Trying to install Hill Engineering Steering WHeel Extension, but...

Do not use an allen key! You really should use a socket with an allen head as it applies the torque more centered and reduces the chance of stripping of the heads. Get an allen head socket and first tap it in place with a hammer to make sure that it is as seated as possible. Once you apply torque the bolts should come out. An allen key just plain does not work for this job unless the bolt heads are brand new and just recently installed.

 

You may find that even with an Allen socket the screws won't budge. It's a common problem. I had to use a small sharp punch to loosen them. Fortunately, they're not hard to replace.

 

I had to drill out 3 of the bolts when installing the Hill spacer on my car. 3 came out easy but 3 would not budge.

Masked off the hub with lots of tape and then carefully drilled the heads off the 3 stuck bolts. Removed the wheel and used a vice grips to turn out the remaining bolt shafts.

 

The problem is the taper of the countersink !!! They tend to bite when tightening and then won't budge when you want to get them out !! What makes it worse is when the wheel holes don't line up perfectly with the hub threads so this puts more side load on the tapers of the countersink . I agree with a tiny pin punch to budge them loose although it has been frowned upon here !! " Very Carefully " . If you do end up drilling the heads off the threads should be loose once you take the load of them .

 

I made the mistake of trying an allen key on my '83 GTS, and didn't quit when I was ahead. I ended up with three stripped keyways.

The "solution" was to cautiously tap a star-driver bit into the allen keyways, then torque them out with a big ratchet. Other than the damage to the keyways, the screws came out clean, heads and all.

I then stripped the screws of paint, cleaned the old loctite compound off the threads with a wire brush, sanded the heads smooth, put a little WD40 in the hub holes, and snugged each screw in with the star-driver as I installed my new wheel. They worked fine and I could have left them that way. they looked fine, as well.

In the meanwhile, I ordered a set of replacement allen screws from Superformance and got a proper set of metric hex bits. When the new screws came in, I installed them correctly and saved the star-driver ones for a rainy day.

If I had it to do over, I'd use some penetrating oil on the screws, wait a day, tap the proper 3mm allen bit into the keyways and torque them out with a 1/2" drive ratchet.

 

Use a little penetrating oil, along with tapping the things with a punch. Repeat periodically for a day or two. Use a good quality tool. This is where a Snap-on tool is worth the money, over a Sears or similar product. The fit is much tighter and the tool won't deform.

JR

 

The originals were installed with thread lock and you would be extremely lucky to be able to remove them without damaging them. Just use a small pilot drill and an e-z out then replace them with new ones ($2 @ the local hard ware store).

 

Be careful with e-z out's especially such small ones !! If you break one off there's no drilling it out !! They are glass hard and just as brittle . Personally I hate them . Wurth make a better option with a parallel splined pin and spanner addaptor still not great , but a little better .

 

Yes, if the fit is "iffy", it's best to use a Snap-On tool. The extra expense is well worth it for the "edge" it will give you.

 

THIS is correct.....IIRC, heat is the answer.......

 

It's too late if you've already munged up the heads or broken them off, but here's what you need to start with:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM197671979P?keyword=impact+driver

This combined with an allen socket gets the job done.
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