I have a schwinn Clairmoint, china girl stock, left bolt broke twice and back rear bolt once, now I can't get the bolts out there flush, stores that I can get to dont have any easy outs or any small cutting wheels or anything so would it be ok to weld the front bracket to the motor and still use the u clamp for the frame, and any way to weld the back, but I still want to be able to remove the engine from the frame if need be, any body do this before or any ideas? Ps dont have time to order parts its my only transportation 110 miles on engine and bike
welding?
- Thread starter aarcher30
- Start date
all you need is a few small drill bits a center punch a hammer a drill and a few torx bits.
remove the motor and put it on something soft yet supportive with the broken bolts facing up being careful not to damage the motor . using the center punch and hammer lightly tap a small dent on the broken bolt in the center of the bolt use that dent as a guide for the smallest sharpest drill bit you have drill a hole deep enough to allow good penetration but don't go all the way through the broken bolt keep drilling the hole a little bigger each time using the next size larger bit until you get to a size hole that is just a little smaller than a torx bit that has some girth to it so the bit will not break for example if the bolt is a 3/8 inch bolt you could use a t20 or possibly a t25 torx bit and hammer the bit into the hole just like a eazy out.
just make sure the bolt has cooled off from the drilling so you don't alter the temper of the torx bit making it more fragil. if the torx bit is the type that you can use with a ratchet great just lightly tap on the ratchet head while your pushing down and turning the ratchet at the same time. ( when you turn the ratchet it is best to use light impacting type blows rather than a steady force full torque. as the impact action will likely break the stubborn bolt free while the steady pressure will either break the torx bit or cause the bit just to spin in the hole. I have done this many times with many types of broken bolts but I will admit I always has a good quality torx bit normally made by Snap on. just keep in mind try this with the smallest possible torx bit that you think stands a chance to work if you go too small you will just break the bit and cause yourself more problems normally if you have good quality torx bits they will work just as good if not better than an easy out to remove broken bolts. if you go small and the bit just twist in the broken bolt drill the hole one size larger and try one size larger torx bit just do not go so large that when you tap your torx bit in that it causes the broken bolt to expand in the hole. you may want to do this with a vise to hold the motor steady and to keep it from moving but if you don't have access to one or no safe way to clamp it down have someone help you holding the motor steady and to keep it from rotating if the bolts just broke off from not being strong enough or not being case hardened they should come out easily. if they broke off because they were over tightened and snapped off because of the stress and stretching of the bolt you may not get the bolt out unless you keep drilling the hole larger and larger until the internal threads of the motor are almost visible from the inside the hole then you will need to slowly tap the hole with the right size thread tap going in slightly then backing off and removing the tap cleaning the debris from the tap the hole and threads constantly as you don't want the metal shavings from the old bolt causing you to remove any of the threads from the motor if you take your time and most importantly get the dent from the center punch exactly in the middle of the broken bolt from the start you should have no problem getting the broken bolts out. also when you get them out use a better grade bolt when you reinstall the motor as it sounds like the wrong type of bolt was supplied in the kit or the original bolts vibrated out and the wrong ones were installed after.
each time you drill a hole from small to larger in small steps it will heat that bolt up some which may make it easier to remove however you have to have the bolt cool enough that it wont change the temper of the Torx bit.
if you have to get your welder involved it is surly only going to lead you into future service problems.
Take your time and if it starts to aggravate you walk away for a few minutes
as rushing something like this normally ends bad.
remove the motor and put it on something soft yet supportive with the broken bolts facing up being careful not to damage the motor . using the center punch and hammer lightly tap a small dent on the broken bolt in the center of the bolt use that dent as a guide for the smallest sharpest drill bit you have drill a hole deep enough to allow good penetration but don't go all the way through the broken bolt keep drilling the hole a little bigger each time using the next size larger bit until you get to a size hole that is just a little smaller than a torx bit that has some girth to it so the bit will not break for example if the bolt is a 3/8 inch bolt you could use a t20 or possibly a t25 torx bit and hammer the bit into the hole just like a eazy out.
