Automotive Fubar-Broken Bolt

Earlier this week I over tightened a bolt and broke it off. I should have known better and backed away from applying a bit more pressure to "seat" the bolt tighter when it wasn't really necessary. I had actually stopped to assess the situation at one point because what I was experiencing tightening the bolt didn't seem to make sense..I removed the bolt-compared it to the original and reinstalled it. Rather than go back into the house and grab the repair manual to check torque values I pushed ahead and suffered the consequences... After breaking off the bolt and I went out an bought an easyout tool that also broke off when I went to extract the remains. In retrospect it was a mistake to buy a cheap easyout which further compounded the problem. I now have a major mechanical issue to resolve that could have been avoided for sure....


This is not a Triumph story but a Ford one.I own a 1979 Ford Camper van. It has been in the family since the early 1990's. Lots of great camping memories come with the vehicle. In 2009 my wife and I drove the van 5000 kilometers from Canada to the Oregon coast. The van required some mechanical prep to bring it up to travel standard and it performed well only requiring a fan belt adjustment while on the road...

About a week ago we decided to take the van on an excursion for 10 days or so. This decision required I do some pre-work and bring the van up to travel standards again. One thing that needed repair was the front brake calipers. The plungers weren't operating properly and the calipers needed to be replaced. I went to the auto parts store and bought everything I needed. Things went fairly well until the last bolt was to be installed.

The series of events have provided a valuable lesson for me. In fact multiple lessons on a whole bunch of different levels.