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Got a broken exhaust manifold stud in 96 LT1 head. Only have MAP and butane available, but im being paranoid about the aluminum head. Have tried heating just the stud, but not working. Can i heat up the head directly or am i going to warp it with the handheld MAP torch?
Head still installed in the car, driver side #8 cylinder of course. Second to last bolt snapped. 1/2" or so of stud to grab with vice grips, hasnt worked by just heating the stud. But i also haven't gotten it red hot or tried the MAP gas yet, just being paranoid about the head for some reason. Is my paranoia founded or am i just being chicken? Stud.
Penetration oil or PB Blast is your friend here. Spray it often and let it soak in and after a day or two it should let go. If you do man up on it with some vice grips try tapping the head of the stud with a ball ping as your trying to loosen it. Impacts help to loosen up the grip between the steel and aluminum. If that dosen't work then find a nut big enough to go over the stud and weld it to the end of the stud so you can get a wrench on it.
Definitely soaking it with PB blaster. Got a little bit to grab with vice grips, but so far it's just chewing up the stud. But i haven't been getting it hot hot because i didn't think ut was needed. But now that its not budging, i think i need to get it almost red hot but started making myself worry about warping the heads and now im all being a baby about it. I dont have a right angle drill, but do have a grinder and Dremel. So i could go to tap it out i guess, but real cramped area and all.
IM just thinking i need to heat the base of the stud more where it meets the head, just concerned ill fudge it up. Dont have the funds for a head job. Just need the headers on then y-pipe fabbed up and she's on the road.
You could try a set of bolt extractor sockets too. They're oddly shapped with grooves to catch any edge they can. I've had to use them when nothing else would work. Helps if you can hammer them on too. This is the set I have and they're worth every penny:
OP, do what post 2 says. use PB and let it soak in overnight. PB again and let soak in for hours. The vice grip and tap with hammer as you put effort on vice grips in a back and forth motion.
Just heating stud expands it and likely making it tighter
Weld a nut to it, quench the threads in penetraring oil, let it cool a bit and remove it. The heat expands the metal and helps it break loose when it cools.
If you still haven't had any luck, what I would do next is take that head off and send it to a machine shop to deal with. It's the driver's side (I'm guessing it is the f-body in your sig) and is far easier to take off than the passenger head.
The vice grips shown in the picture looked too small for the job and the use of a bigger set would work much better but either way there's plenty of good advice given to remove the stud. My guess is that OP has already removed it by now.
You could try a set of bolt extractor sockets too. They're oddly shapped with grooves to catch any edge they can. I've had to use them when nothing else would work. Helps if you can hammer them on too. This is the set I have and they're worth every penny:
Used the gearwrench set to initially get the rounded bolt off, it broke the bolt. Have tried using the smaller ones on the stud, but it has just gnawed it to hell and no long bites.
OP, do what post 2 says. use PB and let it soak in overnight. PB again and let soak in for hours. The vice grip and tap with hammer as you put effort on vice grips in a back and forth motion.
Just heating stud expands it and likely making it tighter
Used about half a can already over week. This little bastard aint budging. Have tried the tapping and what not. Murphy has made a home in my garage.
Weld a nut to it, quench the threads in penetraring oil, let it cool a bit and remove it. The heat expands the metal and helps it break loose when it cools.
No welder available. Neighbors are less equipped than me and cone to me for stuff, haha!
This is something i was thinking about. But like others have said, the heat is working against me it seems. I think we have one at work i could borrow.
The vice grips shown in the picture looked too small for the job and the use of a bigger set would work much better but either way there's plenty of good advice given to remove the stud. My guess is that OP has already removed it by now.
Those were the first pair i tried. I bought a bigger pair, but its just the next size up. Maybe the large size would put more force on the stud? And no, have struck out every attempt.. just been super busy and forgot to come update the post. Ones in initial picture are mini.
Im gonna see if someone at work has a welder. That should work, i got all the drill bits and taps needed to rethread it, just dont have a right angle drill, would have to remove steering column to get my drill in there.
Gonna get a big pair of vice grips. Maybe even grin some flats into it, that might help prevent it from rounding off. Or at best, break it flush maybe? Ive had this happen twice before, but both times car was on a lift and still warm from driving earlier in the day. So those came out with minimal effort. This one had been sitting for awhile before i even bought it, and its almost been sitting in my garage for a year. 7ish months now.
Get a large pair and get postioned on there where you like it and lock them as tight as you can get them and then take a hammer to it. Hopefull you've been soaking in the penetration oil.
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