Stripped allen bolt on fork during oil seal change.

[Moisstink]

I am sure I am not the only one to pull this insanity but while trying to remove the bottom allen bolt on the forks the #$^@$% bolt actually stripped out and will not budge. I am thinking I may have to weld the allen wrench to the bolt just to get it out. Has anyone ran into this problem? Any ideas? I do not have an impact wrench and I think this may have been the root of my problem. I did do the wd 40 sit and tap that bastard before starting. Since I never got the bolt out I am wondering if the bolt is somewhat standard / can I replace once I do get past this hurdle. Thanks for any and all information.

Thanks,
Kevin fubar

 

[mrtwowheel]

Stripped threads or jimmied up head, or is it just spinning around? It's pretty hard to jimmy up an allen head.

Scott

 

[Moisstink]

Yeah, I know, no, the threads are not stripped just locked up. While trying to remove it I think the allen wrench would move to an angle and twist enough to damage. This happened a couple times while I was thinking I had a better method of leverage. Now it is pretty shot but not completely circular just fubar.

 

[Moisstink]

This should have come up the first time but this is where I am at with the bolt.

 

[grizld1]

Sometimes a rounded allen head can be closed up enough to grip with a little beating; put a big flat punch on it and smack it with a hammer. If you were using a ball head allen wrench, put it aside and use one that's straight cut. Call me a wuss, but when the above fails, I take a trip to a machine shop.

 

[mrtwowheel]

You could drill the head off with a drill bit sized to the diameter of the bolt or just a little bigger. There is a sealing washer under that bolt head and a machined surface for that washer to seal, need to leave enough of that surface flat to seal again.

Scott

 

[mrtwowheel]

How did you do on the other fork leg?

Scott

 

[Moisstink]

I was working on other aspects of the bike before hand and decided to start a new before starting on the other fork leg. So I am hoping for better results on it. I am trying to lower the forks with a kit as well. So lets say I am able to get this bolt out. (I am thinking of welding the allen wrench to the bolt and go from there.) Are these a pretty standard bolt once I get it out that I can replace it with or is there more to the bolt that is specific to the fork?

BTW thanks Scott and grizld1 for the help. I am bummed that this is the one that is getting me. I have been working on this bike for a while now and have not had any issues until this really.

 

[Moisstink]

Here is where I am at now on the bike. 1/3rd the way done. Should I use a butane torche on the allen bolts to remove? I do not have a compressor or impact wrench.

 

[uncle meat]

Sorry to get off topic, but what year is the bike pictured? Are the head pipes stock length? What mufflers did you use?

 

[Moisstink]

The bike is a 75. I believe the headers are stock. The mufflers are dunstalls that I cut around 6" off off and had to use shims to remount to the headers. When I bought it the last guy had bored out the engine to a 750, and a bunch of mods. The forks are newer as well.

 

[Moisstink]

Ok, so I went to try the other fork and nothing. I can't get that one to budge at all either. I am using the right sized allen wench T handle and WTF! Am I doing something wrong or more specific is there a method to this madness? I did go back to the first one and cleaned out the center of the bolt and I do have enough meat left to get a decent bite which may crack the bind but I wanted to see if I am missing something. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I currently have wd40 soaking in each. I did try a butane torch to heat it up and nothing with that. neither are rusted or have anything that points to a problem. Once again any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[nj1639]

That bolt in the bottom is only half of what you need to deal with. There's another that you access down through the tube.
It's been a while since I fooled with my '83's forks, if they're the same, but I had to rig all my extensions and the proper bit to come down from above......holding that lower Allen head still and ratcheting from above.

 

[angus67]

ARE U USING THE 17MM adapter piece too hold the bolt head on the inner side?seems a silly question, just thought ide ask.
hugh has a good tutaladge on fork dismantle
search minton mods

 

[fredintoon]

Hi Moisstink,
I'd say you were under-equipped. (perhaps not in the bedroom but certainly in the garage)
You need an impact wrench to remove those fasteners.
A straight-on tool application, the impact wrench's percussive action and the fork innards inertia combine in the removal.
Your least cost option is to rent as powerful a 1/2" sq drive electric impact wrench as you can find.
Your best option is to dust the cobwebs off your billfold and buy a good air compressor and a high-powered air impact wrench.
Warning, air tool purchasing can become an addiction.

 

[jussumguy]

Sometimes when I waller out a metric allen I can hammer a sae Allen into it. It's like a half size bigger

 

[Moisstink]

Hi Moisstink,
I'd say you were under-equipped. (perhaps not in the bedroom but certainly in the garage)
You need an impact wrench to remove those fasteners.
A straight-on tool application, the impact wrench's percussive action and the fork innards inertia combine in the removal.
Your least cost option is to rent as powerful a 1/2" sq drive electric impact wrench as you can find.
Your best option is to dust the cobwebs off your billfold and buy a good air compressor and a high-powered air impact wrench.
Warning, air tool purchasing can become an addiction.

Actually I did have an air compressor and a few tools to go with. That was stolen a few months ago due to using it on the back porch and some A Holes jumping the fence and cleaning me out. I am sure I can find a friend with that equip to loan me for some barley and hopps payment. Eventually I will re-envest.

 

[Moisstink]

Sometimes when I waller out a metric allen I can hammer a sae Allen into it. It's like a half size bigger

Didn't even think of that but decent idea. May have to break that out. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Moisstink]

ARE U USING THE 17MM adapter piece too hold the bolt head on the inner side?seems a silly question, just thought ide ask.
hugh has a good tutaladge on fork dismantle
search minton mods

Actually, I did not even get that far. First thing was to break the lock the bolt has and move to the next step. I have been using a post on here for installing a fork lowering kit which I was aware I needed to fab up some tools but since this was the first step I was taking did not get to that. I will check the hugh info as well.

Thanks

 

[fredintoon]

Hi Kevin,
Sorry to read that some bastard stole your compressor.
Please accept my apology for supposing that you were just too cheap to buy one.