just make sure the bolt has cooled off from the drilling so you don't alter the temper of the torx bit making it more fragil. if the torx bit is the type that you can use with a ratchet great just lightly tap on the ratchet head while your pushing down and turning the ratchet at the same time. ( when you turn the ratchet it is best to use light impacting type blows rather than a steady force full torque. as the impact action will likely break the stubborn bolt free while the steady pressure will either break the torx bit or cause the bit just to spin in the hole. I have done this many times with many types of broken bolts but I will admit I always has a good quality torx bit normally made by Snap on. just keep in mind try this with the smallest possible torx bit that you think stands a chance to work if you go too small you will just break the bit and cause yourself more problems normally if you have good quality torx bits they will work just as good if not better than an easy out to remove broken bolts. if you go small and the bit just twist in the broken bolt drill the hole one size larger and try one size larger torx bit just do not go so large that when you tap your torx bit in that it causes the broken bolt to expand in the hole. you may want to do this with a vise to hold the motor steady and to keep it from moving but if you don't have access to one or no safe way to clamp it down have someone help you holding the motor steady and to keep it from rotating if the bolts just broke off from not being strong enough or not being case hardened they should come out easily. if they broke off because they were over tightened and snapped off because of the stress and stretching of the bolt you may not get the bolt out unless you keep drilling the hole larger and larger until the internal threads of the motor are almost visible from the inside the hole then you will need to slowly tap the hole with the right size thread tap going in slightly then backing off and removing the tap cleaning the debris from the tap the hole and threads constantly as you don't want the metal shavings from the old bolt causing you to remove any of the threads from the motor if you take your time and most importantly get the dent from the center punch exactly in the middle of the broken bolt from the start you should have no problem getting the broken bolts out. also when you get them out use a better grade bolt when you reinstall the motor as it sounds like the wrong type of bolt was supplied in the kit or the original bolts vibrated out and the wrong ones were installed after.
each time you drill a hole from small to larger in small steps it will heat that bolt up some which may make it easier to remove however you have to have the bolt cool enough that it wont change the temper of the Torx bit.
if you have to get your welder involved it is surly only going to lead you into future service problems.
Take your time and if it starts to aggravate you walk away for a few minutes
as rushing something like this normally ends bad.
stores that I can get to dont have any easy outs or any small cutting wheels or anything so would it be ok to weld the front bracket to the motor and still use the u clamp for the frame, and any way to weld the back, but I still want to be able to remove the engine from the frame if need be[/QUOTE]
I really want to weld to reduce bolts snapping in engine!!!! im the person that if the odds are 1 in 2000 im the one
I really want to weld to reduce bolts snapping in engine!!!! im the person that if the odds are 1 in 2000 im the one
case hardened bolts will not break on you like the one that have been giving you such a problem. sure you can weld on your motor but since it is most likely an cast aluminum motor or cast iron I don't think you will have the time or type of fabrication and welding equipment and experience needed to pull it off, your best off removing the broken bolts and doing the job right with the correct fasteners and lock washers and lock tight to prevent future problems.
I want my engine to sit highest as possible I need an extension or something I have a huge gap in the center frame my phone won't allow me to select pics to post imma try to send to my email and use the computer since I'm at work
with the vibrations that your current setup produces adding more to the mix will only ad to the problem.
if you want a more custom look you can get a custom made Bike frame where the top bar is the gas tank which will give you less of a gap that your talking about. the custom made frame has motor mount tabs built into the frame all ready. the frame comes un painted so you could add or take away these tabs as needed to get your motor positioned where you want it.
I found the custom frames Via this site earlier this week if I had to I could find them again. the frame was nice looking and inexpensive for what you got.
but since I do not know what type of bike you have I am unsure if your parts would transfer over.
if you want a more custom look you can get a custom made Bike frame where the top bar is the gas tank which will give you less of a gap that your talking about. the custom made frame has motor mount tabs built into the frame all ready. the frame comes un painted so you could add or take away these tabs as needed to get your motor positioned where you want it.
I found the custom frames Via this site earlier this week if I had to I could find them again. the frame was nice looking and inexpensive for what you got.
but since I do not know what type of bike you have I am unsure if your parts would transfer over.
