the threaded rubber bump stops on the top of my rear TR6 trailing arms are
solidly frozen in place, and the steel bases both sheared off the bolts when
I tried to unscrew them (despite repeated applications of penetrating oil
over several days).
I have drilled out the bolts and made preliminary attempts to remove them
with EZ-outs, but it seems pretty clear that the EZ-outs will break before
what remains of the bolts decides to turn.
So ... my inclination is just to enlarge my drill holes with the appropriate
drill, and re-tap the holes. One of my holes is slightly off-center, so the
new tap on that side will be through both the remains of the steel bolt and
the aluminum casting, which is not ideal, but I don't see much alternative.
this is not an enormously high-stress situation. the load from the rubber
snubber compresses onto its steel base, which in turn transmits down to the
aluminum casting. the bolt itself doesn't carry much load; its purpose is to
hold the snubber in place.
comments? alternatives? should I use a threadlocker or JB weld? I have a
feeling that the DPO may have used some such, because I have NEVER
encountered bolts stuck quite this tight (and I take pride in having broken
off an extremely broad range of bolts, so I know the meaning of the word
stuck)
thanks.
Graham
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