I decided to change a leaky lower valve cover gasket while I had my mufflers off. Of course one socket head cap screw head got stripped. I don't know what grade they are but they are soft. I stopped at the nut and bolt store and got a few replacement screws and an easy out. I was looking for one of those hammer on stud extractors but they didn't know what I was talking about. I just tapped the easy out in with a hammer and put a long 7mm wrench on it and it broke loose. It was the best $6 I spent this month.

 

Matt, glad you had success with it. Those have saved my bacon a few times. They are also available with exteral teeth to grip over a rounded bolt head.

 

I set out to get the stud extractor which is a socket with internal teeth but they are harder to find. One of these days I'll break down and buy a set of each.

 

Well done!
Another trick that works with those soft head allan bolts is to drive in a Torx bit: it carves channels in the stripped hex head, and usually spins the bolt out.

 

I didn't think of that. For some odd reason I have 3 sets of those.

 

What is the name of the extractor to buy? And where to get it? I have a stripped
VC Bolt and am having a hell of a time trying to get it out. I bought a Screw Extractor but all it did was spin around inside the nut!

 

you can get them at any auto store. They work great until you come upon a bolt thats harder that it! (broke one off in my front wheel bearing carrier trying to get the speed sensor bolt out)


Garth, great idea, never thought of that one!

 

Hey Chris,
I suspect that the smack from the hammer to drive in the torx bit is at least as responsible in breaking the threads free as is the improved 'bite' to turn it: I generally give all allan heads a kiss with a hammer on the regular bit before stripping the head .... if nothing else, it makes me feel better

Anyway, when all else fails, one welds something on to the stripped bolt .... just for fun, see the attached pic - I know you are a master TIG welder: this was a miniscule allan bolt with a stripped head ... and the torx trick failed: my friend, who is a pro TIG welder, built up a bead & spotted on a slightly larger bolt to spin out the little guy.
The offending bolt is a M2.5x0.45 x 9mm .... and was the pinch bolt securing the fore/aft adjustment of the trigger shoe on my Hammerli 208S pistol: the caveat is that it was a concealed head, hidden in a well so that it was flush with the aluminium. He grounded on the aluminium shoe, and zapped it without me having to fully strip the pistol ..... most impressive control of a TIG, for there was no residual trace of the surgery - wish I could do that!

 

I even carry those in my tool box to the track (including the ones for hex bolts) they have saved some serious heart ache as well as track time...

Sears is a great polace to get these in Canada as well as the US.