Head Troubles...

Hi all,

So I've had a run a **** luck, this is just part of it, but I went to pull the studs from the heads on my now assembled engine with a stud removal tool after struggling to find nuts that work on the fine tooth locally. SO that POS tool snapped 4 of them in the head. Not happy, move on. Last night I got a stud removal tool, take my time, brought the exact drill bit required by the packaging. Drill the stud, go to insert the removal tool, not working, look at the tool which says it needs a different drill bit. Great, so I get the drill bit, drill in further, engage the removal tool which snaps as soon as I apply pressure.

SO now I have 3 snapped studs in one head, and one in the other head with a removal tool snapped into it. I can't seem to drill through the removal tool (unsurprisingly) so this is where I am.

WTF do I do now? Getting the car done in time for the car show is now out. Now I just want ti tgoing so I can drive it to the new house in start of April. I have assembled the engine with a new bath tub gasket, new .2 metal shim head gasket, can I reuse any of them if I pull it apart?

Is there some tool that might get me out of this? or is it heads off and to a head specialist?

Now debating, if I need to strip the fkn thing again, if I smash the credit card and just get alloy heads. Seems every time I try to reuse something it goes catastrophically wrong.

DOn't even get me started on the POS fkn engine mounts I brought from rockauto or the failing double flair tool. so yeah was a great weekend of work on the car...

Did the same thing this weekend, pulled off three studs, took a very small drill and center it perfectly on the stud, workin my way up in drill sizes until I took a drill that was just large enogh to pass in a threaded hole.
then I took a square screwdriver that I hammered into the hole and twisted what was left of the stud out, it will only be a thin piece of thread.

the one with the removal tool in is not possible to drill as you noticed so I would try the MIG weld and fix a bolt and try to remove it, it should not be as stucked as the studs. If that does not work try to heat the broken tool with a torch to release the hardened so you can drill it out.

Sorry for my spelling, not my native language ;-)

use a diamond bit with a dremel

Can you get pictures of the broken extractor? There are different styles. One thing to try is heat - cool - heat then as its cooling melt in some parafin wax, if there is anything left to get a grip on. See the thread yesterday on the broken K member bolt. Give it a break & relax for a few minutes, that always helps... easy for me to say LOL

So, I think I screwed it more. Quick question, what's on the other side of the studs? Cod I've drilled through. Is it a water channel? Or just a void? Worried about where the metal shavings have gone...

So I drilled through two other studs, went well. More lub, taps etc. tried another stud removal tool and yeah snapped it. So I'm at two fkd studs and two sheared studs. Thinking it's head off time.

Question is, can a head specialist fix this? Is it going to cost much? I'll do a ring around in the morning but it's looking like head shop fix or new heads. Fkn yay.

- - - Updated - - -

Here's the broken stud remover: FYI don't but bosch. Junk.

Which heads casting? Mostly familiar with 906s, but most have at least some of those stud holes into the water jacket.

Pull your heads! You are probably getting metal shavings into the jacket, if you get through the studs. Yes, you can re-use the gaskets, as long as no heat has been put to 'em, yet.

My 906 heads are open on every stud hole. Not much help that almost every one was wallered out, where a standard stud was too loose anyway. Forced to helicoil every hole.

Just work with the busted studs the best you can. Probably rusted in. Heat will usually help to loosen some of the rust, by expanding the metal, breaking up the rust. But, no sure thing. Unfortunately, studs should have been fixed, before putting the heads together. It is what it is.
I've always 'operated' on mine, mostly drilling the busted studs, until only threads left, and peeling them out.

Good luck on it!

I prefer this type of stud remover, the one you twist in is expanding in the bolt making it stuck even more, this one does also expand but not as much as the twist type.

http://img.tradera.net/images/654/202416654_ea7a7263-2526-414d-b285-a23bd5175171.jpg

hi

I had the same thing happen to me and I was fortunate that it was the 1st hole. There was enough there to mig weld a bolt to it so that I had the bolt to work with.

I cut the end of the bolt so it made a clean mating surface and welded the bolt to it.

Then some carefull use of the torch to loosen it up.

Took some time going a 1/4 inch movements back and forth but it came out.

Try it and hope it solves your problems.

Malicious said:

SO now I have 3 snapped studs in one head, and one in the other head with a removal tool snapped into it. I can't seem to drill through the removal tool (unsurprisingly) so this is where I am.

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The 'hardened' tool bit in one of your studs...
Don't remember what it's called, but there's a dissimular metal melting method that can be done. Don't know about where your located, but a larger welding outfit might have it. Not cheap, if I recall. Someone else might chime in on it.

I had to work on many busted steel studs in aluminum, and magnesium engine cases...airplane stuff. Flat got away with trying those tools. I just drill them out. Busted hardened tools are hard to deal with.

TheSwede said:

......
the one with the removal tool in is not possible to drill ......

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Sometimes these broken extractors can be chipped out with a punch that has a point on it.

Thanks for the advice guys but after having at it again and things only getting worse not better I've gone and ordered in some Edelbrock E-Street heads instead. Unfortunately time is tight, so is money but I'll deal with it. I'll look at working on them over the winter to remove the studs and probably sell them to recoup some of the cash.

I'm about to start up a new thread about preping the E-Street heads, if you have some advice, love to hear it.

Malicious said:

Thanks for the advice guys but after having at it again and things only getting worse not better I've gone and ordered in some Edelbrock E-Street heads instead. Unfortunately time is tight, so is money but I'll deal with it. I'll look at working on them over the winter to remove the studs and probably sell them to recoup some of the cash.

I'm about to start up a new thread about preping the E-Street heads, if you have some advice, love to hear it.

Click to expand...

Lol. ..this is what I would have done!

I hate to say this but it almost seems to be time to take them in to a machine shop and have them take a look. A friend of mine who was a machinist said that after the hardened extractors were broke off they used to burn the extractor out with a specialized tool. Good luck.