yeah, "just drill it out" sure sounds good until you actually do it, particularly with that hole. Is the bolt broken from over tightening or broke from being rusted in place and wouldn't come out. Makes a big difference. If you do try to drill it use a left handed drill bit, sometimes you get halfway and it just comes out, as it is turning the right way to remove the bolt, while the right handed bit is trying to make it even tighter. You could try using a punch/cold chisel to work around the edges and get it to turn. However welding another bolt to the end would probably be the most certain way to get it out, since it isn't in the truck you could take it to a weld shop and have the professional do it for probably a lot less than the cost of a welder. Although my experience lately with the "professional" community has been somewhat strained. But like I said if it is broken because it was rusted in place you will have yourself a wonderful opportunity to use all those @!*** words you wouldn't normally get away with. I used to be in the merchant marines, and salt water, cast iron, just ordinary steel bolts, steam, and the apparent ban on never seize when assembling a ship makes for even more wonderful opportunities to practice removing broken off bolts. The preferred method for bolts you could get hold of was to heat the offending fastener red hot, then put about 4 drops of water directly in the center of the bolt and it usually came out, the flush ones usually got a bolt welded to them so you could use a wrench, the easy out was generally useless, and was not usually even considered unless it was broken off from overtightening. Most times heat was a key ingredient, but I don't know how hot you want to heat up your engine. Whatever the case when and if you get it out, the helicoil is the way to go for thread repair.
Last edited by brokenhead; 06/15/2012 12:09 PM.
