LBJ bolt sheared off in knuckle

I just replaced the LBJs and one of the bolts connecting to the knuckle (or is spindle the correct term?) is sheared off inside it. It's the front bolt, on the outside (nearest tire).

What's the best way to proceed? My only other attempt to get a broken bolt out was on the antenna, and I completely screwed that up beyond repair, so I'm hesitant to try just drilling it out. Is replacing the knuckle/spindle the better option?

In the meantime, can I make it a few weeks with just 3 bolts? Or at least make it 10 miles to the hardware store and back? There were only two bolts holding the old LBJ on, both the outer ones were missing. Not sure how long that was going on. Back in August I took it a mechanic since the LBJ was squeaking and he allegedly inspected it and said it was fine, just needed more grease. If I give him the benefit of the doubt, it's no longer than 2 months that it was missing the bolts. The LBJ doesn't seem to have suffered for it, but I don't really know what to look for, so it could be in bad shape.

Attached is a photo of the sheared bolt.

Thanks for any advice.

 

@BartMaster1234

 

It's from a prior owner, so who knows. Judging from the fact that the other one fell out, I'm guessing no locktite, which is good I guess. It's deep inside the knuckle so no reaching it with pliers.

 

I sure would not want to drill that out on the truck

Good luck on getting it out.

 

This happened to me. Three of my LBJ bolts sheared off.

I took the knuckle off from the truck and stuck it in my Vice. I then used a left handed drill bit, and a bolt extractor to remove all the broke studs.

I would not attempt to drive with three bolts. If the rest of that ball failed, you’re swerving into the other lane into oncoming traffic. I’m just lucky my ball joint failed going 10 MPH.

 

Is this your only vehicle?

Get the spindle out of the truck to give yourself the best chance at not fubaring it. Get a friend to help you and take your time.

Then as mentioned, your best bet is a bolt extractor. If that doesn't do it, you're probably looking at drilling it out and using a helicoil to retain the original bolt size, or you'll have to retap for a larger size bolt. Neither of those are really desirable options, so take your time with the extractor.

And don't go back to that mechanic. If they were looking at the BJ, and couldn't recognize that it was missing bolts on such a critical component, they aren't up to scratch.