Upper wishbone pivot bolt - unmitigated disaster, need help!

[82DMC12]

Hey guys,

Doing a complete front end overhaul. Everything came apart fine except for the driver side upper wishbone pivot bolt. It's seriously stuck in the frame. Unfortunately even after soaking in PB Blaster overnight, I broke the head off of the bolt. Next I tried to pull the bolt out from the back by stacking washers and turning the lock nut onto the threads, thinking it might pull out the opposite way. I heated everything up with MAPP Pro first (probably not enough) and I cranked it down with a breaker bar until suddenly the nut jumped threads, making the end useless. I then thought I might be able to drill into the front side of the bolt where I can get a drill in, stepping up with bigger bits until it's mostly pulverized, but the only way to do that was to get the A-arm out of the way. No way to slide the wishbone off of the rear of the bolt where the threads are so I cut the bolt thread side off between the frame and the arm. Once the arm was out of the way, I tried to drill into the bolt but it's extremely hard and I ended up breaking a bit off inside the bolt.

Yeah, that kind of disaster.

So I have been heating up the ends of the bolt along with the tube that the bolt runs through with MAPP, and then holding a slightly smaller short bolt in vice grips while hitting that small bolt with a hammer so that I don't flatten the ends of the shank I'm trying to get out. No luck so far. I keep hitting it with PB Blaster in the meantime.

I need some ideas because this is getting bad.

Front side of bolt
Front side of bolt.jpg

Rear side of bolt
Rear side of bolt.jpg

[82DMC12]

I worked on this almost all day today and no luck. No movement at all. I have a Bernzomatic TS8000 burner and MAPP-pro so I think that's about the best, hottest burner you can get for MAPP. I'm heating epoxy into liquid but the metal isn't necessarily glowing. Just craters of red glow, I guess impurities glowing. Anyway I bought an IR air chisel with a pointed end bit and rented a 14 CFM @ 90 PSI gas-powered air compressor from Home Depot to try to drive the shank through while it's hot - no luck. I've enlarged the hole in the shank on the front of the bolt (front of car side) to nearly 3/8" diameter however the drilling is shallow due to the quite small bit broken off in there. Maybe only 1/4" deep.

At this point my last recourse, I think, is to have a mobile welder come over and try to weld nuts onto both sides, or at least one side, and then hit the tube that the bolt runs through with oxy acetylene while trying to twist the bolt loose with a breaker bar (or two, one on each side). I'm skeptical the nuts can be welded on but I'm not a welder so who knows.

After that.... I have no idea.

Ultra last resort is, fortunately, I bought a fully restored frame earlier this year from another owner that I was planning to swap in maybe a couple years from now. It's an auto frame and mine is a manual but it's relatively simple to modify it. Obviously I can't "roll the chassis out" without a front end on it but I could drop the front down onto a furniture dolly to roll it backwards. Thank God the car is currently in a good spot in my double garage to do a frame off if I really really have to.

Not the circumstances I wanted for frame work but at this point I might be ultra-screwed!!!! WTF how did this bolt get THIS stuck in there? The passenger side one slid right out!

[Patrick C]

I worked on this almost all day today and no luck. No movement at all. I have a Bernzomatic TS8000 burner and MAPP-pro so I think that's about the best, hottest burner you can get for MAPP. I'm heating epoxy into liquid but the metal isn't necessarily glowing. Just craters of red glow, I guess impurities glowing. Anyway I bought an IR air chisel with a pointed end bit and rented a 14 CFM @ 90 PSI gas-powered air compressor from Home Depot to try to drive the shank through while it's hot - no luck. I've enlarged the hole in the shank on the front of the bolt (front of car side) to nearly 3/8" diameter however the drilling is shallow due to the quite small bit broken off in there. Maybe only 1/4" deep.

At this point my last recourse, I think, is to have a mobile welder come over and try to weld nuts onto both sides, or at least one side, and then hit the tube that the bolt runs through with oxy acetylene while trying to twist the bolt loose with a breaker bar (or two, one on each side). I'm skeptical the nuts can be welded on but I'm not a welder so who knows.

After that.... I have no idea.

Ultra last resort is, fortunately, I bought a fully restored frame earlier this year from another owner that I was planning to swap in maybe a couple years from now. It's an auto frame and mine is a manual but it's relatively simple to modify it. Obviously I can't "roll the chassis out" without a front end on it but I could drop the front down onto a furniture dolly to roll it backwards. Thank God the car is currently in a good spot in my double garage to do a frame off if I really really have to.

Not the circumstances I wanted for frame work but at this point I might be ultra-screwed!!!! WTF how did this bolt get THIS stuck in there? The passenger side one slid right out!

All I can think of is to try heating AND freezing several times to break it free.

Something like so: https://www.fastenal.com/products/details/0607066

[82DMC12]

All I can think of is to try heating AND freezing several times to break it free.

Something like so: https://www.fastenal.com/products/details/0607066

Wow, never heard of such a thing. It's worth a try I guess!

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

[Patrick C]

Wow, never heard of such a thing. It's worth a try I guess!

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

It’s going to make the expansion and compression cycle more extreme and will be more likely to bust the nasty corrosion you are fighting with.

[82DMC12]

It’s going to make the expansion and compression cycle more extreme and will be more likely to bust the nasty corrosion you are fighting with.

Currently waiting to hear back from another DeLorean owner in the area who also welds, maybe we can get a nut welded on the rear side, heat up the tube with oxy acetylene, then spray with the cold spray. Then maybe get a bar on the new nut and try to twist....

[Helirich]

I would try heating with electric. Either use battery cables or a welding cables. If you take the positive on the bolt head and the negative on the frame, it will get hot right at the corrosion. I've done this with manifold bolts with great success. On a big bolt, I'm not sure. But make sure you have a good connection at the frame. (You don't want to melt steel there) I haven't tried a welding cables, but it seems like it would work better because you have more control. If you do the battery thing, the battery and cables get real hot.

[JohnnyK]

You need oxy-acetylene to break seized fasteners free. A plumbers MAPP torch head will not get the metal glowing red hot. Don't start dicking around with haphazard ideas like the previous one.

[82DMC12]

Thanks guys, seems like oxy acetylene is what I really need. One banned user suggested to me on FB to try to find a mobile truck repair service. They would have a serious air compressor on the truck as well as oxy and welding equipment. I might be able to get one of these services to come to my house to give me a hand. Interested in hearing any thoughts on this route.

This has to be most serious car-related problem I've ever encountered.

[Helirich]

You need oxy-acetylene to break seized fasteners free. A plumbers MAPP torch head will not get the metal glowing red hot. Don't start dicking around with haphazard ideas like the previous one.

Hap haserd? You get the heat right where you want it, not burning the whole fender well. I own a Acetylene torch, so I use what's best. if you haven't tried it, don't knock it.