P500 Skid Plate Install - Rivnuts or Self Tapping?

futzin

futzin

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Sep 10, 2019
4,173
30,980
113
Kentucky
Ownership

  1. 500

  2. 520
So I'm assuming you guys are suggesting melting the one broken bolt? If I was familiar with alternatives i wouldn't be asking. I take it y'all don't subscribe to the 'there are no stupid questions' mentality. 😑

Suggestions for the other boogered up mount?

TIA
 
Red500

Red500

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Supporting Member
Aug 20, 2018
6,052
65,564
113
Greeneville, Tn.
Ownership

  1. 500
On the one you where able to drill out id run a tap thru to see if you can't clean up the threads. I don't know about the other one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: trigger and futzin
futzin

futzin

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Sep 10, 2019
4,173
30,980
113
Kentucky
Ownership

  1. 500

  2. 520
On the one you where able to drill out id run a tap thru to see if you can't clean up the threads. I don't know about the other one.

Thanks. Never used a tap. Am I looking for one that says M6?

Yeah, I'm ignorant.
 
Red500

Red500

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Supporting Member
Aug 20, 2018
6,052
65,564
113
Greeneville, Tn.
Ownership

  1. 500
Thanks. Never used a tap. Am I looking for one that says M6?

Yeah, I'm ignorant.
M6 sounds about right, but I'm not sure. Take one of them to Lowe's Depot they should have a thing (can't think of what you'd call it) to check the size.
 
The Green Goat

The Green Goat

LGBTQ Compliance Officer -Lotta gays in this place
Lifetime Member
Supporting Member
Sep 7, 2020
2,194
16,238
113
Ohio
Ownership

  1. 520
I don't have my machine near me to look, but what do these 2 main center bolts screw into? Is it a factory thread or one you drilled in during the initial install?

My assumption is that if it was originally an M6, and then you drilled it out, you would have to go up in size to get it to work if you planned on rethreading it. Depending upon what is behind it, you might be better off just to use a plus-nut since you already have them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Red500
advertisement
Red500

Red500

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Supporting Member
Aug 20, 2018
6,052
65,564
113
Greeneville, Tn.
Ownership

  1. 500
I don't have my machine near me to look, but what do these 2 main center bolts screw into? Is it a factory thread or one you drilled in during the initial install?

My assumption is that if it was originally an M6, and then you drilled it out, you would have to go up in size to get it to work if you planned on rethreading it. Depending upon what is behind it, you might be better off just to use a plus-nut since you already have them.
I was thinking that you had been able to get the bolt remnants out. He is correct if you actually drilled the threads.
 
futzin

futzin

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Sep 10, 2019
4,173
30,980
113
Kentucky
Ownership

  1. 500

  2. 520
two of the factory mount bolts snapped.

the removed broken bolt: used progressively larger drill bits to drill it out. tried not to booger up the female threads, but I must have. tried to run in a fresh M6 bolt which only smoothed the beginning threads on the bolt. pretty sure no remaining bolt material in there.

the remaining stuck broken bolt: after the extractor bit snapped, I figured I could drill all that out with progressive size bits as well, but not having a 'bit' of luck.

Stuff like this that is second hand to others, but completely foreign to me, really frustrates me and makes me short tempered which I'm not that good at controlling. I do appreciate help.

[ don't understand how a welder, which I think joins metals together, would help. Also, does a ??-powered torch melt the bolt material, but not the framing or surrounding threaded mount material? Not being obtuse, I simply don't know ].

These are M6 bolts.

On the positive side, I have mounted 11 plus nuts without much fuss in the non-threaded locations.


Time for bourbon and basketball . . . thank you again for those with the time and inclination to help.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JenElio and Red500
NTCPrezJB

NTCPrezJB

Retiring Member
Lifetime Member
Supporting Member
Jan 30, 2018
108,830
959,917
113
Hidden
Ownership

  1. 1000-5
the removed broken bolt: used progressively larger drill bits to drill it out. tried not to booger up the female threads, but I must have. tried to run in a fresh M6 bolt which only smoothed the beginning threads on the bolt. pretty sure no remaining bolt material in there.

the remaining stuck broken bolt: after the extractor bit snapped, I figured I could drill all that out with progressive size bits as well, but not having a 'bit' of luck.

