MOPED ARMY

Ree,

You need a set of allen wrenches designed to fit a 3/8 drive ratchet and if necessary, an adaptor to an impact wrench. Failing that, cut a straight length off the allen wrench, set it in the bolt head and whack it. If you can, use a long enough wrench to clamp vise grips on it and apply sone counter clockwise pressure as you hit it. Then try to unscrew it again. All of the hold of a bolt, if not corroded, is the binding of the head to the surface by the pulling of the thread. Whacking it with an impact wrench or as described, shortens the distance between the head face and the threads. This will almost allways loosen it.

Happy hammering,

Ron

What's a maul?

Main Entry: maul

Pronunciation: 'mol

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English malle mace, maul, from Old French mail, from Latin malleus; akin to Old Church Slavonic mlatu hammer, Latin molere to grind -- more at MEAL

Date: 13th century

: a heavy often wooden-headed hammer used especially for driving wedges; also : a tool like a sledgehammer with one wedge-shaped end that is used to split wood

In short, a hammer with an oversize square head I happen to use for busting concrete...and on occasion, bones...

-R

Ree:

Having the correct hex key is the secret. Also if they are rusted in place, they will be a problem as any threaded fastener will be.

I use a product called "Rust Buster" that I found at an appliance parts store that works better than W4 Diddly or Liquid Wrench in loosening stuck bolts.

PS: Their proper name is Hexagonal Socket Head Cap Screws

Jim

I have gone through the same type of frustration. I will generally not resort to a using a maul (mol) but did pull out a ball pin hammer to help insert the wrong size hexagonal cup screw pin crappy thing without much luck. Drill, correct bit, retap the hole, bought some new bolts from Lowes that will take a regular wrench or socket (No phillips head or flat head to get buggered up and ugly). No new problems,

Hex bolts and hex wrenches can be a big pain in the rear. Drilling the old bolt out can be one of the worst ways to correct the situation especially if the surrounded by a softer metal. try the liquid wrench stuff first, maybe a little heat (not good for paint). The sugestion of tapping on it is good for any stuck bolt.

Jamie

Don,

Obviously you have not been exposed to the English Whitworth/BSF system!

You would beg for metric. : )

Ron

Don,

Many moons ago, I could have quoted chapter and verse on Whitworth and BSF hardware.

The short version is that Whitworth was the name of the English standard course thread. British Standard Fine (BSF) was the fine thread. During WW1 or 2, I forget which, BSF was standardized to US fine threads for compatability of war machinery, the only difference was the radius of the thread tip, otherwise they were interchangable.

The interesting feature was that wrenches were labeled according to the thread diameter and pitch. As an example, the same wrench would be labeled 1/4 Whitworth and 5/16 BSF, it would look like a 1/2 inch wrench because that was the size of the nut that fitted these two bolt sizes. Of course, it was not a 1/2 inch. it was some bastard size that Mr. Whitworth had figured out was the correct amount of metal to wrap around that size bolt with that thread. To the best of my recollection, there were no standard wrenches (labeled in England as AF meaning the distance Accross the Flats) which would fit Whitworth and BSF nuts.

Then there was the BA or British Association series which were used mostly for electrical equipment and was similar to the US numbered small bolt standard. Of course this did not have standard size nuts either, you had to use BA wrenches.

And you wonder why the empire collapsed. : )

For future reference, what you call the English system is actually American. England never had anything this rational.

Ron

Ron.I've always heard the English system as our American system,but perhaps I'm wrong.And you were right again.I WOULD HAVE begged to get the metric over bsf.(:>)

If you spend any time wrenching on 'peds, you MUST have one of those impact drivers you whack with a hammer.

With Liquid Wrench or my friend Rust Buster and the biggest hammer you can get, you can loosen most any screw.

And the biggest hammer part is no joke. I've seen people tapping an impact driver like they're driving a nail. The secret is to get the biggest hammer you can and give it a good whack while holding the driver in tension in the "unscrew" direction, depending on if it's a right hand or left hand thread.

Surprisingly, you can do more damage with too small hammer than too big.

Jim