Kick'n some head stud butt!!!!

[BigD9146gt]

Hello all, i'm in the process of rebuilding the top end of a 3.0SC motor. Three of the head studs were broke which started the whole rebuild, and i just got done removing all the head studs. I know this topic has been argued to nausiating amounts, so PLEASE, this is just one guys way who thought he would share his up's and down's of head stud removal

I read up alittle about removing head studs here on the board and in some books i have, talked to a guy i work with who's a retired mechanic, and got to work.

The first head stud I tried for was cylinder #4, upper left. pair of vice gips, no budge. So i tried the "heat the base of the head stud", one turn and "SNAP", broken head stud .5" out from the case. OOPS, thats not cool. So i called my other buddy who's a mechanic and he said to soak the studs with Rost-off over night... So i fallowed his instructions, soaked the base of the studs 3 times, then called it quits. As i was one my way home, i stoped by his shop and he loaned me some stud pullers. They are like a spark plug socket, but have 3 small cylineder shafts inside that work like a cam when you turn it either direction, causeing them to bite down on the stud.

Next day, got to work on the head studs. Started today on cylineders 1/2/3... Amazing, all but 2 came right out without much force... The two that didn't want to play nice, i left for later thinking cylineders 4/5/6 migh have some easy ones... WRONG, these guys were studs from hell!!! The one bad thing about these stud removers are that once they spin too much, they smooth out the stud and wont bite anymore. So, i busted out the TIG welder (OxyAccetelene would work too, i just like the TIG because i doesn't produce a big flame or sparks), and welded up lines over the extinct threads (see picture below), and put the stud remover tool back over and off they came!!!! Sweet, life is good!!!.....Untill two studs start twisting at the middle and not at the case... DAMN. Well, the last trick i remember was to heat the case (cause the stud heating thing sucked major balls), got the oxyaccet out and heated the case for 1 minute, then started turning the stud, out they came!!!!






Hope this was helpful, there are many ways to doing this, this is just what i experianced. Don.

[jpnovak]

Thanks for sharing. I think heating the case is the preferred method. Glad it worked for your tough ones!

[sammyg2]

Good job!
I had a few that were very tight, heating the case with MAPP gas worked very well and out they came.
There may be other ways to do it but this one works as has been proven many, many times.

[Shuie]

Nice work! I just did mine last weekend.



24 for 24 with MAPP gas and the Snap On tool. It only took me about 2 hrs total. I guess I was lucky, but oh well, I'll take luck anyday

I'm 0 for 2 on rusty exhaust studs

[BigD9146gt]

Haha, awesome sherman. The more i think about it, just heating up the case would have saved me lots of time. But, i love to TIG weld, and making something easy is not my cup of tea.