Broken bolt in intake manifold….options?

[nullset]

While removing the intake manifold in my daily driver, one of the four bolts that hold the manifold on snapped.

Once I got the manifold off, I could see that it snapped above the surface of the hole, maybe 1/8" or 1/4" or so. It's not flat, but I can reach it.

What's the best way to deal with this?

--buddy

[TTait]

First - put rags in the intake holes right away to keep debris out.

Second - lots and lots of penetrating oil for days if you can. PB Blaster?

Now - figure out exactly how much thread is still in the hole - measure the other bolts and the remnants of the broken. It will be helpful if you have to drill in the future to know how deep the remaining shank is.

(above is good advice - I promise - but from here, its just one suggestion - get several)

Before you star drilling and using an extractor, take advantage of the fact that there is a bit sticking up, so next - I'd carefully take a dremel and cut a slot into the end of the broken stud so a screwdriver will fit it well. (alternately if its long enough you could try a small grinding wheel to get two parallel faces on either side of the exposed shaft.)

Spray a freezing agent on the stud, get it cold, and use a mini butane torch to warm up the head in that are - not too hot - but try getting the head warm and the stud cold
Try to turn it with a screwdriver. Not so hard you snap the bolt again - more penetrating oil if you can (this is never a bad step, you cannot ever try using too much).

You can consider trying an impact type screwdriver - the bit goes in the slot then you hit it with a hammer which simultaneously shocks the bolt and applies torque. It will either work or break out your makeshift screw head.

If you break the screw again, use more penetrating oil, its obviously still very tight. Get a bolt extractor kit complete with reverse drill bits. Take your time and carefully drill a small pilot hole in the center of the bolt, using the bit that matches the extractor you will use - then try the extractor.

Being super careful and accurate with the drill is key - it will give you the option to try the next larger extractor, and so on. If you are super accurate you will eventually get enough meat out of the bolt that you can get it out without ruining the threads.

Once you get it out, carefully chase the threads with a tap.

Worst case, drill it out and use a Helicoil.

Let us know.

[sean]

Start hitting it with PB and let it work for as long as you are able, over night at least. If there is enough bolt sticking out see if you can get a good set of vice grips on there and see if it will turn out.

And yeah, make sure you put some paper towels, shop rags or newspaper in those intake ports so you dont turn this relatively easy job into a "gotta pull the heads" job.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Unless the bolt was rusted where it broke, you probably will not get it out without drilling all of the bolt body out. If you don't mine spending 4 to 8 hours getting the drill exactly in the center you drill the body out and pick the threads out with a tool.

Don't make more work by using and extractor. You can try one but don't use much force or you will be sorry.

It takes a combination of drills and cutters to get a hole in the bolt exactly centered. I did one on my water pump bolt.

[David T]

File the remaining part flat. Center-punch it as accurately in the center as you can. (A transfer punch is VERY handy at this point!) Start drilling it out using a small drill and working your way up with bigger drill bits moving the hole over if you have to to stay centered. It is a little tricky to stay centered and perfectly straight. If you have to, reinstall the intake manifold and drill through it. Retap. If you damage the threads you can always oversize the hole and use a thread insert. Forget about chemical warfare, it almost never works. Heat almost always works but can cause 'collateral damage". You will never be able to grip the stump and unscrew it, if you could it would never have snapped off. VERY important not to wander off the hard steel bolt into the soft aluminum. This is not for the "Weak of heart".
David Teitelbaum

[Ron]

Patience is the key!
If you have trouble hitting the center of the bolt, use a sharp center-punch and tap it at first. Check the dimple and lean the punch to walk it to the center if necessary. Then square off and hit it firmly.
Use a small square to align the drill bit if needed. Fold a piece of paper at 90 degrees, if you are all that bad at it! (If standing on my head or working on awkward angles, as on a head or V-block deck, I get a very long bolt or rod and put it in a nearby hole for a visual aid/reference....works for me.)
I agree with David, except working a lot on mostly old vehicles, I have found chemical warfare works almost every time IF YOU HAVE PATIENCE. Once you drill all the way through, spray it with PB making sure it goes through to the other end of the bolt, this is key. Then give it several love taps (using a drift-punch if necessary), this is key -- Be careful, it's easy to get carried away around aluminum! Repeat both as necessary to keep it wet until you go to bed. [No, go to bed! ;-]

Don't skip a step and that little SOB should come right out of there. If not, you now have all day to drill and pick out the threads.

