If that is the case you want to heat the flange only and then try and tap it out. You can’t get much shock torque when striking something like that because it is not solid enough, best to use a very small light hammer and medium sized punch.
Not having to preserve threads makes the job much easier.
Either drill the remains out, or heat the area (red hot if you can) and punch them out.
I’ve just been around cars forever.
used to love working on them until i did it professionally for years. i don’t do that anymore but i still work on my vehicles & the random friends car i get talked into doing.
now i work as a general contractor mostly doing skilled trade stuff on residential & light commercial properties with the occasional welding job & odd job customers ask of me in between.
my member name is what a former co-worker/ mechanic used to call me. it’s the mascot for clay smith racing cams name. he’s the woodpecker with a cigar in his mouth.
I remember that logo! Awesomeness. Every college in every state that has a red bird as it’s emblem should put a cigar in it’s mouth. Anyways, what’s your current ride?
I have a Bugatti Veyron that I bought used for $10,000 and have put a second 16 cylinder engine into, along with another four turbos. So now I have eight turbos, thirty two cylinders and 22 radiators. It’s pretty damn fast, actually.
Gas mileage remains an issue however.
so you’re the one who bought that one? i saw it listed on Craigslist too, i just didn’t call the kid that owned it quick enough.
An aside: Check the top of your converter flange. From pic #3, it appears to have been leaking, and perhaps has cut the taper out of the flange.
May be time for a new converter too.
People trying to get stuck bolts from marine diesel manifolds swear by PB Blaster. Might want to give it a try before working the extractor.
Good stuff, I spent my entire life working on diesel trucks where frozen bolts were a part of my everyday life. It works, sometimes you have to wait on it a bit and re apply.
Right.
I guess we really need to know, did you cut the bolt heads off with the sawzall? Or the end of a threaded bolt. 'cause it the bolt head is on the other side, an extractor is pointless.
Drilling may be your only option. And it sucks. Do you have a hi-speed dremel drill? That could be an option. A dremel drill would also help to put the pilot divit into the bolt to help center a regular drill. A very sharp punch can do this, but as that catalytic converter assembly is not rock solid, you may have a hard time with a hammer and punch to make any type of pilot ‘dent’ for a regular drill.
PB blaster is good, but take it from a machinist and mechanic with 45 years when I say do NOT USE EXTRACTORS OR “EASY OUTS”. Sorry for yelling, but I’ve had way to many experiences with sad sacks who broke them off in stuff and had to come to the machine shop and have us worry the broken stuff out of the hole. They are made of extremely hard steel, work in very limited situations, and cause more problems than they solve. Do as others have advised, carefully center the punch mark, drill small holes through, and follow with larger drills. Step up at least 1/16" in diameter as you go and use cutting oil, not lubricating oil, if you can. If you’re really lucky or good, you can drill the last part with the “tap drill” ( the size of drill intended for tapping the hole in the first place) and the old thread will peel out of the female threads. Good luck.
Thanks for all the expert advice.
Drilled both. Even when using lots of cutting oil I burned up four drill bits (and broke one). I then spent over an hour grinding out the holes using a Dremel. But finally… holes.
The next thing on the agenda is to warm up my fingers and toes so I can feel them again.
Well done.