Stuff like this that is second hand to others, but completely foreign to me, really frustrates me and makes me short tempered which I'm not that good at controlling. I do appreciate help.

[ don't understand how a welder, which I think joins metals together, would help. Also, does a ??-powered torch melt the bolt material, but not the framing or surrounding threaded mount material? Not being obtuse, I simply don't know ].

These are M6 bolts.

On the positive side, I have mounted 11 plus nuts without much fuss in the non-threaded locations.


Time for bourbon and basketball . . . thank you again for those with the time and inclination to help.
Welder does melt metal together. The application here would be to weld a nut onto the broken bolt and then have the ability to back it out.

The torch…sort of a joke amongst mechanics. Yes it melts metal into liquid if you get absolutely crazy with it. If you merely apply heat you can use minor expansion of the metal to break a bolt loose.

Frustrations…that’s normal working on 💩 that isn’t cooperating. You’re more of a mechanic than you realize. A five minute job quickly turns into hours when that f***er Murphey shows up.
 
The Green Goat

The Green Goat

LGBTQ Compliance Officer -Lotta gays in this place
Lifetime Member
Supporting Member
Sep 7, 2020
2,194
16,238
113
Ohio
Ownership

  1. 520
the removed broken bolt: used progressively larger drill bits to drill it out. tried not to booger up the female threads, but I must have. tried to run in a fresh M6 bolt which only smoothed the beginning threads on the bolt. pretty sure no remaining bolt material in there.

the remaining stuck broken bolt: after the extractor bit snapped, I figured I could drill all that out with progressive size bits as well, but not having a 'bit' of luck.

Stuff like this that is second hand to others, but completely foreign to me, really frustrates me and makes me short tempered which I'm not that good at controlling. I do appreciate help.

[ don't understand how a welder, which I think joins metals together, would help. Also, does a ??-powered torch melt the bolt material, but not the framing or surrounding threaded mount material? Not being obtuse, I simply don't know ].

These are M6 bolts.

On the positive side, I have mounted 11 plus nuts without much fuss in the non-threaded locations.


Time for bourbon and basketball . . . thank you again for those with the time and inclination to help.
Ah, missed the factory bolt part. Sorry bout that.

So in regards to the first bolt, you probably have a few options:
1. Drill it out to a larger size and re-tap it; probably m8
2. Say F' it, and use a Plus-Nut
3. Depending upon how much material there is to work with, and if you are set on keeping it an M6, you could drill it out and re-tap as in Step 1, and then put a helicoil in it, but that's awfully involved for a project like this.

Regarding the 2nd broken bolt. Did you break off a hardened bolt extractor? Like one of the square, or left-twist deals? If so, you'll play hell trying to drill that out, since those are hardened. This is where the welder comes in handy. Essentially, you'd attempt to weld something onto the bolt itself so you can turn it with a wrench and extract it that way. The process of welding something onto it also has the benefit of heating the crap out of it and breaking any crud loose as well as causing the surrounding metal to expand, loosening it up. An oxy-acetylene torch might be helpful depending on what's around it and how surgical you could be with it. The basic concept is, heat up the bolt and cut it out of there if you can. You'll probably have some collateral damage though doing this.

Have some bourbon, enjoy some basketball, and snap us some pics if you get a minute.
 
advertisement

About us

  • Our community has been around for many years and pride ourselves on offering unbiased, critical discussion among people of all different backgrounds. We are working every day to make sure our community is one of the best.

User Menu

Buy us a beer!

  • Lots of time and money has gone into making sure the community is running the best software, best designs, and all the other bells and whistles. Care to buy us a beer? We'd really appreciate it!

    Beer Fund!

    Club Membership!