[David T]

Having used all kinds of concoctions from Liquid Wrench to homemade brews, I never seem to have any luck with the stuff and it only makes a mess. Especially if you have to try heat on it. I, too, use a bolt in a nearby hole to help keep lined up or you can use the intake manifold as a guide and drill right through it, it just makes it harder to continuously check that you are centered. Whatever works for you is what you do. If PB Blaster works for you then keep using it. If you are timid about drilling into your motor, liquids are more conservative and less damaging than drilling. As I said, drilling is not for the weak of heart. It takes some skill and experience.
How do you get experience. By building on a skill. How do you develop a skill? With experience! Sometimes you just gotta go for it! Go slowly and carefully. If you have to you can even grind it out with a Dremel.
David Teitelbaum

[jmettee]

Been where you are twice now, on 2 DMCs....with an intake bolt that snapped.

PB Blaster is crap. I know a lot of people here swear by it, bit I've never seen it do anything more than make a mess.

DON'T use an extractor/E-Z Out. If you do decide to, try it only once & don't lay on it...or you'll have a HUGE problem (ask me how I know!).

Go straight for the drills as others have said. Take your time, center-punch, start with a small bit, check the drill angle often with another nearby bolt.

I've seen a good number of bolts snapped in these engines so far....anything that has snapped has needed drilling....none of the penetrating oils or extractors have worked.

[TTait]

I'm gonna agree that it may be a long shot getting it out without drilling, but I'll press the point again that you have nothing to lose by trying either vice grips or a screwdriver first. if it doesn't work you can still drill - if you grind the bolt down first and drill, you won't know if the easy fix would have worked or not. (First, do no harm.)

I'm not a particular fan of PB, in these circumstances I just rotate through everything I have in the garage - 3 in 1, wd40, liquid wrench, PB, other stuff, repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Get tempted to try it, but instead repeat. A little heat, repeat. Sleep. Repeat. Then try it.

Unless your in a rush, you have nothing to lose. If you are in a rush - don't be.

[AdmiralSenn]

Definitely take things slow. No matter how patient you are being, BE MORE PATIENT.

My experience with a snapped Y pipe bolt made me come *this* close to scrapping my entire engine block. You can always apply more force later, you can't un-apply it.

[nullset]

Worked on it for a little bit last night. I was trying to save the threads, but I think tonight I'm going to just drill it all the way out and install a helicoil.

Also, I covered the intake ports as soon as the manifold was out. I'd learned that lesson the easy way, for once, instead of the hard way…..

Putting a bolt in an adjacent screw was great advice. The angle that this goes into the head is WEIRD….

--buddy

[content22207]

Make a jig to guide your drill bit. Set your drill press table to 22.5 degrees (or 67.5 degrees, depending upon how it is marked) and drill through a block of wood.

Don't go too deep in the head or you will hit the water jacket.

Bill Robertson
#5939

[nullset]

Make a jig to guide your drill bit. Set your drill press table to 22.5 degrees (or 67.5 degrees, depending upon how it is marked) and drill through a block of wood.

Don't go too deep in the head or you will hit the water jacket.

Bill Robertson
#5939

That's a good idea. Thanks.

--buddy

[aludden]

OK, I'm in the same place :-(
We removed the intake and we have 4 broken bolts:
1 was already broken and lying next to the hole, the other rear one broke on removal, then a little one on the top of the intake that was holding something, and one of the water pump bolts.

I was looking to buy a set of left-handed drill bits but I don't see any metric sizes - all are SAE. Is that important? Any particular brand/type that worked/not worked? Titanium?

