[alfa] Milano Rear Rotor Bolts - Outcome

["Herbert Neily" <neily@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

  Thanks to all who replied to my query about rear brake rotor bolts.  A
recent post reminded us to relate the outcome of our various challenges, so
here's the scintillating story.
   Thomas Gonnella made several good observations - I'd never considered
that a factory-applied thread sealer might defeat the action of penetrating
oil.  So, today I repeatedly heated (at the threaded end at the axle stub
flange) and torqued the offending bolt.  After a number of unsuccessful
tries, each one with more heat and more torque, I again drilled into the
stripped hex socket, pounded my KD Tools screw extractor ever further into
place, and applied all of the force I could muster on the end of a 15-inch
breaker bar.  With a loud report, the bolt broke free.  Interestingly, while
most of the other 11 bolts seemed to show evidence of some kind of thread
sealer, the stuck bolt's threads looked clean and shiny.  Go figure.
Tomorrow, I'll be off to the local fastener emporium to get some
replacements (way back when I removed the GTV6's bolts, I found that the
existing 33mm long bolts could be replaced by more available 35mm long
bolts - the bolt tips *just* clear the bolt heads that hold the axle stub
flange to the transaxle)
   As much as I despise Allen head bolts, I have to admit that this bolt
took a tremendous amount of torque before the socket finally stripped out.
Given the design of the adapter/spacer (between the inner CV joint and
rotor), there would have been no room to put a wrench on a conventional hex
head.  So, at least there seemed to be a good reason to use the Allen bolts.
Thomas surmised that the spacer might be related to an allowance for
ventilated rotors available on European Milanos.  That sounds plausible and
makes me feel a little better.
   I'm a read-the-directions-first kind of guy, so I appreciated Thomas'
Fred-like admonition about getting a proper manual.  When I bought my GTV6,
it came with the GTV6/Milano manual that IAP sells.  My copy of  that manual
addresses the Milano ABS system, but doesn't address the rear brakes (maybe
my manual isn't comlete?).  The CarDisc CD provides the Alfetta chassis
manuals and the rear brake chapter depicts a setup like my GTV6's.  If
anyone knows of a better source, I'm open to suggestions.
  Thanks again for reading.  I'll be sending a check to Richard with
tomorrow's stack of bills.
Bert Neily
Raleigh, NC USA
'84 GTV6
'87 Milano
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided