Country-Boy “Extractor King” Busts Out Broken Bolts
Drilling With Accuracy Works 100% of The Time…
Chas Grimpe started out wrenching more than 20 years ago as a self-described “country-boy, backyard mechanic.” Now, thanks to years of experience turning tough broken bolt repairs into quick fixes, his fellow technicians at ABC Transit in Cheswick, Pennsylvania refer to him as “The Extractor King.”
“I’m really good at looking at a fractured fastener and figuring out how long it’ll take me to get it out and make the repair,” Grimpe said. “And, thanks to the right tool kits and my time-tested techniques, I’ve never been beaten by a broken bolt.”
Of course, when the busted bolt does not have a broken extractor in it Grimpe saves time by using a ProMAXX Tool ProKit, Premium Platinum Drill Bit Tooling and Multi-Spline Screw Extractor. However, he is prepared for a worst-case-scenario.
RESCUING A BOTCHED BROKEN BOLT JOB
Grimpe explained how he rescued a botched exhaust manifold repair job on a salt truck/snowplow for a local school district during the worst part of a Northern winter.
The district only has two trucks and there were school bus parking lots that needed plowed and salted to clear the ice and slush.
Grimpe’s work began after his boss outsourced the job to another shop to fix a 2011 Ford F-550 Triton engine with every exhaust manifold bolt broken except one.
“The first guy tried to drill all the bolts out free hand,” Grimpe said. “Since he didn’t use a guide jig, he went through the studs and into the cylinder head. What a disaster!”
Grimpe took the job over using the ProMAXX Tool Exhaust Manifold Repair Kit for Ford 4.6L/5.4L V8 and 6.8L V10 engines. The kit includes a low-profile, machine-grade jig. Its precision design delivers 100 percent, dead-center drilling accuracy.
Because there was one unbroken bolt that came out cleanly, it allowed the ProMAXX ProPlate to precisely fasten to the cylinder head. Moving one by one to each bolt hole, he drilled out the remnants of each wrecked stud. Then, he used the ProMAXX Tool Thread Repair Kit to complete the job and return the threads to factory new specifications.
PROMAXX TOOL KIT SAVES 15 HOURS
According to Grimpe, it only took him an hour and a half to drill out and repair every one of the broken bolts. “Without the ProMAXX Tool kit, it would have taken me at least a couple of days. It probably saved 15 hours of work or more.”
Grimpe’s technique to remove a bolt with a broken extractor, tap or bit begins by using a ProMill Bit to flatten the busted, jagged tip of the stud in preparation for drilling. Next, he uses a Premium Platinum Bit to easily drill out the reminder of the stud.
His go-to tooling for broken bolt and extractor removal is ProMAXX Tool’s Platinum Drill Bit Broken Screw Extractor Removal Kit.
The master version of the kit includes 1/8-inch and 3/16-inch Platinum End Mills to prepare the end of the broken stud for removal and 1/8-inch and 3/16-inch Platinum Drill Bits to punch through the busted extractor remnants.
The last stage of the repair requires the Cylinder Head Thread Repair Kit, which includes a bushing, a bit, a tap and four 8-millimeter black oxide coated inserts. It also comes with a handy tool that allows techs to screw in the inserts without dropping them into the engine.
DRILLING ALWAYS WORKS
“Sometimes, other technicians kid me about using a kit to drill out broken studs,” Grimpe said. “Sure, you could try using a MIG welder on some jobs But, if you mess up and it doesn’t work, you’ve just made your job a lot harder. I know from experience that the kit always works.There is no guesswork, I’ll get it done right every single time.”
The real secret sauce behind the success of ProMAXX Tool’s broken bolt removal kits is its Gold and Platinum Premium, Machine-Shop Grade Drill Bits.
These tooling bits are ground at 135° cutting angle (lip) with a split point. The line of platinum tooling can be used for extremely hard materials including broken extractors and taps. They are micro-point and double fluted. (140-degree point, 30-degree helix/-.0015”+.0000”).
“I beat the crap out of my bits and they still cut through bolts like butter,” Grimpe said. “I’ve been using the same ProMAXX Tool bit for three years and it’s still so sharp I could shave with it.”
In addition to the F-550 kit, the country-boy technician also owns a kit designed for the EcoBoost 3.5L. This kit comes in handy since his shop services several F-150s. ProMAXX Tool makes a wide variety of exhaust manifold repair kits for Ford, GM, CDJR, Diesel and even Class 8 engines.
“Even a novice, if they are patient and follow the directions, can use these kits to save time and get the job done,” Grimpe said. Long live the Extractor King!