Thanks!
Alex

[David T]

I have never had any success with left-handed drill bits. If the bolt was stuck tight enough to break you are not going to loosen and remove it by drilling it out left-handed. Use standard, sharp drill bits. Make sure you are centered and start with small size bits and work your way up always making sure you are centered on the broken bolt. Don't worry about saving the threads, using a thread insert is no big deal. In fact, it will make for stronger threads. By the time you are done you will be an expert at removing broken bolts! The "secret" is to go slowly and stop often to check your work. Reposition if necessary, staying centered on the bolt is VERY important. The steel bolt is a lot harder than the soft aluminum and the bit will want to wander into the aluminum.
David Teitelbaum

[axh174]

I agree with most of the suggestions put forth here and want to reinforce by saying it cannot be emphasized enough to take things slowly and be patient. To rush this situation could result in more headaches.

I also want to echo the sentiments about using extractors/E-Z outs: generally you should avoid these. They have a tendency to snap in this application and you've then got the hardened extractor tip to remove in addition to the bolt itself!

I used a set of left handed drill bits when I did mine. Out of the three bolts that needed to be extracted, it managed to break loose one of them and back it out. The others I may as well have used regular bits since the holes needed to be retapped anyway. So these are probably not worth your while.

A set of diamond-tipped/coated grinding bits (http://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-diamond-coated-rotary-drill-bits-32375.html) for a dremel can be your friend! They did wonders for removing one of the most stubborn bolts I've ever come across (ground the sucker to oblivion) and the diameter was just small enough to allow be to retap with the original thread size.

A few tips for reassembly: use a wire brush and clean the threads of all bolts you plan on reusing. Cleaning off all the crud and dirt is the first step to avoiding additional problems should you ever need to remove the intake again. Also, coating all threads with anti-sieze can go a long way to an ulcer-free future.

[aludden]

Thanks all for your suggestions. I already ordered a set of left-handed bits, so I guess I will try them. I also like your diamond-tipped dremel. I will look at getting those if I get stuck.

I do have patience, so hopefully I'll get through this and back on the road!

Thanks!
Alex

[SamHill]

6906
6907
6908
6909

Of course, this is an exhaust mani bolt, not an intake bolt. It was drilled slightly off center, but not by much. (Last pic is its trophy position on my desk.)

[aludden]

Well, I have been soaking all broken bolts in PB for a few days, and today I my left-handed drill bits arrived. So I decided to tackle the easiest bolt to deal with - the one on top of the intake toward the back. I marked the center as well as I could, and started drilling. I drilled all the way through it and it didn't budge. In the process I saw that there was another broken bolt that has been broken for a long time - that makes five!

So now I have a hole through the bolt - not perfectly in the center, but pretty close. The next drill bit size would bite into the threads. I'm tempted to get an extractor tomorrow and go gently with it to see if I can pull the rest of the bolt out...

I filled up the hole with PB, and will continue tomorrow...

[opethmike]

I recommend pretty strongly against the extractor. If drilling didn't cause the bolt to loosen up, then a gently turned extractor won't either. Its shockingly easy to break an extractor when you turn with force, and then you have a real headache to deal with.

[dmc6960]

And in another recent thread I think it was 5 different people reporting they had broken extractors off in those bolts. Hilarity did not ensure. Don't follow our example. DO NOT USE AN EXTRACTOR!

[DMCMW Dave]

What they said - stay away from screw extractors! The only place I've ever had a screw extractor work was a screw in wood. I've tried a few in desperation on engines and have always regretted it. The only thing that will cut out a hardened extractor is a griding stone. Painfully slow.

My favorite technique, after getting the hole in there like you have, is to use a tiny dremel grinder bit and enlarge the hole until you JUST start seeing threads. Slow and tedious. Then you can pick whats left of the steel out of the aluminum threads with a small pick and often save the hole. If they get damaged, you at least end up with a centered hole that you can now tap out for a helicoil or timesert.

[aludden]

Awwwwlllright... I won't get an extractor...

I did follow your advice and ordered the diamond-tipped dremel bits yesterday, they should be here tomorrow...

Thank you for caring...
Alex

[opethmike]

Best of luck with the bolt issue. Just take your time and you'll resolve it.

[DSNW Toby]

I know that the issue in this thread is a bolt that has already broken. However, if we want to learn from this, here are a few tidbits to keep in mind "for the next time".

