So I was switching out my stock shocks(2005 883) for some air shocks and stripped the crap out of the left bottom shock bolt! I want to kick the inventor of Torx bolts square in the nuts with a bionic leg!!! I'm gonna go at it again after work tomorrow and see what I can jimmy rig to get that sucker out.

 

If you aren't able to get it out, drill a hole in it and use this:

http://www.beta-tools.it/catalog/art...eta/__filters_

 

Thanks, I'm gonna try to slap some jb weld in it and hopefully I coax it out that way. If not I'll definitely be looking at one of those easy outs.

 

Be sure to have lots of bits, as the bolt is likely at least Grade 5 and maybe Grade 8. Fortunately you should have a good starting point. Drilling will be a bugger, so practice paitence.

 

One thing to remember about fasteners...there's a good chance they'll give you some grief coming out, especially if they've never been out before. A good trick to remember with fasteners is to give them a good whack with a hammer beforehand to compress anything that's binding inbetween the threads...

Here'a a trick...allen wrenches can sometimes be substituted for torx, so place a suitably sized allen wrench in the blown out hole...now use a centerpunch to strike around the bolt head to force the surrounding material back towards it's original shape "around" the allen wrench. Don't be a sissy about it, whack it into shape real good. 'Looks like hell when you're done but it works; you'll be replacing the original fastener anyway.

About drilling...drilling out the bolt is ok if you're real good at keeping the drill bit centered on the bolt, along with knowing how close you can come to the original female threads without ruining them. It's simply a matter of patience and observation.

I've had lots of success with welding another bolt right onto the head of the offending bolt. This works for a couple of reasons...the heat generated from welding goes into the threads and expands them, compressing whatever is inbetween them...then when the fastener cools down, it shrinks, leaving ample space between the male and female threads making it easier to remove. The heat will of course be beneficial also when encountering thread lock compounds.

=8^)

 

Those are pretty big bolts for J-B Weld, but if you're going to try it, be sure and let it cure overnight.

That trick does work well on smaller bolts though like the derby cover screws.

 

You should be able to clamp a vice grip on that bolt. I did that just to hold the bolt in place while i took the nut off the back of the bolt.

 

Thanks guys, I'm gonna try all these and work my way up, start with the vise grips and work my way to the easy out if need be. Appreciate all the advice. That's why I visit this site!!

 

I doubt I'd try the drilling/easy out method. I'd just grind off the head of the bolt, slide the shock off, and then take the vise grips to the remainder of the bolt sticking out.

 

That actually sounds like a pretty good idea, it would give more space for the vise to hold.