Depends on what kind of tools you have. It's kind of low to weld a nut on there. IMHO, those extractors are worthless unless the item you're trying to extract is already loose which this doesn't appear to be. You could throw it on a bench, then drill and tap it. Trying to drill out the non threaded portion might be tough to get aligned with the drill bit but certainly worth a shot. If that doesn't work, you can drill the hole a bit larger and then just tap it with a plan to use a bit larger hardware.. If you do want to try an extractor, you could heat it up with a torch first to loosen it up.. Just a few thoughts to get you started..
Drill a smaller hole in the middle. Tap a torx drive in it and back it out. Worked for me a couple of times. There was that one time that I snapped off the extraction tool in the snapped off bolt. That was a bad day.
I think that would still be my plan...unless the left handed drill bits backed it out first...but that only works 1 in 10 times seems like...
There’s a dude on YouTube from California that has a fancy machine that blasts the old bolt out it’s pretty neat. Search Jerry’s broken tap. I would try to get a nut welded on it as well l.
Center punch first so drill stays in center. Drill it . Heat aluminum. Use an easy out should come right out. Remember aluminum will stay hot for awhile. We do this weekly on all these new vehicles and school buses.
I find just the opposite aluminum won’t hold the heat at all. Not to be contrary but usually the heat won’t help because by the time I heat enough the aluminum melts.
I only use my little blow torch. So I don't melt it. Think about an aluminum rectifier it draws the heat of an object
My fingers will tell you different when I go to pick up. But yes it is made to do that like the fins on his cylinder right. We get alot alternators with broken off steal bolts in aluminum casted housings. With 650 vehicles on the road I unfortunately get my fair share of broken off bolts studs in all sort of metals. Probably our worse is exhaust manifold bolts. Cant even get at some of these now they are packed in there so tight.
Worse comes to worse do a helicoil. He's got plenty of meat around that broken bolt to put 1 right in. Then the only thing you have to worry about is stainless insert in aluminum with electrolysis over time. But they do make some steel inserts for this.
As with any situation there is always more than one way to skin a cat. I’m glad heating works for you. In my experience heat and drill/ easy out would be my last chance Hail Mary. 17 year Ford senior master tech here, I have removed a few broken 5.4 + 6.8 manifold studs. Mig welder and a nut works 99% of the time. When drilling especially such a small fastener you chance breaking a bit or easy out or the bit walks off into the aluminum. Just saying not Trinh to get into a peeing match
heat up a bit then hit the alum with co2 (water works but co2 provides a much higher shock value) - that tends to shock the corrosion loose, drill and tap "left" hand smaller dia. I have had some luck with ez-outs but by and large not much as they flair what your are trying to get loose basically making it tighter. a lot of time I resort to a very hard edged chisel punch no larger than the radius and a small hammer. Guy's snap those scope mount screws all the time plus loctite ( heat breaks the loctite) alum expands at apx twice the rate of steel so a little more heating just before trying to move it helps. manifold bolts- yep got that t=-shirt , the baseball cap, the crying towel, and a whole new vocabulary.
Nope I am always willing to learn something new especially if it makes it easier on all of us. And my heart bleeds for you in those fords. How many spark plug threads did you do also on those aluminum cylinder heads.
Have someone tig a few dabs of rod, preferably stainless so the vice grips can grab it. This works well on broken taps also. To save time using easy outs...carefully drill the hole and insert the easy out firmly in place. Then take a hammer and break it off flush with the end of what you want to remove. This saves you all the time you'd waste trying to back it out while squeezing your butt cheeks.
Countless, the best solution I found was a kit from a company called time sert. They have a kit that reams the plug hole then threads it. A insert similar to a heli coil threads into the head and your good to go.
I've gotten cap screws in cast aluminum out just by grinding a screwdriver slot in what's left of the cap screw after soaking with some good penetrating oil. I've also gotten them out with a reverse drill bit and by drilling a hole and using an easy out. I'd guess heat from the drill bit and vibration helped. Just whacking the center with a center punch for a bit guide is enough "loosening" sometimes. If I welded I'd probably forego the above but I don't weld so I'd have to take it someplace and I've done that too. Sometimes just welding a piece of threaded rod onto what's there and using a nut on it beats trying to use a cap screw again.
