Busted Luggage Rack Bolt

[buickyouth]

Sometimes I wish I had a Torque Wrist.
I have become quite the bolt buster recently.
Currently, I caracked the head off of a bolt that screws into the frame attaching the luggage rack.

There is no nut, it threads right into the frame. There's nothing to get any grip on.

I know I can drill it and tap it but how exactly do I go about doing this, and what kind of bits and or taps might I need. I'd like to take one hardware store trip for everything. Or at least keep the number of trips to a minimum.

Thanks fellas.

[Pat Kelly]

Craftsman has a screw/bolt extractor that goes in your drill and "bites" into the broken fastener and (hopefully) removes it by reversing back out.

[fredintoon]

Getting the stub out

While you are at the hardware store buy a 1/4" square-drive socket set for those small fasteners, the short ratchet helps in not over-torquing them.
If the busted bolt is in a nutplate tag on the frame where the bolt tail sticks through you may be able to get a visegrip onto the tail and thread it right through or simply drilling the bolt stub for an Easyout also just might pick up the stub and take it right through.
OTOH if the stub is into a frame tube it has nowhere to go and so must thread out again.
Those thingies advertised on TV might work in real life if you remember to put the drill into reverse. If the gadget fails you an Easyout (they have a tapered square left-hand twisted form, you hammer them into a predrilled hole and turn them out with a wrench) usually works. Do NOT break it off in the bolt tail, the Easyout is made from material far harder than any drill bit.
Good luck.
Fred Hill, S'toon.

[D. P. Larmee]

You can always try welding the head back on and just unbolt it the traditional way. This has worked for me when the remaining stub is not too recessed. Is the bolt long enough that it goes all the way through the frame and you can get at the back side of it?

[Czekus21]

I've drilled out broken bolts from frames but my way is not really the easiest. center punch the broken stud ( and I meen exact center ) very small cobalt drill bit as a pilot, Then drill to the inside diameter of the threads, Tap out the existing threads and there ya go. Like I said, It's not the easiest and you have to have a steady hand and alot of patients but this meathod works every time for me. I would not try this unless your confident because ya could end up creating alot of work. The nut and welder method works pretty good and I would use that but I don't have a welder.
I've broken alot of extactors off and have banned them from my shop. I figure if all else fails, I can drill it out and either use a bigger bolt or hilicoil. Ya don't want to have to drill out an extractor.