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Removing a broken exhaust stud

Started by denise 20352, March 26, 2006, 03:48:27 PM

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denise 20352


  This was a method that worked for me, so I thought I would share.  I had a broken stud, at the surface, of course, that was a 3/8"-16 thread.  This is what I did:

  Center punch the stud.  This is the most important step, because it has to be exactly in the middle.

  Drill 1/8".  This is just about as important, because again it has to be exactly straight down the center.  Drill all of the way through the stud, with a lubricated bit.  (but not through the casting, naturally)

  Drill 1/4", again all of the way through the stud, with a lubricated drill bit.

  Drill 5/16", again all of the way through the stud, with an unlubricated bit.  As you do, the drill bit will pick up the remaining material of the stud and remove it from the threads.

  If youre as lucky as I was, the stud will be completely gone at this point, like magic.  I ran a tap through it to clean the threads, just for good measure.

-denise

Bruce Reynolds # 18992

Ah, Denise,

You too have found the "secret" of broken stud removal.

I hope everyone doesnt read this, or they wont come to me for help any more, ha ha.

Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le),
60 CDV

denise 20352


  And that would be a bad thing?

  Nobody every brings their cars to me, but thats probably a good thing, because Im too busy with my own!

-d

dale jackson 20895

 Densise,

  You should become an auto tech etc and work on other cars etc and use the money to fund your project cars etc. Since you seem good etc on working on cars.

 I sale 1959 thru 1964 parts etc to fund my projects etc.

 Dale

denise 20352


  Well, there are a few problems with that idea...

  I work as a systems integration engineer now, and I would really have to hustle to make more money working on cars.

  My health is bad.  I have some kind of arthritis.  If I spend four hours a day working on my cars over the weekend, I can barely walk the next day, even pumped up on pain killers.

  And, people have a hard time taking me seriously about mechanical things, until they get to know me.  I worked as a mechanic for a while...I would troubleshoot a system and tell them exactly what the problem was, and they would tell me to go replace something else.

   Ive also found that doing something professionally sort of takes the fun out of the hobby.

-denise

Rhino 21150

One small improvement on the drill technique. I went by a machine tool supply house and bought drills with a left hand twist. If they seize they tend to loosen the broken stud. Many times the stud backs out before Im done drilling. Wear out your phone to find them locally. Or, use the net!
http://www.imperialinc.com/grp263.shtml TARGET=_blank>http://www.imperialinc.com/grp263.shtml
http://www.mytoolstore.com/hanson/hanson.html TARGET=_blank>http://www.mytoolstore.com/hanson/hanson.html
http://www.vermontamerican.com/Products/productdetail.htm?G=120056&GRP=168021 TARGET=_blank>http://www.vermontamerican.com/Products/productdetail.htm?G=120056&GRP=168021
ENJOY!

Bruce Reynolds # 18992

Thanks Rhino,

I did enjoy that.

But, the first site doesnt realise that there is a buying world outside the shores of USA.   And, that our money still buys stuff.

Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le),
60 CDV

Joe G 12138

South of the Equator, hurricanes, tornados, and water down the drain spins in the opposite direction as it does in North America. Why not order your drill bits from Australia or New Zealand? Theyre probably backwards already!

Bruce Reynolds # 18992

Gday Joe,

You have hit the button there.

Why didnt I think of that before.   New Zealand, definately backwards, ha ha.

Bruce,
The Tasie Devil(le), with one head,
60 CDV

dale jackson 20895

 Densise,
  Thats my problem I worked 6 years on buying and selling cars , fixing cars etc.

 That may why I dont have fun anymore since thats my job or life etc since thats all I do anymore.

 Cant blame you for not wanting work 80 hours weeks doing cars etc. Maybe thats why I am burned out etc at times.

  Dale

denise 20352


  I think you could use a vacation in Hawaii or something.

  Cars can be really frustrating, and in fact, I think that working on your own car is even more tiring than working on someone elses.

-d

denise 20352


  hehe  Thats funny.

Matt Harwood

Unfortunately, its all too easy to break off a drill bit or an extractor bit in the broken bolt. Of course, these items are made from a substance which presumably fell to Earth from outerspace, and are 10x harder than any known drill bits--once theyre broken off in there, forget it.

A technique Ive used often and with much success works if you have access to a welder. Simply find a nut thats close to the same size as the broken bolt--it doesnt have to be exact, but helps if the nut is a little bit rusty. Get the bolt as clean as possible, and weld the rusty nut to the broken stub. The idea is to get the weld to stick to the bolt better than it sticks to the nut so you get a good, solid connection. Then you should be able to remove it with a wrench.

