Dan Hunter
Platinum Member
Friday, I went out to the ranch and found the left front tire punctured/flat. While removing the wheel a bolt head snapped off. Early after delivery the wheel had come loose. It was going on the trailer to get the iMatch installed among other issues and I asked them to check the wheel. It appears they simply shot the bolts back in using an air tool rather than inspect it for damage. Turns out that one of the bolts had damaged threads that jammed up on the wheel thus invalidating the possibility of an easy out. I drilled out the core, used a steel capable skilsaw blade by hand and cut right up against the hub threads. Patience? It took all I had. Then, I used a very fine punch to work the edge by the cut and got the remaining part of the tube to roll into itself and clear the hub threads. The attached photo is missing parts of the "cylinder" but they came off under the punch. I ran a tap through all the holes and flushed them with Rem Oil then used a patch on a .308 bore scrubber to wipe the threads. With the wheel back on, all bolts took a 103 lb/ft torque.
I'm insanely happy.
I'm insanely happy.