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Hey guys,
I got a 97 nissan pickup RWD plagued with rust. Its eating my truck alive, bit by bit. Long story short I am trying to replace my rotors and the caliper mounting bracket has two bolts (19mm) that are so rusted I broke two ratchets trying to loosen em up and finally broke the head off one. I also am not sure how to go about removing the hub from the spindle. I know Eric had a video of him doing this on I think a GMC but for the life of me I cannot find it anymore. I believe my truck would be similar but I’m not positive. So as I dwell on how to get those bolts out, I have a few questions.
Anyone removed rotors on a 97 nissan pickup and have some advice tips or ideas?
Would a propane torch help loosen the bolts out? If so would it compromise the frame around those bolts?
Anyone have any advice on the rusted bolt problem? As far as the broken head one, I’m going to attempt to use easy outs.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
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You’d be more likely to get your core charge back if the bolts are out, assuming the reman caliper comes with a new bracket.
The best way to remove the bolt stubs would be with heat and a strong grip, like a vice. Tapping the outside of the threads will help too.
If you heat up a bolt and spray penetrating fluid around it will just vapourise. I have heard of a wax candle being used for this but your best friend is cherry red heat then immediately turning the stub.
So I finished my finals and have the next couple weeks devoted to these bolts. If I can’t get them out by then I’ll just replace the caliper and pads. It took me longer to buy a breaker bar then it did to break it, and propane is definitely not hot enough to make much of a difference. I went to the salvage yard and got some spare bolts for when I get the others out, of course they came out easier then pie. I also got this Freeze off stuff so maybe that will help. I’m also going to try Deep Creep.
Can someone explain why an extractor wouldn’t work? Or at least just drilling the bolt out.
Also I am confused on what you guys mean by using a hammer and punch to smack the bracket/rotor off.
Thanks for any help
[quote=”97nissanpickup” post=121900]
Can someone explain why an extractor wouldn’t work? Or at least just drilling the bolt out.
Also I am confused on what you guys mean by using a hammer and punch to smack the bracket/rotor off.
[/quote]This might be easier with a diagram, but the non-threaded part of the bolt passes through the hub, then the threaded part engages the caliper bracket. If you cut the head off, then you should be able to hit the resulting stub outwards and it should fall away, caliper bracket still attached.
You could use an extractor or drilling, but access may be tricky and it isn’t worth it when you can do the above.
I understand that part but would I just take a center punch and a hammer and hit directly on the top of the bolt? Maybe I am just over thinking it but I feel like if it seized up in that non-threaded part it is going to take a lot of force to punch that out.
You should be fine, especially if you can heat the area and tap the bit the bolt goes through. Your bolt head sheared off because it’s hard to turn a seized shaft, especially with non-impact force. I doubt it will be able to resist direct linear shocks from a big hammer and a stout punch.
Edit: I would use a bluntish punch for this – a sharp one will tend to dig in too much and may spread the bolt. Also, I know an old motorcycle mechanic who was blinded in one eye by a flying punch tip. Safety glasses!
OK, I have a 1/32″ Nail set I think would work, I’ll break the heads off with a cats paw or something.
I noticed the propane didn’t do much to the area but I’ll give it some heat before I start banging on it.I would invest in a punch slightly smaller than the bolt shank – 6mm or 1/4″ should do it.
Some heat is better than no heat 😉
When I cut the bottom bolt head off I was able to pop the lock nut off so an 1/8 of the bolt sticks out. The 1/4 punch did not budge anything, at all. If anything it spread that bolt out.
I soaked it in some more PB blaster and I’m going to try again today. I am getting quite sick of this bracket, for the corrosion and rust to be this bad it makes me wonder if these are the original parts.
I think I’m going to just drill out the bolt where it’s not threaded, it has got to pop off then. No need to re-thread anything and I can finally finish this job.
Any thoughts?
[quote=”97nissanpickup” post=122361]I think I’m going to just drill out the bolt where it’s not threaded, it has got to pop off then. No need to re-thread anything and I can finally finish this job.
Any thoughts?[/quote]
This a rational plan at this point. I know the rust is insane, and I’m enough of a professional rust artist to know that you’re doing what’s necessary if whatever heat available didn’t work.
[quote=”97nissanpickup” post=122361]When I cut the bottom bolt head off I was able to pop the lock nut off so an 1/8 of the bolt sticks out. The 1/4 punch did not budge anything, at all. If anything it spread that bolt out.
I soaked it in some more PB blaster and I’m going to try again today. I am getting quite sick of this bracket, for the corrosion and rust to be this bad it makes me wonder if these are the original parts.
I think I’m going to just drill out the bolt where it’s not threaded, it has got to pop off then. No need to re-thread anything and I can finally finish this job.
Any thoughts?[/quote]
Bad luck. If it’s any consolation we’ve all been there. If I were you I would cut the bolt stub flush as it will always tend to take the easy way out and spread rather than travel through the hole. Drilling the bolt out to the largest size you dare will help allow the stub to collapse in slightly as you hammer it and will likely be successful.
If it still won’t budge then my next move would be to remove the hub as previously described and set the assembly on a sturdy vice/anvil/block of wood to hammer it. If it still resists then you can then take the b@stard thing to a machine shop or garage which has oxy torches.
I’m using a Milwaukee 18V cordless drill with titanium Dewalt bits. I drilled the bottom out all the way to 1/2 inch. Top one is the one twice as deep and is giving me some trouble. I am thinking about cutting the bracket in half to drill from both sides. Obviously I would lose out on the core but it might save me some headache. You can see that ring on the bottom one, that’s the bracket if I am correct.
I can’t seem to get the pictures to upload but basically after around 1/4″ the drills start to get stuck and stop drilling, my pilot hole is half of the bolt and the other half is only half drilled out if that makes sense. I am making progress going up and down in size slowly but surely.
Heat, Treat, and Beat. Get a double box end wrench heat around the bolt, hit it with pb, put the wrench on it and beat on it with a 3lb hammer. Make sure to not breathe the fumes and have a fire extinguisher handy that can put out oil fires. Also make sure to hold the slack out the wrench while you beat it. It is what I had to do on my car. I only got one side apart was a pain.
Hey guys, been a little tied up with the holidays and the flu but I’ve had success! Drilled the bolts all the way out on one side and almost all the way out on the other when I could just punch the bracket off. Thanks for all the suggestions and tips.
I am replacing the rotors now which are like the type in Eric’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccsbu2hT0MI
His wheel seal is a little bit different then mine, but I might have the wrong seal because the seal gets tight on the spindle but falls off rotor so the rotor just slides down the spindle, leaving the bearing and seal on the spindle.
I don’t know if I should start a new topic but I figured I either have the wrong part or I am missing something because that seal does not seat onto the rotor well at all.
Any suggestions?
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