broken mirror bolt
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More Turbo
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 516
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From: Michigan
broken mirror bolt
Okay, picked up this 1989 f150, 4x4, 4.9, 5 speed. Trying to fix the small stuff before putting it on my hoist to do all the fluids. Found one of the top two bolts snapped off flush with the threaded mounting plate that is attached inside of the door. The other three work free and I have removed the mirror. Tried to center punch it and drill it out but punch and drills won't cut into the broken bolt. It looks to be a metric 6x1, not sure how to size it. I am thinking of welding a nut to it and trying to turn it out. I have had lots of luck doing this, but not on something so small. I also don't want to burn the paint on the door. I will try to make a heat shield of sorts to help with that.
Anybody else solve this problem? I'm sure it had to happen to others.
Anybody else solve this problem? I'm sure it had to happen to others.
Ford Parts Specialist
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 88,826
Likes: 787
From: Simi Valley, CA
broken mirror bolt
Okay, picked up this 1989 f150, 4x4, 4.9, 5 speed. Trying to fix the small stuff before putting it on my hoist to do all the fluids. Found one of the top two bolts snapped off flush with the threaded mounting plate that is attached inside of the door. The other three work free and I have removed the mirror. Tried to center punch it and drill it out but punch and drills won't cut into the broken bolt. It looks to be a metric 6x1, not sure how to size it. I am thinking of welding a nut to it and trying to turn it out. I have had lots of luck doing this, but not on something so small. I also don't want to burn the paint on the door. I will try to make a heat shield of sorts to help with that.
Anybody else solve this problem?
Anybody else solve this problem?
Thread Starter
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More Turbo
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 516
Likes: 3
From: Michigan
I need a little guy about a foot tall to jump in and put a miniature pipe wrench on it and turn it out. LOL
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More Turbo
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 516
Likes: 3
From: Michigan
Well. pulled the vent window and the door glass to get to this broken bolt. I could not get enough of the bolt on the inside to break it loose. I tried the FREEZE lube, heat from a big watt soldering iron, even one of those tiny butane torches with a flow of water on the door skin to protect the paint.
I decided to fall back and regroup.
Put together a plan to remove the inside plate by drilling out the spot welds. I carefully center punched the welds and attacked the two of them. In no time at all the plate was out, in my vice, and free of the broken bolt. I chased the threads with the proper metric tap and sanded down the remaining spot welds on the piece. Not wanting to damage the character of the truck with fresh paint on the door, I headed out to reinstall the piece with some of my favorite glue. The mirror is now installed and working just fine. I did tape off the area around the witness marks left by the plastic gasket. Keeping just inside the marks so when I prime and paint the bare metal from removing the spot welds, you wont see any fresh paint. Was an easy job after all.
I decided to fall back and regroup.
Put together a plan to remove the inside plate by drilling out the spot welds. I carefully center punched the welds and attacked the two of them. In no time at all the plate was out, in my vice, and free of the broken bolt. I chased the threads with the proper metric tap and sanded down the remaining spot welds on the piece. Not wanting to damage the character of the truck with fresh paint on the door, I headed out to reinstall the piece with some of my favorite glue. The mirror is now installed and working just fine. I did tape off the area around the witness marks left by the plastic gasket. Keeping just inside the marks so when I prime and paint the bare metal from removing the spot welds, you wont see any fresh paint. Was an easy job after all.
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