My nuts and a Dremel

[nigel911]

The heat exchangers on my 72T are in need of replacement. It looks as though they have been there a long time and I am worried about stripping / snapping the exhaust studs from the cylinders when removing them. Has anyone tried using a trusty Dremel to cut the nuts slightly on both sides, then heat them before trying to undo them?

I figure this might allow the nuts to expand a little more and even break away from the stud rather than breaking the stud off.

Suggestions, warnings, advice and mockery welcomed...

[s_wilwerding]

I thought this was a Lorena Bobbitt post!

[Siena911]

"I thought this was a Lorena Bobbitt post!"

ROFLMAO

Boy a blast from the past!!!!

[trak ratt]

Actually this sounds like a good idea but I doubt there is enough room to access all of them. But if even you can reach only half you will be ahead of the game. You might also try cleaning the rust off the studs that use regular nuts which is what usually causes them to break. Let us know how it comes out.

[targa911man]

Originally posted by s_wilwerding
I thought this was a Lorena Bobbitt post!

If you remember, that involved another critical part of the anatomy, not nuts. But I too thought this thread was about a horrible maiming. I always keep an eye on my dremel when using it, and definitely above waist level.

[kstylianos]

Nigel,

I just finished removing the stock exhaust from 82 SC. It has been an east coast car its whole life and the exhaust nuts and studs were heavily corroded.



I used a OXY/MAPP gas kit from the home depot to heat the exhaust nuts. You have to get the nuts RED CHRERRY RED before they will budge. Soaking with PB Blaster prior is probably a good idea also.



After heating, immediately apply torque to the nuts and they should creak, squeak and spin off. Try tightening a little before loosening to break the rust. I used a 3/8 13mm swivel for the and a 10mm hex T-wrench for the barrell nuts.



The only stud I broke was due to not heating enough (was trying to use propane at first). With the OXY/MAPP heat, each nut came off with one heat cycle. They will require some torque to break free, but use your judgement regarding applying too much and snapping the stud. If it dosen't budge the first time, heat cycle it again, they will come.

[Joe Bob]

Good pics and sound advice......

[Doug Zielke]

Excellent post, Chas.
RED heat is how the pros do it!
They *may* yield to penetrating oils etc. It's just a matter of how lucky you feel.

[kstylianos]

Oh yeah,

Just because they are not RED dosent necessarily mean they are not hot.....ouch, ouch , ouch. Left a cool little hex shaped mark on my thumb though

[targa911man]

Charlie--

You have taken a thread with excellent lowbrow humor potential and ruined it with sound, practical advice.

[Deeks]

I thought this was a Lorena Bobbitt post!

hahahaha......

On the subject of the Bobbits , there was a case in England recently where a housewife dismembered her hubby's divlar stud and tied it to one of the kids' helium balloons. To her husband's horror she went outside and released the balloon right infront of his eyes !!!!
Evil woman.....
At least Bobbett got his bits back !

.... anyway, back on topic, what kind of tool is a dremel ?

[Porsche_monkey]

I broke three off my exhaust. Even with the heat exch removed I could not remove the broken studs. Good luck, but I see a heli-coil set in your future.

[john walker's workshop]

red heat is the only way. direct it onto the nut, not the stud. i guess the mapp torch with the little oxygen bottle actually works well. oxy/acetylene is all i ever used. remember, the PB blaster and other penetrants is flammable, so use with a torch is not good. if you use a torch, you don't need the penetrant anyway.

[nigel911]

The OXY/MAPP gas kit from Home Depot - do you hire of buy it?

What is PB Blaster?

What's a heli-coil set?

Don't you love asking questions too?

[Joe Bob]

... anyway, back on topic, what kind of tool is a dremel ?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

High speed hand held cut off tool, Sears Craftman is where we get them on this side on the puddle....

[targa911man]

Originally posted by Deeks

.... anyway, back on topic, what kind of tool is a dremel ?

It's a handheld high-speed rotary device that takes a variety of bits for drilling, cutting, sanding, grinding, etc. Very versatile, and many DIYers have one.

[Deeks]

thanks... sounds a bit like a grinder.

[AirCooledExcellence]

Deeks,

See http://www.dremeleurope.com/Europe.html

They even have an owners club, how sad is that !!!

Cheers

[steve911]

On the subject of the Bobbits , there was a case in England recently where a housewife dismembered her hubby's divlar stud and tied it to one of the kids' helium balloons. To her husband's horror she went outside and released the balloon right infront of his eyes !!!!

I've often wondered where do wayward helium balloons end up? I'm not sure I'd want to find that one!

[kstylianos]

Sorry guys, back to the sound advice.....

The OXY/MAPP gas kit is about $50 from the Home Depot. Comes with a bottle of MAPP, O2, regulator, torch handle and flint starter. The MAPP gas in the container is a liquid which will last 20x longer than the O2. The O2 is in gas form and with a HOT flame will last about 10mins of continuous use. Buy a few extra bolltes of O2, about $7/ bottle of O2. I went through about 3 bottles of O2. Read the instruction and learn the differences between the flames (cold-->hot).

PB Blaster is a rust penetrating lubricant with catalyst which breaks up rust better than WD-40 or liquid wrench (I've used both). The oil surrounding the return tubes will catch fire before the blaster. Use the blaster for a few days before hand, let it soak. Don't use it the day of torching.