Custom header removal tool

[bigo5552000]

I thought I should write this up because I am sure other people have had this problem.

Problem- I removed all nuts from the headers after a huge fight and the stupid header still would not come off. I used heat, BFHs, stud extractors, drilling...I couldn’t get anything to work and I was super frustrated.

So today after some looking and thinking, I decided to just make a custom tool. The goal was being able to pull up on the exhaust flange and push down on the stud. I also wanted to be able to use it in any stud location. The following is what I did and the results.

I started with a standard tie rod puller from Advance Auto Parts.
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/performance-tool-tie-rod-end-pitman-arm-puller-w80557/11931870-P

The first thing I did was cut the arms (legs??wings?? sides??) off and smooth everything out with a file. I made the cuts with a hack saw, as my metal working area is uncomfortably close to the front of my car and I didn’t want to throw a bunch sparks on it! You can cut it with a variety of tools.




Now it is time to trim the arms (legs??wings?? sides?? Whatever!!) up so this thing will fit! I cut about an inch off of mine.



Gotta make the arms (legs?? wings?? sides?? thingies??) small and sharp so they a grab on!


Okay, do I make the arms(legs?? wings??sides?? uprights??) parallel or angles to match the header flange?



Definitely going with angled!

I used my lighting maker to zap the arms(legs?? wings?? sides?? pieces?? I don’t know what to call the dangly graby bits!!)

Crap, the screw won’t fit through the heat exchanger!!! Nothing a grinder won’t fix! I chucked that bad boy into my drill and spun it on the bench grinder.

Ground the flats off and made it more pointy!

Time to try this out! Does it fit?



Ohhhh yes it fits and the arms(legs?? wings?? sides?? grabbers??) fit great!

Here is the finished product! Could’ve made some better welds, but those arms(legs?? wings?? sides?? Feet??) are not going anywhere!



Time to get this stupid thing off! Will it work?

Crap... stupid picture limit.. to be continued...


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[bigo5552000]

Heck yeah it worked and great!!




This is why it was stuck! What in hell!!! A huge amount of the stud was rusted away.






In all that took about 1.5 hrs to make and worked great! I hope this helps someone who is screaming and pulling there hair out trying to get their headers off!


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[john walker's workshop]

An air hammer and flat end bit on the side of each flange usually gets them loose too.

[bigo5552000]

Originally Posted by john walker's workshop

An air hammer and flat end bit on the side of each flange usually gets them loose too.

Tried that too, no dice.


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