evox26

Parts needed
new downpipe
1/2" thick steal plate apx 7"x5"
3/8-16 threaded rod less then 2 feet needed
3/8-16 nuts 4x
1/4" thick steal plate 3"x1.5"

tools needed
3/8 tap with 5/16 drill bit
21/64 heavy duty drill bit
3/8 heavy duty drill bit
misc bits for making the plate mounting holes
band saw to trim steal plates
hot saw or cutoff wheel to trim drill bits
drill press or milling machine to drill and tap main steal plate
hand drill 120V
90 degree drill adapter
long flex shaft drill extension
9/16 wrench for tightening the top plate when drilling

Recommended Number of People
2 one to drill and one to tighten top plate and check/ oil drill bit

Difficulty
5 could be much higher if you don't have experience with the machining work needed

Time to complete
6-8 hours from building the plate to drilling though


if making the fixture plate is something you do not feel that you can do most local machine shops should be able to make it for you in a short period of time

Hi guys I ran into what seems to be a problem a lot of us have had, breaking a bolt in the turbo when trying to remove the stock downpipe for a aftermarket one

For me it was the top bolt the one closest to the exhaust header so I set about trying to drill it out without removing the turbo from the car. I originally tried to drill it and save the thread but that didnt happen to work very well so after i was though i stepped up the hole size and just used a bolt and nut for this instead

There is not a lot of room for a drill and a short 90 degree drill can fit but its hard to get much pressure on it to make it though the harden steel bolt

This worked very well for me for the top bolt but I do not know how other locations would work with the space given

So here is what i came up with to get the bolt drilled though

I took a 1/2 steel plate and transferred the bolt pattern from the downpipe gasket and drilled the mounting holes into it and left the broken bolt hole smaller to only fit the drill bit i was going to use to center drill the broken bolt



after i checked that it fit i drilled 2 more holes along side of the area of the broken bolt then tapped the holes for 3/8 threaded rod



then i cut threaded rod for the holes



installed the rods with lock nuts so they did not stick past the plate and were not able to walk into the turbo flange



then made a plate to go across the studs



now to the drill bits you need special drills to drill though the harden steel bolt I went to a local professional tool place and picked up two bits 21/64 again I was wanting to save the thread still at this point once i got the bit i cut them down to be the shortest i could make them and still lock into a drill

To cut them I used a hot saw basically it is a big cut off wheel I tried other ways but this was the only one that worked

this is the cut down bit in the package



and the length of the bit



I got a 90 degree adapter and put the bit in



this is the packaging it was it



here is what everything together looks like



next i put a long flex shaft drill extension on the 90 adapter



Now it was time to install it on the car



then to start drilling This is a 2 person job where one is under the car with the drill and the other is on top watching what is going on and slowly tightening nuts on the top of the plate to push pressure on the plate to push the 90 adapter into the broken bolt DO NOT RUSH DURING THIS STEP this will take a long time and you need to use cutting wax or oil regularly drill slowly and be aware of the temp of the bit lots of heat or speed will kill the bit



I used wax so the lube would stay in the hole and not just run out into the engine bay



Here is the whole kit laid out




Another VERY IMPORTANT STEP is after you make it though and get the bolt out and either tap or step up to use a though bolt VACUUM everything make sure to get anything chips that made it into the turbo and clean as much as you can out of the area

when all is said and done this worked for me and i was able to get the bolt drilled out and not have to pull the turbo from the car



anti seize is your friend and make sure to put it on everything during the reinstall I put it on the heat shield bolts too

I hope this helps someone else out there if they have the resources to build the plate again this worked for the area this bolt was in and i do not know about the other bolt locations space wise

James

LetsGetThisDone

iTrader: (1)

Or.....Remove turbine housing, mount in drill press, and be done in and hour or so...

evox26

had already broken 1 bolt did not feel like risking any more broken ones

Evol Xenius

Wow I give you props for doing that! Im not sure which one sucks more... taking the turbine out and fixing it or spending the time getting that all setup.

Gqracer

iTrader: (1)

Agreed.

venom225

nice write up!

evo10fanatic33

So I had the same problem and had to drill out 2 studs. F'ing Nightmare!!! I didn't have the great contraption you made, just very long days and a **** ton of drill bits. I replaced all the studs with bolts and washer so when I swap the turbo next year I don't have to worry about breaking any studs! Cheers!

Hiboost

iTrader: (9)

It's definitely a nice way to do it on the car, but i agree with others that removing it as a unit is a better bet. Soak the nuts and bolts to be removed with PB Blaster or other effective penetrating lube. You can remove the firewall section that houses the windshield wiper motors and gain several inches of clearance to be able to remove the turbo as a complete assembly much easier.