[Shotimes] Help...I have a stuck damper bolt...

[George Fourchy]

Hey all..

I'm trying to do a front end 60K on one of the cars I had and sold to a friend back
in the day.  It had an engine swap prior to me getting it.  I'm down to the damper
bolt....it will not come off (ratchet method) even with two batteries connected in
parallel for extra amperage for the starter.  Looking at the bolt, its head is
distorted a bit toward tightening....that is, it is a bit twisted, like a LOT of
torque went onto it when it was last installed.  The 6-point socket goes on OK.  The
engine has been in the car at least since 2000, and I'm supposing it has not been
apart since its installation, perhaps not even then.

I have a die grinder that can grind the bolt head and washer off so that I can get
the damper off, but how much chance is there that the bolt threads are bound into
the crank enough that I might not be able to get it out?  I'd hate to be stuck with
the car with a bad crank and not be able to get it back to its owner....I don't feel
like working on these things much any more.  (It took me three partial days to do a
strut/spring swap on another car, when 6 years ago the same job took 6 hours.)

If I DID get the bolt out after grinding the head off, how hard would it be to find
another one...I have no idea where my parts are in the storage shed any more.  I
suppose the bolt is obsolete, yes?  Is it replaceable with another high quality bolt
and washer from a parts store?

I have the starter out.....but I'm afraid to jam anything into the flywheel....the
angle of attack isn't what I was thinking it would be, and a 2x4 shaped to fit
probably wouldn't hold even with another person holding it in place, and I don't
want to put a bunch of wood debris up into the bell housing.

It has a leaking water pump, which I have to change (and be done today, by the
way)....the CPS, belt and seal would be nice to swap, but are not mandatory.  I
though of sacrificing the center portion of the plastic timing cover, so I could at
least get to the waterpump, but the CPS cable goes in front of it....I'd just LOVE
to damage that while breaking away the plastic parts.

George