Snapped Easy Out - Out - How?

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

First I broke the head off a pinch bolt on the strut/hub, (it happens all the time on first gen BMW mini's for some reason.)

 

I then started drilling through the bolt from both sides with 6mm, but never quite reached right through.

 

Tried a M10ish Easy Out and the fooking thing snapped flush.

 

Any recommendations on how best to get the thing out/shattered?

 

I've tried to break it up with several types of punches with no joy.

 

Thanks

[j_turnell 137 3 Cars]

Can you open the hole up on the other side and then punch it out?

[welshpug 1,677]

a picture of what we're looking at will help, is it on the car still?

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

It's still on the car yeah.

 

It's sort of a hole all the way through now, with the exception that the easy out is stuck in one half/side of the hole.

 

A better explanation, I think I met the end of the easy out from the other side with the drill.... It's taking an age.

 

I don't really want to remove the hub from car as I'll end up wrecking the ball joints.

 

I'll take a pic but don't think it'll help tbh

[welshpug 1,677]

you can unbolt the balljoint from the hub so you wont wreck them, I'd get the hub in a press and get the remains out that way, have you got the head off both sides?

 

they're cheap anyway!

[Anthony 1,003]

Easy-outs - the easy way to make a job 10x more difficult

 

My way of looking at it is thus - if the fixing is so seized in place that you sheered if off in the first place, it seems highly unlikely that using something thinner is going to fare any better... with the added bonus that when it breaks, you're stuck with something that is an absolute pig to remove and nigh on impossible to drill out.

 

The easiest option might be to remove the hub from the car and press the snapped bolt out with a hydraulic press, assuming that it's a similar design to a 205/306 pinch bolt.

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

Mmmm, I give it another go with the drill but may end up taking hub off.

 

The design is a 10mm x 60mm bolt through the two lugs of the hub, one lug/side is threaded.

 

The later models use 12mm nut and bolt, and lots of people drill the early hubs out to 12mm, which is what I intended to do. These bolts snapping is common.

 

I had originally given it a good roasting with gas before trying to loosen it.

 

Hubs are easily available, but it was a task getting the one on the other side off, and if I could avoid having to do it again I would.

[hoodygoodwood 77 3 Cars]

When I was a toolmaker we would spark erode out the remains of a broken tap from a mould as they were extremely hard . With something that is a little softer I would use a carbide drill or centre drill to remove it , they can be expensive though . If you can get the part off the car and in a vice on a drill or milling machine I would put a slot drill through the thread from the rear and it might well wind the bolt out .

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

Just thinking, do you think something like this

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180310691485

 

fitted in a dremel would be man enough to eat away at an easy out?

 

I recon there must be about 10-15mm of the easy out stuck in, but as the easy out is pointed it may only need about 5mm or so of it removed and the rest should fall out as it shouldn't really be biting anything.

[steve@cornwall 100]

Is the easy out stuck in the threaded or non threaded side?

If in the non threaded side can you not open the hole out to 12mm until the bolt threads are removed then punch out? (I think that's what j turnell said)

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

Easy out is stuck in the non threaded side.

 

I was thinking if I could at least try weaken it a bit, then punch through as you say, I maybe have a half chance.

[toolie72 67 1 Cars]

Hoodygoodwood-spark eroders=brilliant if slow machines (did you ever open tank before it had drained??)

[hoodygoodwood 77 3 Cars]

No I never managed that thank god , I would never have lived it down . MK Electric closed up the 2 toolrooms and moved out of London 18 years ago now , I miss having all that machinery - it would be very useful these days . Skimming heads , decking blocks , lightening flywheels ,I even wrote a programme on our cnc mill to cross drill discs .

[JamPug 22]

We have a portable spark eroded at work where you make a pool of water using plasticine. We didn't quite make the pool of water big enough the first time though .......

Edited December 2, 2016 by JamPug

[toolie72 67 1 Cars]

Was a toolmaker when I bought my 205, 1996 and our two spark eroders had tanks with big clasps on them, couple of gallons will quite happily burst spectacularly all over the floor (and your trousers) still there was only about 170 folk that worked in that factory-and you know what-they all bloody knew!!!!

Cnc program I did was on a Bridgeport interact via paracad-solid alloy strut brace engraved with "Macleod Motorsport""205 gti""Peugeot tuning" well I was only a bairn at the time-let me off lol (still got strut brace in loft haha)

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

Well I got it out, I must have spent 6hrs on this..... At least! Drilling, waiting on batteries charging etc etc

 

Removed the hub/strut from car, Drilled the threaded hub lug out, cut the bolt both sides of the strut lug, and that let me remove the strut.

 

I roasted the offending lug with gas and tried punching it and the remainder of the bolt and easy out in the non threaded lug of the hub but it wouldn't budge.

 

So nipped round to local garage to use their press but it was too awkward.

 

The guy put his oxy acetylene on it and I chapped it with a punch, first hit and it popped out.

 

Thank feck for that, I'm scunnered with it.

[toolie72 67 1 Cars]

So you saying a minis not as reliable as a 205?

Or better built, ie the bolt would have fallen out of a 205 lol