Broken of bolts on the luggage rack

Ernie12

Active Member
Hey guys I usually don't have very good luck when trying to remove broken bolts from things much less stainless steel from stainless steel. I did not even know these were broken until I tried to put it back on the bike today. Previous owner :oldbang: Any tips what would be the best method to try and remove these bolts. My drill bits wont even start into the bolt.

IMG_20190416_190441 copy.jpg
 

pknowles

RETIRED
Hey guys I usually don't have very good luck when trying to remove broken bolts from things much less stainless steel from stainless steel. I did not even know these were broken until I tried to put it back on the bike today. Previous owner :oldbang: Any tips what would be the best method to try and remove these bolts. My drill bits wont even start into the bolt.

View attachment 64160
Get a small left handed drill bit and you ma get lucky. If it doesnt come out while drilling, use an easy out.

Stainless steel isn't that hard .
 

knothead

Second Chance Customs
Get a small left handed drill bit and you ma get lucky. If it doesnt come out while drilling, use an easy out.

Stainless steel isn't that hard .
He is exactly right...stainless is softer...best way to do it honestly...
 
The clamps are only mild steel.
The bolts may or may not be stainless.
We use stainless in our racks but I have seen chrome plated steel bolts also.
Hit them with a good anti-seize spray and let them sit overnight first.
Use a vise, with appropriate protection of course, to hold the clamp.
For screws this small you really will want to use a decent drill press for the drilling process or things can get ugly fast.
If you find they are stainless drill slowly. Stainless isn't really hard it is more abrasive and brittle but use High speed and it will work harden the stainless and then your screwed.
Your going to want to get the surface of the screw flat first so you can center drill the bolt before even starting to try and drill it.
On small screws like this it is imperative that the hole be centered or it can make it dramatically more difficult when trying to use an EZOut.
A Dremel with a cut off blade will do the trick.
Use a cobalt center drill then use a left handed cobalt bit, as PK recommended, then an easy out.
Heat the clamp first, to help the process, before drilling and before using the EZOut if the bit does not get it out first.
 

Ernie12

Active Member
The clamps are only mild steel.
The bolts may or may not be stainless.
We use stainless in our racks but I have seen chrome plated steel bolts also.
Hit them with a good anti-seize spray and let them sit overnight first.
Use a vise, with appropriate protection of course, to hold the clamp.
For screws this small you really will want to use a decent drill press for the drilling process or things can get ugly fast.
If you find they are stainless drill slowly. Stainless isn't really hard it is more abrasive and brittle but use High speed and it will work harden the stainless and then your screwed.
Your going to want to get the surface of the screw flat first so you can center drill the bolt before even starting to try and drill it.
On small screws like this it is imperative that the hole be centered or it can make it dramatically more difficult when trying to use an EZOut.
A Dremel with a cut off blade will do the trick.
Use a cobalt center drill then use a left handed cobalt bit, as PK recommended, then an easy out.
Heat the clamp first, to help the process, before drilling and before using the EZOut if the bit does not get it out first.

Thanks Curtis and the other guys , will give it another shot tomorrow.
 

Jwooky

Well-Known Member
Drilling/EZ-out is a good option.

Another option I have had good luck with is to weld a nut to the broken bolt shank.

The heat from welding will also help, melts any loctite, and helps if its seized at all.
 

bikeone

Well-Known Member
LH Drill and EDM if u know someone has the machine for do that, will work.
Seems like u have broken Steel bolts
Hss extra (+Cobalt) drills work good for those bolts in a standing drill Machine.
 

Ernie12

Active Member
Well I got two of them out but there is one really stubborn one. The cobalt bits worked pretty well on two of the bolts but the last one it only drilled a little ways in and now it wont bite at all even with a new bit. It needs to be a little bit deeper for the easy out to bite real good.

Is there another kind of drill bit that will drill into the steel better than the cobalt?
 

LHS

Active Member
Curtis is 100% correct you should never drill at high-speed or you will work Harden it. You should never drill any kind of steel over 300 rpm’s and I always use a cutting oil/or tapping oil . So if you were running the drill real fast this is probably why even a new drill bit won’t touch it.
 

LHS

Active Member
You could use a solid carbide bit and some cutting oil at a real slow rpm and you might get it to drill past the Harden spot but There’s no guarantee there and hold onto your wallet because They’re not cheap and if you bust that off in the hole you’re really screwed. Then you will pretty much have to weld a nut onto it and hope that you get it out.
That’s just my two cents worth which don’t mean Diddley :oldhardlaugh:
 

Ernie12

Active Member
Well this is really weird. I took a punch and tapped it in the hole and it punched right threw that spot. So I took the easy out and started turning and it broke off in the hole :oldbang: Oh well it should bolt on ok with three bolts holding that side and four on the other side.
 

TapioK

Well-Known Member
Spending $50 to fix $10 part ain’t too economical, Which part of the rack had the threats again? If it’s not the luggage part itself, I would imagine Curtis can get you those receiver ends pretty cheap. Actually you might find those in boating stores?
 

Ernie12

Active Member
Spending $50 to fix $10 part ain’t too economical, Which part of the rack had the threats again? If it’s not the luggage part itself, I would imagine Curtis can get you those receiver ends pretty cheap. Actually you might find those in boating stores?
Its the luggage part that the bolts were broken off in. One bolt missing wont be bad it should hold just fine.
 

Th3InfamousI

Administrator
Staff member
Well this is really weird. I took a punch and tapped it in the hole and it punched right threw that spot. So I took the easy out and started turning and it broke off in the hole :oldbang: Oh well it should bolt on ok with three bolts holding that side and four on the other side.
3 will probably hold it but you could also either bring it to a machinest or find a helicoil for it and then drill it out.

Helicoil are pretty strong and hold up damn good.

Pick your poison!

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk
 

Ernie12

Active Member
3 will probably hold it but you could also either bring it to a machinest or find a helicoil for it and then drill it out.

Helicoil are pretty strong and hold up damn good.

Pick your poison!

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk
Yea Eric I was thinking about going the helicoil route also.
 
Top