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Stripped caliper bolts...suggestions?

4K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  Pelly182 
#1 ·
First time removing the wheels on this bike, took a sidewall puncture on the rear tire so new rubber it is. Both bolts on the front right caliper are rounded out. Left side came out with a good size breaker bar and way more muscle then I expected for caliper bolts, felt over torqued. I expected to have trouble with the rear swing arm nut, not these! Any suggestions? Really not keen on getting a rear fitted to ride to a shop and start seeing me wallet get lighter by the minute....
 
#4 ·
Thought about trying this or drilling the bolt head off. Both methods I would worry about damage to the caliper if I slipped/drilled too deep. Thinking about first trying a slightly larger torx (star?) bit tapped in and impact wrench it loose.
 
#7 ·
I've done this to remove stripped out disk rotor bolts that have a shallower head than the caliper bolts.

Here's how I would go about this. At the 12 O'clock, cut a vertical slot, with a dremmel down to the center of the bolt, cut this about 1/8" deep. Next from about the 2 o'clock position, cut a 45 degree section towards the previous slot and remove that piece of metal, or just grind the area away from about 2 o'clock to the previous slot. You now have a good sized exposed flat edge.

Heat the aluminum carrier area where the bolt threads in with either a blow torch or heat gun. Then use a cold chisel and hammer to strike the flat edge at 12 o'clock. About 3 taps and she'll be loose.
 
#10 ·
Yes, I have walked out so many stripped bolts and screws in this manner over the years. I could count on one hand those that could not be removed this way. No dremmel tool though as I have a cold chisel (about a CM wide) that is ground flat about half way across. I cut a small notch in the circumference of the head with the sharp side and then flip the chisel over to walk the bolt CCW with the flat side. All you have to do is get the bolt/screw to break loose and then you can remove it in the normal manner or use a pair of vise grips.
 
#8 ·
anti-sieze is your friend. I always use it since fighting a caliper on my Tiger for so long that I just bought another caliper so I could figure it out at my leisure (Pad retaining pin stripped out).

If I had the same problem again I'd pull the caliper and take it to a shop to figure out.
 
#9 ·
I've always had luck with the torx approach, it's worked every time I've tried it. The star shape really bites well into a stripped allen bolt. I like the trick of cutting a slot for a regular hex bolt, but the torx bits work great for an allen bolt and require less work.
 
#11 ·
success

Thanks for the replies fellas, appreciate the feedback. I got tired of looking for a torx bit big enough to work so I drilled em out. A couple drops of Hoppe's Elite to ease the drilling process. I stopped just before reaching the caliper then snapped the bolt heads off. Pizza cake. :)
 
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