- Consider getting a small air powered or electric impact wrench or driver. These hit the bolt with hundreds of low energy hits rather than a larger gross torque that will likely snap the bolt or stud. Use the tool every time you do engine work, or anywhere else that corroded bolts are a possibility.
- Get used to using antiseize compound for every bolt that goes into aluminum. A little goes a long way. Dissimilar metals will experience galvanic corrosion almost every time.
- Often a sharp rap or two on the head of a bolt before removal will shock the bolt a bit and facilitate separation of the bolt threads from the threads in the hole.
- If you are wrenching on a bolt and it just "doesn't feel right", stop and consider alternate strategies. Many people just sigh and "get it over with" by breaking the bolt, figuring that it is inevitable anyway. That aint necessarily so!

[jawn101]

I know that the issue in this thread is a bolt that has already broken. However, if we want to learn from this, here are a few tidbits to keep in mind "for the next time".

- Consider getting a small air powered or electric impact wrench or driver. These hit the bolt with hundreds of low energy hits rather than a larger gross torque that will likely snap the bolt or stud. Use the tool every time you do engine work, or anywhere else that corroded bolts are a possibility.
- Get used to using antiseize compound for every bolt that goes into aluminum. A little goes a long way. Dissimilar metals will experience galvanic corrosion almost every time.
- Often a sharp rap or two on the head of a bolt before removal will shock the bolt a bit and facilitate separation of the bolt threads from the threads in the hole.
- If you are wrenching on a bolt and it just "doesn't feel right", stop and consider alternate strategies. Many people just sigh and "get it over with" by breaking the bolt, figuring that it is inevitable anyway. That aint necessarily so!

This is great info Toby. I am going to print your post here and keep it in my service binder :)

[aludden]

Yes, that is great info - I was wondering if an impact wrench would have helped, and you confirmed it.

I got one bolt done! Four more to go! I wound up having to drill it all the way, increasing the size gradually, and finally drilling it with the matching bit for the tap, then re-tapped it with the same size. It looks pretty good.
Now I finished drilling the second one, and filled it with PB until tomorrow - it's late!

After I get this one done I will tackle the two main intake bolts.

The one I'm not sure what to do with yet is the water pump bolt, since it goes sideways and there isn't much room. The hole seems to go all the way through - can I get it from behind?(the bottom? the foot of the bolt? what do you call that?) (engine side rather than exhaust side?)

[jmettee]

The intake bolts are tough, because they are at an angle from the surface on the head they are bolted into. You will want to use the other intake bolt (if available, can't recall if you snapped all 4 or not) to help judge angle. Stop & check angle often. I had 1 snap in my car (also one of the people who busted an extractor off while in the head :blush:). I ended up taking out half the threads & changing the hole angle some due to the extractor extraction. I ended up putting in a helicoil & all is good! (had the intake & heads off last year for a rebuild & it all still looked fine under closer inspection)

For the waterpump, I also snapped that same one & ended up helicoiling it also. Easy to drill out & remove since it's not a blind hole, but you pretty much need to remove the muffler AND rear fascia to get it safely. If you have a small enough 90 degree drill, you can do it with the muffler off & fascia still on, but it's easier with it off. Note this is a 8mm thread on the waterpump as opposed to the 7mm on the head/intake bolts.

Note: if you remove the rear fascia, you can also eye-up the intake bolt & drill alignment better & is safer for removing those intake bolts without goofing up the original threads.

As mentioned earlier, anti-seize compound on ALL threaded fasteners that go back in that engine during re-assembly!

[Bitsyncmaster]

I was able to remove that broken water pump bolt with the right angle dremal attachment. Used carbide cutters and slow speed. Took about 6 hours of back breaking work.

[aludden]

Progress report: two bolts done, three to go!

I am glad I tackled the first two easier non-critical bolts on top of the manifold - it gave me a chance to practice and get over the "fear factor" of screwing up.

Of course, one thing leads to another and now we are talking about removing the rear fascia, which then leads to 'this is a good time to re-paint it' ...

And removing the muffler may mean 'is this the time to replace the exhaust manifold gaskets that are leaking?'

So my tune-up job is turning into a repair-the-whole-car project :wrenchin:

[jawn101]

So my tune-up job is turning into a repair-the-whole-car project :wrenchin:

That's what happens, welcome to the family....

