Axel pin retaining bolt stuck!

[jakester888]

I bought the 5-lug conversion kit from Forte's front and back. Now, I'm trying to take out the old 4-lug axles. I know how to do this:

1) Retaining Bolt
2) Pin
3) C-Clips

But... the damn retaining bolt is stuck - the 8mm bolt head is stripped. I can't get her loose at all. Tried dremmeling one side to create an edge... doesn't help... can't get a dremmel bit on the other side.

Thinking about:
1) Propane heat + vise grips
2) Dremmel the top and make a groove for a flat-head screw driver.
3) Buy a welder and tack a piece of metal on the end for leverage.

Anyone got any better ideas?

See the red circle.

79797980

[Itzdapig]

I would try heat, I know you dont want to break it off either,I had to pull the whole thing out and my brother welded another bolt to it, evidently the lock tite thats on it from the factory is pretty tough and the tip of that bolt isnt very big so be careful.

[jakester888]

Wasted Saturday on this. Damn.

[turbonut48]

Heat will definitely soften the Loctite. There are different strengths of Loctite.
Use the removeable type.

Just a dab will do ya.

The Nut

[acmikee]

if its stripped then you will need to drill it out and use an easyout to remove it. its commen enough that they sell a kit for it. i think its a 1/8 drill bit but don't renember.

[CraigS]

Heat it and let it cool.Heat it again and let it cool.Heat helps loosen the loctite. Heat will also help even w/o loctite.As you heat it expands a little.When it cools it contracts. This movement will often be all you need to grab it w/ vise grips. Go easy though. On mine I tried a little too hard and the bolt portion came out but the extended pin stayed in there. I ended up driving out the big pin and shearing off the little pin.Fortunately the hole for the little pin is extra deep so I made up a longer pin and installed it w/ the remaining bolt portion. Good luck

[F5RSN8K]

X2 on heat. Works for me every time.

[Bullet306]

x3 on heat. This happened to me once so I tack welded a small nut on top of the stripped head of the original bolt. Came out very easy after that, so I suspect the heat from the weld did the job here.

[CraigS]

I did the tackweld thing getting a steel bolt out of an aluminum housing on an outboard motor. I just had a stick welder so it was chancy. But I just kept doing short 2 second tacks. Built up a chunk of weld and it was so loose by then that I just grabbed the chunk w/ pliers and twisted it out.