This technique has never failed me. The combination of heat and torque on the nut seems to loosen whatever hold the rust had on the old threads. But of course you need a welder to make it work. Just reason #1203 to get a welder!
--
Matt Harwood
Cleveland, OH
My 1941 Buick Century Restoration:
http://www.harwoodperformance.bizland.com/1941buick/index.html TARGET=_blank>http://www.harwoodperformance.bizland.com/1941buick/index.html

Bruce Reynolds # 18992

Gday Matt,

My problems is usually, well, 99.9percent of the time, the thread or stud that breaks is flush with the surface.

Bruce,
The Tassie devil(le),
60 CDV

Jim Snell #21544

Howdy all,
I was just doing the exact method two days ago on a 1969 Pontiac. I had two of the four studs broken. One on each side. One was broken-off flush, the other was about an inch long. The welded-on nut didnt work as the thing ended up breaking off at the base anyway.. So, I drilled them both and nailed the two broken studs dead-on the first time... I was working this repair with the manifolds still on the car, so it was pretty tight up in there.
Two things:
(1) The two remaining original studs were good but real crusty. I decided to run a die over them to clean them up and re-use them. The die I purchased at NAPA had 6 point hex-head sides. This allowed me to use a socket to drive the die up the studs.. No way I could have turned a t-bar die handle in that space... Most of my dies are 12 point type
(2)Originality or not, I alway replace the studs with stainless steel ones, and the nuts with brass.. Then this is fixed forever!

 Of course, I keep my cars a very long time, and sometimes need to take the exhaust system apart again for other repair jobs...
Over and out. Jim Snell (Indiana)
http://www.jims59.com/jims69cadillac.htm TARGET=_blank>http://www.jims59.com/jims69cadillac.htm

densie


  I have a welder, but, how do you weld to a stud when its flush with the block, or below?

  Extractors, yes, forget it.  They wont be any stronger than the stud that broke, so the best you can hope to do is break a piece of hard, brittle steel off inside the hole.

  A broken drill bit in there would also be a pain, but is less likely to happen, if you take your time and make a straight hole.  I drilled progressively larger each hole, and by the time Id drilled a 1/4" hole in a 3/8" stud, all the 5/16" bit has to do is to tear the remaining metal out of the threads.  Its not actually drilling or turning the stud at all, just pulling metal out.  I was surprised to find that the threads were untouched.  There wasnt even a scratch in them, because the drill bit didnt actually touch them.

  The two most important things are, drill straight down the center, and drill all of the way down through the stud.

-denise

Fred Garfield 22310

Jim, what are the specs on the type of stainless and brass you use?

Jim Snell

Howdy,
Sorry for the long posts.. I get too involved in my explanations...
You mean what alloy? I have no idea. I get these items from NAPA, or CarQuest. Depending on the application and availability of the stud size, sometimes, I use a standard stainless bolt and just cut the head off. Depending on the application. Or if the hole passes through the manifold and exits the opposite side, I often use a stainless hex head bolt alone. These can still seize slightly in the manifold over time, but I dont think the rust can actually fuse to the stainless like the situation with steel on cast iron.. The latest studs I used this past week came with a hex head on the outer end so that a small socket could be applied to drive it into place... This is easier than the two nuts jammed together method.. I have been using these for thirty years and no problems. The nuts are two or three times as deep as a normal nut. I surmise this is to spread out more load and allow more thread contact area? The nut contact edges compress and deform slightly where they contact the "yoke". But I think this is a good thing as it keeps them from backing off, and a lock washer is many times not necessary. I just put the nut on without a washer in most cases. Depending on how big the hole is in the yoke.
Here are a couple of links on the subject:
http://www.theherd.com/articles/manifoldbolt.html TARGET=_blank>http://www.theherd.com/articles/manifoldbolt.html
http://www.dsmparts.com/customer/product.php?productid=198 TARGET=_blank>http://www.dsmparts.com/customer/product.php?productid=198
Best regards, Jim Snell

Jim Snell 21544

Hello again,

Just a few minutes on google, and I found another very informative link for stainless bolts. Nice photos also:

http://www.gesslerheadporting.com/members/gesslerheadporting/ghp.nsf/sub-menu/Products02 TARGET=_blank>http://www.gesslerheadporting.com/members/gesslerheadporting/ghp.nsf/sub-menu/Products02

Here is one from Year One. Chevy related, but this stuff is often interchangable:

http://www.yearone.com/serverfiles/headline.asp?hid=015AA55070 TARGET=_blank>http://www.yearone.com/serverfiles/headline.asp?hid=015AA55070

Regards, Jim Snell

Fred Garfield 22310

Thanks for all the info, Jim. Reason I asked is that there are many alloys called "stainless," all with different characteristics. Many of them are not rust-proof. They also have different expansion rates, strenghts, etc. Will check out the links. Thanks again!