[aludden]

Well, I understand the exhaust manifold can be a nightmare on its own, so I guess I won't go there... I'll live with the noise, it's not too bad :-)

[aludden]

So I looked at the steps for removing the rear fascia in P:02:19 of the manual, but it seems to remove only the fascia and leaving the reinforcement panel. Since I am trying to remove the whole thing, don't I just remove the two bolts on either side securing the whole thing to the pontoons? It seems to me I shouldn't be removing the Phillips screws along the top...
I've also looked at the parts manual but I can't picture it.. :what_the:

[DMCMW Dave]

-Remove the two bolts on each side and the 5(?) across the bottom.

-Unplug the wiring harness from the bulkhead and fish it back out around the water bottle.

-Remove the side marker lights and disconnect the sockets from the lens

-Take out the tail lights. SOME cars have an extra undocumented bolt that goes between the fiberglass panel and the pontoon. Typically there is a nut on the other side that you reach through the hole for the air intake (R) and carbon can/antenna (L)

-As you remove the fascia guide the marker light wires out of the fenders.

[aludden]

-Remove the two bolts on each side and the 5(?) across the bottom.

-Unplug the wiring harness from the bulkhead and fish it back out around the water bottle.

-Remove the side marker lights and disconnect the sockets from the lens

-Take out the tail lights. SOME cars have an extra undocumented bolt that goes between the fiberglass panel and the pontoon. Typically there is a nut on the other side that you reach through the hole for the air intake (R) and carbon can/antenna (L)

-As you remove the fascia guide the marker light wires out of the fenders.

Wow, thank you! That's quite different from the manual.
Does it matter which set of the two side bolts on the L brackets I remove? ie do I leave the L bracket attached to the pontoons or to the fascia assembly?
I'll let you know how it goes!
Alex

[DMCMW Dave]

Wow, thank you! That's quite different from the manual.
Does it matter which set of the two side bolts on the L brackets I remove? ie do I leave the L bracket attached to the pontoons or to the fascia assembly?
I'll let you know how it goes!
Alex

The ones into the pontoons are easier (rivnuts instead of nuts).Otherwise it does not matter. I leave them attached to the fascia.

[jawn101]

2100 definitely had the undocumented bolts into the pontoons. To make life a little easier for myself, I epoxied the nuts for them to the inside of the pontoons when I had the fascia off the first time. The drivers side one isn't too hard to work with because of the charcoal canister access panel, but the passenger side is impossible to get access to once the fascia is back on. The only (access) hole is blocked by the impact absorber. It was worth the 5 minutes to glue those nuts in place, IMHO. YMMV.

[aludden]

2100 definitely had the undocumented bolts into the pontoons.

Well, 1968 does too! Except that the last person that took it apart gave up on putting the passenger side bolt. I just have the driver's side.

I took out the 7 bolts along the bottom, then I saw the 5 along the top of the same metal plate behind the muffler. Do I need to take those out as well/instead?

[DMCMW Dave]

No need unless you want to dress out or plate the part.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

[aludden]

Yeah!!! Got the fascia out, and the water pump bolt done!
Three down, two to go!

[opethmike]

Woohoo! Congrats! Keep going!

[jawn101]

Good news! Now, start the "while you're in there..." jobs :) There are oh so many things to do while that fascia is off. Now that you've seen what a PITA it is, let me tell you it's even crappier to get it back on, and you'll wish you'd done all those little jobs while it was off. My advice would be to send it out to get painted and keep working while it's at the shop :) I sure wish I had.

[aludden]

Good news! Now, start the "while you're in there..." jobs :) There are oh so many things to do while that fascia is off. Now that you've seen what a PITA it is, let me tell you it's even crappier to get it back on, and you'll wish you'd done all those little jobs while it was off. My advice would be to send it out to get painted and keep working while it's at the shop :) I sure wish I had.

Yeah, I know. I was really anxious to get it done so I can drive it, but at this point I should take my time. I noticed that the front fascia looks like it was re-painted, but the back one not, and they are different shades. I do like how the front looks, but since it's not running I can't drive it to a paint shop to get it matched... The front is lighter/grayer, whereas the back is orangier.

I also want to clean up the engine and bay as much as possible, and I need to replace the heat shield.

