I didn't know about corrosion and the effects of different metals when I
added a wake board tower to my runabout 5 years ago.
The other night, a 5/8" stainless steel bolt failed at the point where it
threads into a solid aluminum mount. The bolt is corroded to the mounting
plate it penetrates. There's insufficient space behind it to knock it
through and not enough thread exposed to put a nut on it to pull it through.
I sprayed it with penetrating oil and banged on it to try to get the oil to
saturate the corrosion, but don't think it's going to work.
looks like I have to try drilling it out and using an extractor - something
I've never been able to do before.
The frustration grows because the mounts are all inside the gunwales with
barely enough space to get my fingers or wrench inside. I never thought I'd
have to touch the nuts after I got them installed.
So, the moral of the story is that I always use antisieze now, but didn't
know about it 5 years ago.
Any ideas on breaking the corrosion on this and other mounting bolts that
are sure to be equally corroded?