Drill out a knackered stainless bolt?
 

Another of these POS halfords allen bits snapped when I was undoing my caliper mounting bolt. And in the process the stainless bolt head has rounded and now has a crack down the side of it. How? I have no idea

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k1...t/DSCF0141.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k1...t/DSCF0139.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k1...t/65bbaf59.jpg

As you can see I've been attacking it with all my tools. Tried hammering bits in to it, grips, mole grips. Even got desperate and tried chiselling it round, which surprisingly didn't work.

Bit worried about damaging the nice new powdercoating :( but would drilling even work with it being a stainless bolt?

Re: Drill out a knackered stainless bolt?
 

we use stainless sheet and stainless bolts at work which have to be drilled. you need to drill a small pilot hole with a GOOD quality drill bit, then use bit bigger drill bit.

Re: Drill out a knackered stainless bolt?
 

Yeah same as anything else, work hardens a bit so try not to let drill rub.

Re: Drill out a knackered stainless bolt?
 

How tight is it in Darren?

You've done well to shear a allan socket cheap or not

I think a left handed drill bit might get it out. Failing that drill the head out, is the caliper threaded or is the threads just in the fork?

Re: Drill out a knackered stainless bolt?
 

Ok ta. What do you think, drill the bolt head off first and remove the caliper, or keep the caliper on there as a guide?

Re: Drill out a knackered stainless bolt?
 

its funny watching a couple of the muppets at work let the drill bit get red hot, blacken off then see them try and drill with it blunt as hell and work piece hardened.

Decent sharp bit, not drilling too fast should go through no probs.

Re: Drill out a knackered stainless bolt?
 

Tight as a futher mucker. But those allen sockets are pish. The caliper doesn't have threads, just a hole

Re: Drill out a knackered stainless bolt?
 

can you get an Easy Out in there once you have a decent pilot hole?

Re: Drill out a knackered stainless bolt?
 

Maybe if I took the wheel out, which I can't with the caliper on :lol:

Actually just realised if I drilled off the bolt head, I don't think there would be enough room to slide the caliper off.....

Bollox

Re: Drill out a knackered stainless bolt?
 

If its snapped a socket piece, then I wouldn't go near it with an easy out, as if this snaps in there, it'll just compound the problem.

My guess is that some of the powder coat is acting like the strongest loctite you've ever used, I know I had exactly the same problem with a footrest hanger & a stainless steel
allen bolt.

I cut the head off the bolt and trashed the footrest hanger, as I couldn't get the remains of the bolt out.

So go carefully