Just when I thought I was gonna have a truck with two doors, >SNAP< one of the bolts broke flush in that plate inside the doorsill. EZOUT to the rescue!!
>SNAP<

Now I’ve got a broken bolt extractor in a broken bolt… D’OH!

Tried welding a nut to it, but that didn’t work either.

Any ideas? Does this nut plate come out somehow? I filled that kick panel space behind the sill with expanding foam, so can’t see if that’s even an option.

Otherwise I’ve heard a dremel could work with lots of patience and numerous bits.

 

Note to self: don't weld in sandals…

 

Have you tried welding smaller washers first to build it out? Then let it cool and try it?

JB

 

The screws stick past the plate on the back and when you remove them all the corrosion is trying to pull through and locks the threads.

JB

 

The access is so restricted with that hole opening in the cab (in front of the plate) I was afraid to try washers for fear of welding to either plate or sill. Not much room to work to try to hold washers in place and get welder wire in there.

Stupidly, this bolt broke on the way in not out — I was too impatient to chase the threads first. My first mistake was probably trying to reuse the original bolts…

 

Been down this road numerous times. My method is to drill center with a pilot and then step it out with bigger drills up to tap size and then run tap thru. May not be possible since easy outs (lots of imagination in that description) are usually as hard as drill bits. You might try a cobalt drill to get thu easy out. Good luck to you.
Bob

 

You should be able to cut the ez-out with a carbide burr in a Dremel. It will be a slow go.
Mark

 

I'll take a look at Ace Hardware tomorrow, thanks... somewhere on the interwebz I saw someone say a chain saw sharpener bit for Dremel also works.
Aren't these bits bigger than the 5/16'ths bolt though? Having a hard time envisioning how to get both bolt and extractor out without enlarging the hole considerably. Hopefully it will become clearer tomorrow at Ace.

 

Is there room to use a chisel or punch to loosen the easy out and then maybe pick it out once you loosen it?...If that wont work then get a LEFT HANDED COBALT DRILL BIT AND drill out that Easy Out.

Once the broken piece of easy out is removed drill in steps until you can either peel the very thin remaining skin of the broken bolt out of the existing threads in that door plate or if they are gone drill to the correct size for the bolt size you will use and then tap that hole out...either way run a tap through all of those holes to make sure they are nice and clean and use nice new Quality bolts....be sure to use a good cutting paste of some type for drilling and for taping...DO NOT USE any AEROSOL SPRAY as a lubricant The cold temperature of any aerosol spray against the heat of the drill bit will mess with the temper of the drill bit and hardin the bolt too..By the way...WD 40 is NOT a lubricant!!!...I like a product I sell very much and have known about for 13 years its called ANCHOR LUBE....its a cream based cutting product.... Anchor | Environmentally friendly metalworking fluids and compounds, plus lid securing clips

Even though I am the toolman, sometimes I take pity on my clients when they are dealing with drilling out a broken bolt and do it for them, I use NEW QUALITY DRILL BITS, in a CORDLESS DRILL THAT HAS A FEATHER TRIGGER(Milwaukee 12Volt) SO I CAN monitor the speed of the bit and not be bothered by either an airline or an electric cord...I Start off with a small drill bit and PATIENTLY VERY PATIENTLY cut into the broken bolt...I then Increase the size of the bit until I reach the hole size I desire... all the while I dip the tip of the drill bit into the creme cutting paste every few seconds. I am calm and collected and have the skill and the right tools so my results are good... Often Techs get crazy once they break a bolt and instead of stepping back and taking a few minutes to come in at it fresh with fresh composure they hurry and go for it and make the situation worse...also often they dont take time to keep the cutting tool lubricated and use too fast of a drilling speed....and their drill bits etc are not so sharp...all of that is a.recipe for failure.... Your best bet is good tools, patience, think it through. monitor your progress, make adjustments as needed in the angle you are drilling at... keep the bit lubed.. good luck to you....

 

What I have done, and would do in this case, is oxy / acetylene heat (dull red) the centre of the easy out / bolt and let it cool, maybe more then once. That will take the temper out of the easy out and loosen the rust crap on the bolt. Then weld to or chisel it, or drill, ... heat is your friend.

 

You mentioned the cavity behind is now filled with expanding foam?
If that is the case, I would avoid any type of heat/welding.

 

.................. or maybe take the foam out until you fix it, .......... $ 2.00 worth of foam vs a broken hinge bolt fixed ?

 

You have found out what I found out years ago when doing the door hinges on a '46 Chevy PU. Easy outs are as worthless as a screen door on a submarine. Just as worthless as many of the penetrating oils. On a severely rusted nut/bolt, oils must penetrate to work, but most evaporate before they can do any penetrating.

Pickup a set of reverse drill bits. As you drill the broken bolt, the reverse action can pull the broken bolt out.

Later!
Mr. Ed

 

I've done this many times using an old center punch. Use the center punch to force the easy out side to side. The easy out being harder than the bolt will slightly enlarge the hole and loosen up. Grind the tip of the center punch to a fairly fine sharp point and use it right at the juncture of the easy out and the top of the bolt. Once it's loose use a pick to persuade it out of the hole. Good luck!

 

Thanks for this… I will try this method first, as indicated above otherwise I need to remove the foam prior to using heat (which I don't imagine will be easy, either, since it will likely just crumble in tiny pieces).

I did see a YouTube video re: reverse drill bits, so based also on mytoolman and Mr. Ed's suggestions above perhaps I can try that route after (hopefully) extracting the EZOUT via your method. Plan C I guess will be to buy a handful of Dremel bits and plan to spend a few hours it sounds like…