Mud Puppy
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2013
- Messages
- 276
Hi guys! Hoping someone out there can help me with some issues I have with an old boat I am restoring over on the Boat Restoration Forum.
The boat is a 1971 Invader Marine 17 BWV Deluxe Runabout with a 165 MerCruiser I/L6 and a 165 Sterndrive.
When I got the boat it was in pretty bad shape and I know from what I have read the older drives are not as rugged as the Alphas, but I have this one and would like to get a year or so out of it. I'll be broke after doing the floors, stringers, and transom. As it is, I will have to wait on the bow seat cushions and vinyl.
The studs and upper bolts were good but the Anodes had loosened and allowed water to take its toll on the transom which allowed more water intrusion.
Long story, short; I had two (2) bolts succumb to a very bad case of electrolysis and the busted removing the gimbal mount and the transom plate. The two (2) Anode bolts are completely gone, but since they don't screw in are not problem.
These bolts only stick out of the gimbal ring roughly 0.500" on both and are the bolts directly above the Anodes.
I have tried heating with a small torch to help draw in Blaster and a mixture of Acetone and Tranny Fluid and walking away until cool, reheating and doing the same over again to no avail. I've tried using external stud extractors and all I'm doing is rounding down the bolt so I quit.
I have weld sacrificial nuts to broken bolts before and had some success on machinery and heavy equipment, however with the dissimilar metals between the bolt composition and the ring and years of corrosion I think I am fighting a loosing battle.
I am kinda concerned with pulling the threads in the AL if they do start to budge loose, so I am thinking that I may be grinding them off flush, center finding and drilling the bolt and try to leave the threads intact. If I do that, I may very well be able to run the remaining threads out suing a small cove chisel and I can then try and restore the threads using a chase.
My only concern is, if I pull or damage threads, what are my options short of grinding and filling with AL rod to restore those threads by drilling and tapping.
Can Helicoils be used with marginal success? I think sealed, I should be able to get several years out of such a repair if I need to do this. Does anyone have any similar experience?
Thanks in Advance!
The boat is a 1971 Invader Marine 17 BWV Deluxe Runabout with a 165 MerCruiser I/L6 and a 165 Sterndrive.
When I got the boat it was in pretty bad shape and I know from what I have read the older drives are not as rugged as the Alphas, but I have this one and would like to get a year or so out of it. I'll be broke after doing the floors, stringers, and transom. As it is, I will have to wait on the bow seat cushions and vinyl.
The studs and upper bolts were good but the Anodes had loosened and allowed water to take its toll on the transom which allowed more water intrusion.
Long story, short; I had two (2) bolts succumb to a very bad case of electrolysis and the busted removing the gimbal mount and the transom plate. The two (2) Anode bolts are completely gone, but since they don't screw in are not problem.
These bolts only stick out of the gimbal ring roughly 0.500" on both and are the bolts directly above the Anodes.
I have tried heating with a small torch to help draw in Blaster and a mixture of Acetone and Tranny Fluid and walking away until cool, reheating and doing the same over again to no avail. I've tried using external stud extractors and all I'm doing is rounding down the bolt so I quit.
I have weld sacrificial nuts to broken bolts before and had some success on machinery and heavy equipment, however with the dissimilar metals between the bolt composition and the ring and years of corrosion I think I am fighting a loosing battle.
I am kinda concerned with pulling the threads in the AL if they do start to budge loose, so I am thinking that I may be grinding them off flush, center finding and drilling the bolt and try to leave the threads intact. If I do that, I may very well be able to run the remaining threads out suing a small cove chisel and I can then try and restore the threads using a chase.
My only concern is, if I pull or damage threads, what are my options short of grinding and filling with AL rod to restore those threads by drilling and tapping.
Can Helicoils be used with marginal success? I think sealed, I should be able to get several years out of such a repair if I need to do this. Does anyone have any similar experience?
Thanks in Advance!
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