34 replies to this topic

[wile e coyote]

Got mine out with an irwin socket..... doddle.....

 

Agree easi outs are horrendous things but I've an ancient set of some never heard of w german brand - used very sparingly with extreme caution and lots of prior preparation with penetrating oil  over the years...... haven't broken one yet - used a "recent" draper set at a friends place and the inevitable happened fairly swiftly - I think it's largely down to the quality of the tools being used.....

[fenghuang]

Thanks for all the info. All very useful.
(FTR I sold my spark eroder when I stopped knocking out engines for Pratt & Whitney and Replaced it with a soldering iron from Tandy. And I suspect that will be just a little too powerful to use safely in the confines of a Mini.)

[sledgehammer]

I now feel inadequate - never owner a spark eroder - 

 

& couldn't afford a tandy soldering iron

 

my soldering iron hasn't even got a label - total poverty spec eBay edition   

[neal]

I now feel inadequate - never owner a spark eroder - 

 

& couldn't afford a tandy soldering iron

 

my soldering iron hasn't even got a label - total poverty spec eBay edition   

Yeah, I'm in the same boat as you, would you be prepared to go halves on an eroder?

[tiger99]

Before you guys get carried away, please do some googling and see if you can actually get the machine to the bolt. I think that may be difficult!

I mentioned spark erosion because it is just about the only thing short of dynamite that is going to reliably shift a broken Eezi-out, or a broken tap. (That was to make a point about the usually severe consequences of breaking one! I just don't want to see members of this forum with horrid problems like broken Eezi-outs.) However you would probably have to get the column off the car by removing the other end of the bracket. Possibly better to hacksaw it and get new parts. You need to fix the business end of the machine in place, so it can automatically feed into the item to be eroded, and supply a continuous flow of water, which is a major snag. And the cost? No idea but not cheap.

Where the item in which the stud or bolt is stuck is of high value, such as an engine block, spark erosion is the most economic way forward.

Try www.eurospark.co.uk/products/broken-tap-remover.aspx to see what may be involved.

And yes, I would like one too, but it would maybe be used only once a year. Not economic.

If one of you does find a cheap one that is portable and works at all angles, please do let us all know. It could be viable for a largish club to buy one for its members to use.

[sledgehammer]

 

a good one -

 

Edited by sledgehammer, 04 December 2016 - 05:12 PM.

[Daviewonder]

What was the reason for them using a sheer-head bolt?

[sledgehammer]

What was the reason for them using a sheer-head bolt?

 

It was supposed to be a security feature

 

but most I have seen still have the heads on

 

& anyone stealing a mini , knew how easy it was to shear the internal locking lug anyway - as they do in the movies

 

but in their defence - when the lug was sheared , the lock could still come back on & jam the steering randomly

 

nova's that were stolen in the 90's ( hazard switch trick to get ignition) 
 

would randomly jam their steering , usually on a round about

 

I used to have to pick them up sometimes , to get them back to the workshop

[neal]

 

a good one -

 

 

 

Nice one Sledgehammer!

 

As Tiger99 mentioned it needs to be portable and work at different angles though, bet it's not cheap??

Edited by neal, 04 December 2016 - 05:59 PM.

[sledgehammer]

the bottom one is less than $20

 

I doubt it is the same - but apparently does the job

[tiger99]

Good find! That is far cheaper than I
would have imagined to be possible.

Edited by tiger99, 04 December 2016 - 07:11 PM.

[sledgehammer]

I doubt it works anything like the real thing

 

but would be fun trying it out

[tiger99]

Fair point, it obviously is nowhere near as good as the real thing! But who cares, for a very occasional job?

 

It may inspire someone to make a better, but still cost-effective version.

[nicklouse]

How the hell did we get onto easy outs and spark erosion for a shear hedged bolt.

Talk about going OT and potentially putting the ******* up the OP who might now thing it is a difficult job.

[neal]

How the hell did we get onto easy outs and spark erosion for a shear hedged bolt.

Talk about going OT and potentially putting the ******* up the OP who might now thing it is a difficult job.

Don't worry Nicklouse, I think the OP is fully aware which way to go with this and I doubt he will use an eroder ;)

Edited by neal, 04 December 2016 - 08:57 PM.