Dreaded Water Pump Bolts

[56f100bbw]

Mars chariot yep a buck plus I gave him a 3 dollar bill Clinton.With 78,000 miles on it sat for 20 years at a mini storage locked in Huntington Beach Ca several friends wanted to double my money only done Mechanical work engine trans transfer case brakes New ac Nice original interior paint still the same need to paint the hood

 

[akforsyth]

That’s how I got my last bronco 10 years ago the Original owner shop class teacher in Huntington Beach and he broke a bolt off in the water pump parked it never did anything with it and gave it to me in 2006 for a buck so I like broken bolts sometimes . Same paint just changed the wheels he also a long time friend

Clearly a friend for life.... or a scorned ex wife!

 

[73azbronco]

Every time I've tried the impact, I've sheared the bolt. And I'm talking mini dewalt 3/8s impact

 

[MarsChariot]

Well, I ended up just using standard drills and going slow and gradually increasing the bit size, I got it cleaned out enough to go in with a tap and clean the threads. Now I can screw the bolt in by hand and back out. What a project delay process. It is all about patience and going slow. But it is all good on that problem. Now on to finding the proper bolts to replace the originals.

 

[Rustytruck]

When you put the bolts back in smear a thin coat of silicone on the whole shank of the bolts so they don't corrode and stick in the cover. I've broken several bolts inside the timing cover. and once I get the cover I usually can vice grip whats left and unscrew them.

 

[tirewater]

The best investment I've made with my Bronco was a Craftsman Thread Restorer kit for about $60. I already had tap and die sets, yet the thread chasers are *much* better tools for the job.

Before putting the water pump back on, you may be doing yourself a favor to fix up the threads that were distorted in the block when forcing the crusty bolt through them.

https://www.craftsman.com/products/craftsman-40-pc-tap-and-die-set-master-rethreader