Thanks for the encouragement!
Alex

[opethmike]

Sounds like a perfect time to remove your valve covers, timing chain cover, and clean those and your intake and mixture control unit up and paint them :)

Here's a picture of mine after I did them. (Minus the timing cover)

[dvonk]

Super Nintendo! :biggrin:


also: looks good! :wink:

[aludden]

Sounds like a perfect time to remove your valve covers, timing chain cover, and clean those and your intake and mixture control unit up and paint them :)

Here's a picture of mine after I did them. (Minus the timing cover)

That looks great!

[opethmike]

That looks great!

Do it. You know you want to. :)

*peer pressure*

[aludden]

Hmmm... I have a set of new valve cover gaskets, but I am worried I might wind up with more broken bolts in the process of removing them... :eek7:

[opethmike]

I've never heard of valve cover bolts breaking. Just water pump and intake bolts. Besides, you're quite good at dealing with broken bolts at this point, right? :)

[aludden]

I've never heard of valve cover bolts breaking. Just water pump and intake bolts. Besides, you're quite good at dealing with broken bolts at this point, right? :)

You're evil ... :deviltail:

:wrenchin:

[Ron]

Besides, you're quite good at dealing with broken bolts at this point, right? :)I second the motion!

[aludden]

Hmmm... I'm not totally sold on painting... I was going to wire-brush it with the dremel and see how it came out.
What paint did you use? High-temp aluminum? Or the stainless steel paint that Hervey sells?

[Delorean Industries]

Yeah, I know. I was really anxious to get it done so I can drive it, but at this point I should take my time. I noticed that the front fascia looks like it was re-painted, but the back one not, and they are different shades. I do like how the front looks, but since it's not running I can't drive it to a paint shop to get it matched... The front is lighter/grayer, whereas the back is orangier.

I also want to clean up the engine and bay as much as possible, and I need to replace the heat shield.

Thanks for the encouragement!
Alex

If you need the aft exhaust shield we will have our stainless version on sale for black friday this week for a steal.

[opethmike]

Hmmm... I'm not totally sold on painting... I was going to wire-brush it with the dremel and see how it came out.
What paint did you use? High-temp aluminum? Or the stainless steel paint that Hervey sells?

Wire-brushing with the dremel is part of the painting process. Here's how I did each piece:

Washed part with car soap
Dried off
Wire brushed with dremel
Cleaned off with degreaser until white paper towel wasn't picking up any more dirt

Then, I applied a single coat of primer, then two coats of aluminum paint, then two layers of clear coat. I used the high temperature engine paints that you can get at any auto parts store. You could stop at the wire brushing stage I suppose, but it won't look quite 'right', and won't stay as clean looking nearly as long.

[aludden]

If you need the aft exhaust shield we will have our stainless version on sale for black friday this week for a steal.

Will that be only on Friday? Will you also have the bumper letters on sale?
Do we just go to your website?

[aludden]

Wire-brushing with the dremel is part of the painting process. Here's how I did each piece:
[...]


Thanks for the info! I will work on cleaning, and see how it goes. I need to do that anyway... plus a bunch of other stuff.

[aludden]

All five bolts are done!!! :yesss:

[Ron]

:cheers1:

[opethmike]

All five bolts are done!!! :yesss:

High five!

[jmettee]

Alex, patience is key, especially being winter now, you have more time to take your time & make things right as opposed to hurrying & taking short cuts.

Here is my car my first winter. This started as a water pump & VOD cleaning, but when I broke off an intake bolt & water pump bolt, I decided the rear fascia had to come off, & then the front one too since I had been planning to get them re-painted. (Although I wanted to get them painted later in the winter!)

So this is what my mess looked like at that time. Not shown: I also decided to drop the fuel tank as well, so it was a true mess.

70167017

But the reward is the final result & driving around in a reliable DMC!
7015

[Ron]

^^^
Wayback Burgers 8)

[aludden]

Alex, patience is key, especially being winter now, you have more time to take your time & make things right as opposed to hurrying & taking short cuts.
[...]


Cool! Your car looks great!
I do want to get the fascia re-painted. Does it take something special, or is it something a paint shop would have?

