SOS: rusty disk brake caliper bolt is stuck

[josiahsm02]

My front left brake caliper was malfunctioning, so I went to grease it and when I tried to extend the pistons it pushed a piston all the way out. SO I decided to replace the caliper.
I was able to get everything but the last bolt out, but its super stuck. At this point it is super stripped and even special sockets won't work. My buddy and I tried to use an angle grinder on it but its really in there.
Any ideas on how to remove it? Ive already used lots of fire and PB blaster. Ive also tried prying the caliper and the thing its attached to apart.

Heres some photos so you get the idea. its the upper bolt.
Here you can see we ground it down. The idea is to cut off the head and just pull the whole rotor off the other side. But the bolt head is sort of buried in.

Heres a top view of where the bolt is connecting the caliper to the rest of the vehicle

Here is a youtube video of what it should look like

I know this is a longshot but I'm just hoping someone has a trick for it. If there was a place to find it, it would be this forum!

 

[sgtsandman]

Maybe drilling it out? You might need to remove the knuckle to get proper access to it. If you can get enough of the center out, it might release enough tension to knock it the rest of the way out. The threads will be in the caliper bracket. So, you don't have to worry about that. Try to leave enough bolt so you have something to grab onto once the bolt is out of the knuckle. It is NOT going to be a fun day. Though I imagine that today wasn't a great one either.

 

[broncc]

If above doesn't work maybe you could use an air chisel to pop the nut off?

 

[JoshT]

I'm with @sgtsandman, if I were faced with that the knuckle would be coming off for better access. With it off the truck I could probably get something in there to finish removing the bolt head, and remove thebracket with the rotor. Unless the remainder came out off the bracket easier, I'd probably replace the bracket.

If above doesn't work maybe you could use an air chisel to pop the nut off?

No nut, the bolt threads into the caliper bracket. He'd be trying to take the head off.

 

[josiahsm02]

Thank you all for your advice! After entirely too long I got the bolt cut off, heres the aftermath:

I ended up replacing the wheel bearings while I was at it!
The main reason I was replacing the caliper was because when I drive I'm hearing a sort of light grinding noise from my front left wheel. If I put it in the air and spin it the noise happens. When the brakes are off the noise doesn't. The new caliper is on with the old brake pads and the old rotor. I made sure to use brake lubricant on all the right spots, what could the noise be?

PS I locked my keys and my unlocking screwdriver in my truck immediately after reinstalling everything, just my luck LOL.

 

[Jazzer]

Light contact between the brake pad and the rotor is normal on disc brakes. If you spin the wheel and it doesn't slow down from drag, you're probably OK.

If you're still concerned and have a non contact infared thermometer, take it for a spin then check the temp of each front rotor. If the one you're concerned with is much hotter, or if it pulls to that side while braking, then you might want to look into it further.

Nice job getting that bolt out!

-Jazzer

 

[josiahsm02]

Finally figured out what the noise actually was with the help of a buddy.

I changed my wheel cylinders a couple weeks ago and I guess I must have knocked a piece loose and it was dragging lightly on the brake drum.

Thanks for all the advice!

I'm moving to Salt Lake City from Oklahoma City on Friday so lets see if this little flatbed can make it!