stub out?

I was thinking about heating the stub bolt in hopes the heat and cooling will pull the oil into the threads then and I could get a pipe wrench on the bolt stub.. Is that a good idea considering it's stainless? I wouldn't heat the stainless but it could get hot.

I could cut the stub off and drill it out but that's a lot of work and I would prefer something quicker. Any ideas how to get the rusty carbon steel bolt out of the stainless rod?




View attachment 1055793 .View attachment 1055794

I would heat the Stud to red hot then quench. Some penetrating oil may help. Stainless is different. Under a microscope it leaves little barbs after the threading process which lock on to whatever is put in to the hole. I have seen new threaded SS fasteners be locked so tight they would not come apart even after heating red hot. Stainless is not Hard, but it is Tough. Glad you got it out.

 

[NYlumberman]

My favorite stuck bolt trick is to use a brazing tip, because it is important to focus the heat. Heat the bolt, not the stainless, and as it approaches red quench it in water. The last time I used that trick on a neighbors truck, the bolt with his broken easyout in it, spun right out. My theory is that the rapid contraction as the bolt quickly cools shears the chemical bond created by the corrosion, but I’m just a retired millwright not a scientist.

 

[panamaguy]

As a life long welder i would say forget the idea of a heat gun. Takes to long so the heat will soak into the stud. Take your oxy, act torch with a good sized tip and have your pipe wrench ready and give to a good fast heat. You need to get the stud moving fast before it soaks up the heat

 

[Williy]

Have you tried to apply pressure and tapping ??

willy

 

[sixdogs]

Go back in the thread. I heated the stud with my torch, got it hot ASAP and twisted it out with a pipe wrench. It was over so quick the stainless barely got a blush to it and all was good.

I chased and oiled the threads, got a new bolt and wet-n-dry polished the stainless part. You'll never know anything was fixed and now I can adjust the California mirrors on my new-to-me '97 Ford diesel pickup. It's all smiles.

 

[chim]

Back in the dark ages I helped a bud with one like that. We ground the broken bolt flat, then drilled and tapped.