[Ron]

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?349-Paint-Codes

[jmettee]

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?349-Paint-Codes

What he said :) Only choice you have to make is if you want it glossy or satin/matte? Mine are satin/matte because that was my preference.

I forget the production history, but I believe early cars were satin/matte & later cars (the majority) were glossy. Someone will correct me if I have it backward, but it comes down to preference. I just like the matte since it better match the gloss-less brushed SS.

[aludden]

Thank you both!

From what I can see, the back fascia must have the original matte darker color.
The front fascia must have been re-painted as it is grayer and shinier. Since that one looks OK, I guess that is what I need to match. The other thread mentions matching the paint with the camera, but since my car isn't moving right now I can't take it to have the front fascia checked.

Thanks!
Alex

[Ron]

I forget the production history, but I believe early cars were satin/matte & later cars (the majority) were glossy. Someone will correct me if I have it backward, but it comes down to preference.
"glossy finish up to VIN 03599, matte finish from VIN 03600" (Millennium Concours Handbook)

[aludden]

"glossy finish up to VIN 03599, matte finish from VIN 03600" (Millennium Concours Handbook)

Then I have the original glossy finish ... faded to matte :-)

[sdg3205]

I know that the issue in this thread is a bolt that has already broken. However, if we want to learn from this, here are a few tidbits to keep in mind "for the next time".

- Consider getting a small air powered or electric impact wrench or driver. These hit the bolt with hundreds of low energy hits rather than a larger gross torque that will likely snap the bolt or stud. Use the tool every time you do engine work, or anywhere else that corroded bolts are a possibility.


I never even considered a impact wrench, probably because I figured they were too powerful on their own.

After some research I came across this (http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/Tools/PowerToolAccessories/DrillBitsSetsAccessories/PRD~0543852P/Mastercraft+Impact+Wrench%2BDriver+Adaptor.jsp?loc ale=en). It's an adapter that fits on your cordless drill, as long as it's at least 14.4v. It's also got a sensitivity adjuster on it.

Since we've dug in to 2991's (another BC owner) VOD this has already proven it's worth the $25, getting out intake bolts that would have snapped otherwise (yeah, I tried one without the impact wrench yesterday).

I wouldn't trust it for wheel lug nuts, but it's cheap and effective for your average seized bolts.

[aludden]

I never even considered a impact wrench, probably because I figured they were too powerful on their own.

After some research I came across this (http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/Tools/PowerToolAccessories/DrillBitsSetsAccessories/PRD~0543852P/Mastercraft+Impact+Wrench%2BDriver+Adaptor.jsp?loc ale=en). It's an adapter that fits on your cordless drill, as long as it's at least 14.4v. It's also got a sensitivity adjuster on it.
[...]


Am I missing something, or do they not sell online?
I did find it here, but for more money:
http://www.duluthtrading.com/85001.aspx?src=T10WFSHP1

Thanks!
Alex

[jawn101]

Am I missing something, or do they not sell online?
I did find it here, but for more money:
http://www.duluthtrading.com/85001.aspx?src=T10WFSHP1

Thanks!
Alex

I don't believe Canadian Tire sells to the US online. They are a Canadian only retailer - sort of like a Sears mixed with a Wal Mart and an Autozone or Harbor Freight. Cool store.

EDIT: speaking of Harbor Freight, if you have one nearby you could consider this. http://www.harborfreight.com/12-electric-impact-wrench-68099.html - no compressor needed, uses wire power rather than battery, and if you keep your eyes on the coupons they send in every magazine and newspaper, I don't think you'll spend more than $25 on it. I don't think their tools are great quality, but for occasional use I bet this would be fine. They also sell impact rated sockets (as in not chrome) for very cheap. Picked up a 32mm to do my angle drive just yesterday for a buck fifty.

[aludden]

speaking of Harbor Freight, if you have one nearby you could consider this. http://www.harborfreight.com/12-electric-impact-wrench-68099.html
[...]


Thanks! That looks like something I will want to get...

[aludden]

Question re. Anti-seize:
In this thread (or another) it was mentioned to use copper anti-seize. I see it online, but my local auto parts didn't have it. I got:
Permatex Anti-seize lubricant # 81343 (133A)

Should I order the copper one? Is it better?

Thanks!
alex