When I purchased my 73 dart I noticed the previous owner tried to take out a bolt from the alternator bracket. He heated the bolt head and mushroomed it. Of course when I tried to get it off the bolt broke. I have sprayed it down with penetrating oil for weeks and tried to get a crescent wrench on it but it hasn't worked. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bandman

PS I tried to post a picture but I can't because of the size of the picture.

Picture, not much to grab on to.

http://i1284.photobucket.com/albums/a574/bandman1971/IMAG0100_11_zps5ab4dd60.jpg

Pipe wrench. Much better bite.

Remove the bracket if you can.Then you will have a good piece to grab with a small pipe wrench or vice grips.Try heating the bolt with a propane torch then hit it with ice water.It shocks the threads.Id say it siezed in the bracket.On assembley use antisieze.Rocky

Not much to grab on too. The only thing worse is if it breaks off again next to the block. I would remove the timing chain cover, heat the bolt at the part where it enters the block, squirt cold water on it and then take it out with a vise grip. Use anti-seize on all those bolts that go though the timing cover.

Grab a file & file the rounded nub to a nice square so you can get a good TIGHT grip on it with some vice grips

Put a nut over it, fill the center with weld, try to turn it out

Pull the timing cover, inspect it as it is probably going to be the NEXT problem, Replace the timing chain set, Remove the bolt, reassemble and move on. There is no easy fix for what you're dealing with.

My

Yup, I'd pull the timing cover. Gives you much more meat to work with. Work it slow, back and forth.

I'd pull the cover too, then you can get the penetrating oil around the threads better. The bolt may be really rusted in the block making it tough to remove. I believe the bolt hole goes into the engines water jacket, so there is coolant behind the bolt.

Strike the end of it hard many times with a hammer. You would be surprised what a good beating with a hammer will do. I would still take the timing cover off to do the repair.

Dan

This should work....spray liberally with some penetrating oil...heat it redhot if you can and then whack it with a hammer....use vise grips to turn out while still hot...

That and Ive got some out by first trying to tighten them just a bit.For soem reason it seems if you try and tighten it just a touch most will back out after some heat and penetrant.+As for a water jacket use a bit of liquid teflon on the threads and anti sieze where it goes thru the cover.Too many gald themselves to the cover.Rocky

Just did this yesterday to an Engine that someone brought me to build. Mine had more stud sticking out but no matter what I used it wouldn't budge. I could see the coolant corrsion around the hole in the timing cover. I stripped the rest of the front of the motor apart down to a bare cover. I used a map gas tourch to heat the cover around the bolt area until I could start to carfully pry the cover off the bolt using PB blaster. I did have to apply heat again as the cover only went so far, then I tried the pipe wrench again and was able to screw the bolt out---but it was still stuck in the cover when I finally got the cover off. When I got it all off a swift hit of the hammer drove the bolt out of the cover. Took me about 40 minutes total to do all this---but the engine was on a stand.

Try WD40 penetrating fluid.Ive been using it and its a lot better than PB.We used to get some stuff from Zep that was the best at the shop.IIRC Ive seen it on Ebay.Rocky

You know we have enough opinions here that we need a poll! You must tell us the outcome of this one for sure!

The PROBLEM is usually the Bolt has gotten Corroded to the timing cover due to electrolysis between the aluminum cover and the steel bolt, not the Threads in the block. Common issue,