Thank You !!!i Broke An Ez Out Trying To Remove A Bolt *facepalm*

[Frim]

I recognize the blind nut; it's inside the frame and just about inaccessible from anywhere but the front.
What I have done in the past for this situation is to grab that blind nut with vise grips, twist it back and forth until the welds snap, then let it drop down into the frame. Ok, that's the brutal part.
Next I had these heavy gauge metal plates about 1.5" x 3" that had a nut welded on it. It was U shaped like a big paper clip; and they were used for mounting aftermarket accessories like side steps, seatbelts, custom bumpers etc. You would cut a slice in the metal about an inch in back (or in front, depending on accessibility) take a punch (I used an air chisel) and you would do a slight bend on the metal furthest away for the slice you just cut.
Slip the clip in, and line the nut on it up with the hole. I would run a bolt into it, then drill a small hole between the hole and the slice, and put a 1/4" steel rivet in it to hold in position; take out the temp bolt; mount your shock (use washers or a small piece of metal tubing between the shock and the frame to copy the distance the old blind nut stuck out so the shock doesn't bind on the frame. Finish up. Take a break; you just spent 2 hours working your butt off.

If these nuts will help you out, I will mail them to you. They are 3/8-16

 

[2barrel]

The EZout can be driven or pressed out from the back side (If you can reach it). Keep sizing up the drill size until only the thread remains. Tap from the back side if you can reach it. It will peel the thread out (we hope) Use Croil or WD-40 to loosen the thread even though you are drilling the bolt out. In an extreme case, you can sell it for scrap iron and buy an Elio.

The person who named them EZ outs also coined the phrase Military Intelligence! Next time try the lighter and candle method to loosen the bolt.

 

[Coss]

If these nuts will help you out, I will mail them to you. They are 3/8-16

That's kind of the idea, but I don't know if they would be stout enough for a shock.
Also, they are if you can get to the back of the hole, I'll see if I still have any of the ones I was talking about (uggh they would be in my collection drawer it weighs about 400lbs.)

 

[Ian442]

I dremel ground the hole out and got the last bits of EZ out removed...splinters really. My next thing was to tap out the hole and put a replacement bolt in. Is this how the process works ?

 

[Coss]

I dremel ground the hole out and got the last bits of EZ out removed...splinters really. My next thing was to tap out the hole and put a replacement bolt in. Is this how the process works ?

If there is enough of the old threads left I would just retap the same size, and use it with a new longer higher strength bolt.
Like a Grade 8 should be fine; I don't see the need for grade 10.
If the threads are wasted, you're going to have to redrill to clean it up and tap to the next largest size.
Remember, there is a metal sleeve in your shock, you'll have to make sure the new size will fit through it.
So don't go to too large bolt; you'd have to create a new sleeve for the shock (lots of work).
I would just try staying the same size, clean up the existing threads, and use locktite.

Other option is drill out, helecoil, and use stock size. You can see the situation better than we can.

 

[Ty]

If there is enough of the old threads left I would just retap the same size, and use it with a new longer higher strength bolt.
Like a Grade 8 should be fine; I don't see the need for grade 10.
If the threads are wasted, you're going to have to redrill to clean it up and tap to the next largest size.
Remember, there is a metal sleeve in your shock, you'll have to make sure the new size will fit through it.
So don't go to too large bolt; you'd have to create a new sleeve for the shock (lots of work).
I would just try staying the same size, clean up the existing threads, and use locktite.

Other option is drill out, helecoil, and use stock size. You can see the situation better than we can.

There is a two part epoxy that is like a log that you pinch off the amount you want and then you kneed it. after it's a uniform color and within 10 minutes, you can work it into the hole completely making sure to fill it from the bottom up. It takes 24-48 hours to cure completely and doesn't feel like it is sticking. But, you can drill it and file it as you would steel. Now, I wouldn't use it unless you had some threads left in there. You'll want to fill the hole, drill it, and re-tap it, of course. I wouldn't use it if it were the only bolt hole you had but I would use it to fix one of three and feel confident that it'd hold up. I'm sorry I can't remember what it was called but it was something like Quick Steel.

 

[Coss]

I don't believe it, but I found one of the aftermarket blind nuts I talked about

I was really close on the size, and hopefully I painted a good enough when I described it.
I also found some metal sleeves / tubes (sorry no pictures) that you can use as spacers.

I was really surprised that it only took 20 minutes to find one; just sheer luck I guess.

 

[xtspode]

The person who named them EZ outs also coined the phrase Military Intelligence! Next time try the lighter and candle method to loosen the bolt.

It is true the EZ out will either make you a hero, or extremely frustrated. The EZ part is for how careful you have to be in backing out the bolt. A cheap one means you have to be even more careful with it. Another place where you want to buy the expensive tool.

 

[Ian442]

I went out this morning and hit the hole with a decent size dremel grinder till the broken bolt bits broke out of the original threads. They didn't look damaged so I put thread locker on the new bolt and it is in. Now I am torqueing it into oblivion so the next it comes off is in the shredder at the recycling facility

 

[Ian442]

Thanks to all Especially you Coss