bikemig 

I'm having fun working on a new to me 1996 bianchi volpe. The bike was in great shape when I picked it up. I rode the bike but didn't bother to check whether the stem was stuck. It is one of those deeply recessed stems. It's rounded out and frozen good and tight.

What's the best way to remove this? I figure I'll have to destroy the stem to get it out. I'm thinking of just hacksawing the stem in half. Is this a bad idea or is there a better way to do this?

ckindt

Is the bolt hole stripped? If so, i would drill the head of the bolt off and drive the bolt shank down to release the quill. You shouldn't damage more than bolt.

CliffordK

Good plan.

There are also bolt extractors at your local hardware store that would be worth a try. Make sure you're using the right size of Allen wrench. Or, sometimes a TORX bit can be driven into an Allen wrench head.

Once you get he bolt loose, make sure you tap it down.

San Rensho 

Try using a 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF. May have to soak for week or so.

fietsbob

jam in a Torx bit, back the quill bolt out , leave the wrench in the hex socket hit the wrench with hammer..

its recessed just not sticking up when bolt loose as it would be with most stems

looks Tig welded steel ..

bikemig 

Yeah it's rounded out; the bolt is recessed around an inch into the stem. Drilling it out sounds like a plan. I'm OK if I damage the stem since I'm not planning on using it. Yeah and the stem does look like steel.