Cheapest place to get easy outs?

McDog

McDog

Other Administrator
Staff member
Location
South Florida
I broke a exhaust manifold bolt flush in my cylinder. :dunce:

I know I need to drill it and use an easy out, but don't have any. I used a black and decker set once and it just broke. I guess the quality of the steel is better on the bolt than those easy outs.

What do you guys use and where do I get it?
 
B

beer-pong

Location
illinois
i had the same problem and i called a few local shops and asked to borrow one it was free and they usually have high quality tools! Give it a try the worst they can say is no and you cant beat FREE!!
 
dbrutherford

dbrutherford

Parts Whore
Location
Fairmont, WV
I would take the cylinder off and have a machine shop mill out the bolt and instal a timesert. 9 times out of 10 I have broke off easy outs. That is a lot worse than the broken off bolt...
 
Waternut

Waternut

Customizing addict
Location
Macon, GA
I've used 3 of the square Craftsman screw extractors from Sears... Snapped two of those f*#ckers right off and the third one just hollowed the center of the bolt out. One of the few tools I don't own is a drill press but if you know someone that does...call in a favor. My roomate in college used the reverse threaded ones on his jeeps shock mount...spent the rest of the night drilling out the hardened steel with a drill bit that cost about 4 times what the extractor cost.
 
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Waternut

Waternut

Customizing addict
Location
Macon, GA
I wish I knew of a good machine shop around us to recommend but I really don't. There is a machine shop in warner robins but I don't know what kind of reputation they have. I wouldn't think it'd cost more than $10-$15 to have a shop drill it out and that's probably only $5-$10 more than it costs to buy an easy out.

The problem I've always run into was...the bolt doesn't break because it was weak. The bolt always breaks because it's siezed in the hole. The big problem with easy outs is in order to grab the screw, they have to push outwards on the remaining material...This makes the situation even worse.

If the bolt head was sheared off but still free spinning, easy outs will work great.
 
dbrutherford

dbrutherford

Parts Whore
Location
Fairmont, WV
jfw432 said:
I wish I knew of a good machine shop around us to recommend but I really don't. There is a machine shop in warner robins but I don't know what kind of reputation they have. I wouldn't think it'd cost more than $10-$15 to have a shop drill it out and that's probably only $5-$10 more than it costs to buy an easy out.

The problem I've always run into was...the bolt doesn't break because it was weak. The bolt always breaks because it's siezed in the hole. The big problem with easy outs is in order to grab the screw, they have to push outwards on the remaining material...This makes the situation even worse.

If the bolt head was sheared off but still free spinning, easy outs will work great.
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Yep, spot on. I hate easy outs! But I did over tighten a bolt a few times and broke the head off. They did work to get those bolts out.

Those Craftsman drill bits have worked good for me too.

But if something is seized, I never even attempt it.
 
OCD Solutions

OCD Solutions

Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
Location
Rentz, GA
I like the Snap-on stubby ones, at $45 a set they are pretty reasonably priced for what they can do for you.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...&group_ID=1262&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

I snapped off a manifold bolt on my seadoo and bought these to get it out. Been using them now for over 12 yrs and only broke one so far. Because they are short and fluted, when you break one off, just tap it in and it should unscrew itself and just fall out. Never had a problem getting this type out, but the long fluted ones or black square ones are a PITA.
 
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Scorn800

Scorn800

Ride for life
Location
North NJ
Boykid88 said:
I like the Snap-on stubby ones, at $45 a set they are pretty reasonably priced for what they can do for you.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...&group_ID=1262&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

I snapped off a manifold bolt on my seadoo and bought these to get it out. Been using them now for over 12 yrs and only broke one so far. Because they are short and fluted, when you break one off, just tap it in and it should unscrew itself and just fall out. Never had a problem getting this type out, but the long fluted ones or black square ones are a PITA.
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The best part is if you break a snap-on easy out they will replace it for free.
I have the large set at work & we broken a few and my snap-on guy has always replaced them for free.
 
Pro-pulsion

Pro-pulsion

Location
Ontario, Canada
Drilling and re-tapping the hole is really easy. I start out with a light center punching to pilot start a really small drill bit and go as deep as the length of another similar bolt. Gauge out the thread pitch on one of the other bolts, start with the small drill bit and keep going up in size until you're at the size recommended on a tap-drill chart for the bolt. Then start running a tap through, just don't be aggressive because the aluminum will pull out and you'll have to upsize the hole and bolt. If there's a broken easy out in there, that will be a touch and go job. I've used a very small drill bit and drilled 3 holes in a triangle around the easy out, then tried to work the easy out out of the hole. The missing material from the 3 holes sometimes helps to loosen the easy out. It's tricky work but not too hard to do.
 
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Pablo

Pablo

sqeez bth levrs & lean bk
Site Supporter
Location
georgia
Don't get the sets from northern tool. Those are the ones i snapped off last year. I'd go to a metal shop and just let them fix it right rather than speding money, trying to fix, it may break off again and then you still have to go the metal shop. Ounce of prevention...
 
QuickMick

QuickMick

API 1104 AWS CWI
Site Supporter
Location
Houston/Galveston
Quit jacking with the easy outs. Take it to a weld shop and have someone TIG weld a smaller bolt to your broken bolt. then soak the broken stud with WD and play with it. Thats the best way.
Its not hard I have removed many a bolt like this.
 
Cannibal

Cannibal

Tasty Human
Location
Summit Lake, WA
I, personally, like the kit that has reverse drill bits and easy-outs. I have one from Snap-On that works great. Many times the reverse drill bits will spin out the bolt, and if not, you've drilled the correct sized hole for the easy-out.

Just remember the 'easy' part of easy-out. If that sucker is bubba tight, don't force it. You'll be way better off oversizing it, or heli-coiling it than breaking off an easy-out.
 
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