Finally got around to getting the pressure plate bolts off, or at least attempting to. 2 of them had their heads strip. I've never had to drill out a bolt before, so I don't know what I need or how to do it.

At least I have my uncle's gigantic heater, so it's a nice 90 degrees in there

 

Good luck dude- i'm throwing caution to the wind on a LONG road trip. I'll miss your rebuild info..

 

I do this quite often. There are a couple of ways to get it done and both envolve WD 40, or equivalent weasle ****.
1. DO NOT USE CHEAP TOOLS
2. A left hand drill bit is a good start, it may get it out by itself. It will create heat and loosen the stripped bolt.
2. Use a quality easy out,peferrably Snap on. DO NOT USE THE SPIRAL CHEAP KIND.Fluted will work ,but the Snap On is the best one I could find.
3. Take your time ,you do not want to keep enlarging the hole to get it out and keep the drill bit centered.
4. After your done use a blind hole tap to clean the threads up.
The only thing worse than a stripped bolt is a botched extraction job!
Hope this helps.

Tim

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Originally posted by tdatk944+S4:
<strong>Hope this helps.
</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Kinda, but I'm still not quite clear on what I need or what I need to do. What's an "easy out"? Is a left-hand drill bit just one that is threaded in the reverse direction?

Thanks.

 

Here is a easy out pix with a cheap spiral on the left and a quality one on the right. And yes a left hand drill bit is one that is spiraled in reverse of normal. It will dig into the bolt with your drill in reverse and rotate it out as it diggs in . Hopefully. And if it dosen't, use the hole you just drilled to insert the easy out . Give it a good tap with a hammer to seat it and use a "T" handle or a adjustable wrench to turn it counter-clockwise to remove the perp bolt.
HTH
Tim
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/easyoutsm.JPG" alt=" - " />

 

I stripped at least 5 of these very same bolts last month. Luckily I had easy-outs (craftsman from sears) and I got them all out easily. Mine were like the "cheap" one on the left of the pic and they worked great. I dont think you will have a problem if you take your time doing it.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva"> I stripped at least 5 of these very same bolts last month. Luckily I had easy-outs (craftsman from sears) and I got them all out easily. Mine were like the "cheap" one on the left of the pic and they worked great. I dont think you will have a problem if you take your time doing it.
</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Just trying to help the man out.
Tim
<img border="0" alt="[thumbsup]" title="" src="graemlins/bigok.gif" />

 

Of course, any/ all help is appreciated. If it weren't for the board, I'd be without a 944 right now.

Luckily, I work in a mall right next to a Sears, so I'll just pick up the drill bit/ easy outs tommorow before work. Probably give it another shot Wednesday, and hopefully get at least the new clutch in by then. Wish me luck

 

Also, where can I find replacements for these bolts? Are they the same as the flywheel bolts? (they look very similar)

 

instead of just tapping it and using a t-handle, lock the square end in a vice-grip. this does 2 things: you can keep tapping it while you turn it loose. the shock of repeated tapping helps knock the bolt loose...

 

I didnt mean to sound angry there I just wanted to make sure people knew that that kind of easy out works as well. Anyway pressure plate bolts are NOT the same as flywheel bolts. The flywheel bolts are more expensive and I made the mistake of ordering them.

HTH