How To: pull rotor bolts without swearing

Taking out counter sunk allen head rotor bolts out of oldish cast aluminum wheels sucks. Heating the hub area with an oxy acetylene torch works sometimes but I've all but abandoned that method. The point at which the bolts could break loose is usually right after my allen socket fails.

The non-swearing method is easy if you or someone you know has access to a tig welder and three 5/16" 18tpi coupling nuts.

1). clean off the heads of the rotor bolts.




2). grind away the zinc plating (if present) from the lower section of the coupling nuts.




3). Line up, tack, and weld.







4). Break the first bolt loose and do the same to the second bolt. After that's done, take the first coupling nut/bolt and flip it over to weld to the next bolt to be removed. This way, you'll only need to use three coupling nuts in total to remove the 5 bolts, saving your hard earned pennies for that skull air cleaner you've always wanted

huh. i never woulda thought. i just always used an allen wrench and a pipe.

An impact has worked for me. Wish i had a tig to do it that way. Sometimes requires heat also though.

Yeah cool how to
If the bolt head is fucked and a hand held impact don't work.


Galvanic corrosion can be eliminated on rotor bolts with anti seize paste.

Yeah, the hand impact driver wasn't working this time, not one of them was budging. It must be just my luck, I always get at least one that won't come out with the conventional methods.

AA+

After welding since I was 10 or 11 (now 56) you're a Professional. I personally love a Tig but as you know most everybody has a Mig today and most have never burnt a 6010 or 6011 rod and wouldn't touch a Tig.

Excellent work.

I often take a punch, and give the bolt a good solid wack! That usually cracks the loctite so you can remove the bolt...

I had 4 frozen allen bolts on one of my aluminum sporty wheels so I took the torch and heated the heads of the 4 frozen bolts til they were cherry red and then I let them cool off and they all came right out with a standard allen wrench.

Good tip though.