Removing a broken bolt for NERF bars...

[JAsh1967]

Working on swapping out my old NERF steps for new, and I had one stupid bolt that decided it wanted to stay. Not realized it was either rusted in or rusty enough on the exposed threads inside the bracket, well...
It broke off and I wasn't even using a cheater bar to try to turn it (see the attached picture.) This is the mounting spot at the rear of the drivers side of the Jeep.

What're my options to trying to get it out?

• Go pick up a "broken bolt extraction kit?"
• Drill it out as close to the size of the bolt itself, then work at the exposed threads above to get it out and clean out the threads?
• Just rely on the pinch weld portion of the step bar bracket, seeing as I have no back seats so very rarely, if ever, will the back step get used.

I don't have access to (nor have I ever used) a welder, and honestly, I don't want to pay someone to get a broken bolt out, either.

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[kevman65]

You can try drilling it and using a screw extractor.

But if you didn't clean out the threads when you removed the factory bolt and installed your bars, odds are you have Loctite all balled up and basically melted in the threads.

 

[JAsh1967]

You can try drilling it and using a screw extractor.

But if you didn't clean out the threads when you removed the factory bolt and installed your bars, odds are you have Loctite all balled up and basically melted in the threads.

So the good news is, my Jeep didn't have factory bars, so no bolt was in the hole when I installed the first set of bars, so no loctite (and I didn't loctite the bolt for the bars.)

The bad news is, either I'm giving up to easy, or I'm not getting it out with an extractor, either. Bought a Harbor Freight extractor, tried using the T-handle from a tap/die set I've got and, yeah...
It'll kind of bite, but then the T-handle collet says "yeah, nope, way more force than I'm gonna put up with" and starts slipping. I'm sure it doesn't help, either, that when I used a punch to try to mark the center, because the end of the bolt isn't flat, it went to the edge and I couldn't keep the drill centered, no matter how I tried.

At this point, I'm debating between just drilling it out as best I can and using the tap to clean up the threads, or leaving it until I can get in at the shop that'll be installing my bumper and asking them to install the steps too...

 

[kevman65]

Find the *12 Point* socket that fits the extractor, use a breaker bar. Go slow.

 

[JAsh1967]

Find the *12 Point* socket that fits the extractor, use a breaker bar. Go slow.

Thank you, I'll give that a try tomorrow (it's getting dark and I don't have a well lit workspace.)

 

[kevman65]

The good news is, the bolt may be some low grade steel that already had a bad spot in it.
So it may back out easy once you get the leverage you need.

The bad news is, it may be a grade 8 or higher and you break the extractor off. Tool steel is a bitch to drill out.

 

[JAsh1967]

The good news is, the bolt may be some low grade steel that already had a bad spot in it.
So it may back out easy once you get the leverage you need.

The bad news is, it may be a grade 8 or higher and you break the extractor off. Tool steel is a bitch to drill out.

Now you've got me debating between trying to extract the bolt, or figure out a way to make a "notch" in it and jam a screwdriver in and try to drive it out the top instead.

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