1994 228G broken engine mount bolts in alum

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1994228DSS

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While removing the original 2 stoke. Bolt lower bolts snapped and the bolts are now flush with aluminum Grady bracket. Anyone run into this?

To make thing worse I tried the left handed bits and heated up a little on one of them and over torqued it and snapped the bit into the hole I drilled into bolt.

Im in Seattle area so I think the bolts are just corroded from being in there so long and over torquing while removing old 2 stroke.

Need help. Getting bracket blasted and repainted for new 4 stroke.
 
Bolts are probably galvanized or stainless? With an aluminum bracket, it’s not an ideal situation as you know

Can you post a couple pictures?
Get some diamond bits? https://a.co/d/4uuvyGV
 
There are ways to avoid that happening... but once in a great while it still happens.

Since you can remove the bracket, let gravity help you as a starting point by turning the bracket upright. Get some phosphoric acid or cleaning vinegar - both can be gotten from HD and will eat salt. The goal, over the course of a few days, is to keep applying it so it seeps down in there and eats away the salt. Then some heat and penetrating lubricant. Then work on the removal. There's no magic removal technique tool - heck, you might even drill a small hole near the perimeter of the bolt and use something like a drift pin to "hammer" the bolt to unscrew it.
 
Yeah def do not want to take the gil bracket off. That could just open up more problems.
 
DennisG01 said:
But... you would be taking it off to sandblast and paint, right? I mean, that would be the proper way. It's just a few bolts and nuts - pretty easy.
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Yeah def not taking the full thing off. I read many Grady forums with boat owners doing it this way with success. Ways to protect transom and seal post blast/paint.
 
Put an oversized deep socket over the remaining head of the bolt or the remaining nut. The socket just needs to be a little deeper than the projection of the stuck piece. Then cut off the head of a grade 8 bolt 1/16" smaller diameter than the broken bolt. Leave about 1/2 inch of the shank below the head. Set that short shanked bolt against the broken bolt and install a large heavy-duty C-clamp over the head of that "push-pin and then over the socket. When you tighten the clamp it will push the stuck piece into the socket.
I hope I described that, so you get the idea.

The clamp I'm talking about is not the type with the little sliding handle with a little 1/2-inch course thread. You will probably have to go to an industrial machine shop and borrow one. If you know a "Boilermaker", he will guide you. It will have 1" to 1 1/2" fine threaded rod with a square or hex head. You may have to offer to leave the guy some kind of security (green backs) before he will let you borrow it, so he knows you'll bring it back.

If worse comes to worse, that part can easily be rebuilt by the guys that rebuild skags. They will either pierce the broken piece out with a plasma cutter or cut the ear off and weld a piece back on. Good luck.
 
1994228DSS said:
Yeah def not taking the full thing off. I read many Grady forums with boat owners doing it this way with success. Ways to protect transom and seal post blast/paint.
Click to expand...
OK, I guess to each his own. It's just such an easy job to remove the bracket and get the entire thing done properly that it just makes sense (to me, anyways). Without doing that I'd be worried about the edge that touches the transom not being prepped properly and the paint would eventually peel. Just make sure at least remove All of the caulking 100%.

If you removed it... you could get it powder coated :) Which isn't all that expensive and they do all of the prep work, too!

Oh... you can weld a nut on the broken stud.
 
DennisG01 said:
OK, I guess to each his own. It's just such an easy job to remove the bracket and get the entire thing done properly that it just makes sense (to me, anyways). Without doing that I'd be worried about the edge that touches the transom not being prepped properly and the paint would eventually peel. Just make sure at least remove All of the caulking 100%.

If you removed it... you could get it powder coated :) Which isn't all that expensive and they do all of the prep work, too!

Oh... you can weld a nut on the broken stud.
Click to expand...
Sounds easy. Yes. But lots have posted issues when removing and just don’t want to open another can of worms. The bracket has been installed for 30 years. The stories on removing Grady Gil brackets scare me. :)
 
Here are pictures of the bolts that broke during outboard removal from the Gil bracket. I tried the easy out on one of them it’s not budging. I do plan to try one more time with heat and more fluid.
 

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1994228DSS said:
Sounds easy. Yes. But lots have posted issues when removing and just don’t want to open another can of worms. The bracket has been installed for 30 years. The stories on removing Grady Gil brackets scare me. :)
Click to expand...
Nah - it's big - but it's just a thing. Things can be removed. The hardest thing is likely how much/what kind of sealant is between the bracket and hull - but even that has relatively easy solutions. Stories are likely from those that have limited experience in this or don't ask (the right) questions ahead of time. Even at that - it's really pretty straight forward.

Once last question... if you don't remove it, how do you know that the flat area of the bracket that sets against the transom is good and solid and not pock-marked to where a bad seal is being made (or will GET bad in the very near future)? Using sealant only around the edge of the bracket is somewhat of a band-aid.

But, nuff said - as I mentioned, to each his own. :)

You can still use the products I mentioned - create a dam.
 
DennisG01 said:
Nah - it's big - but it's just a thing. Things can be removed. The hardest thing is likely how much/what kind of sealant is between the bracket and hull - but even that has relatively easy solutions. Stories are likely from those that have limited experience in this or don't ask (the right) questions ahead of time. Even at that - it's really pretty straight forward.

Once last question... if you don't remove it, how do you know that the flat area of the bracket that sets against the transom is good and solid and not pock-marked to where a bad seal is being made (or will GET bad in the very near future)? Using sealant only around the edge of the bracket is somewhat of a band-aid.

But, nuff said - as I mentioned, to each his own. :)

You can still use the products I mentioned - create a dam.
Click to expand...
Yeah I was worried about the bond between bracket and transom. If you have tips in the future if I do it. Def would like to know once I loosen remove motor, then bolts/washer/nuts that hold bracket to transom. What is best to remove bracket without damaging transom? Not sure what Grady used if it’s like a 4200 or something similar. My bracket I feel has never been removed. Transom is solid.
 
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