Date: Tue, 10 Dec 1996 17:23:15 -0800 (PST)
From: Mike West <mwest@cdsnet.net>
Subject: Re:First Engine Pull: Stud removal

>> Brandy, On those studs in the heads, I always replace them anyway
 west
- - - --  -
>Hi there,
>	Silly question but do you just screw them in with locktite or
>something along those lines?  How do you grip them?  With padded vice
>grips or are fingers enough?  I'm going by the FLAPS today to pick up
>some stem seals, I'll bring a head and get some while I am there.
>
>thanks,
>	brandy
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 Brandy, if your fingers will do it I don't want to arm wrestle with
you!

 They are or should be, about as tight as a stud can be.

 It's not a secret how to remove or replace a stud so I guess I can
tell you.  :-)

 You use 2 nuts. Screw one down as far as you can and still get a 
wrench on. That's about halfway on the stud actually.

 Then you screw another nut on and against the first.

 Now you take two wrenches and tighten them together against each other.
Generally that's pretty tight to keep them from just turning
on the stud.

 Now you just use the wrench on the back one and screw the thing out
like a bolt with a head.

 Putting them in is just cranking on the outside one as a head.

 I use loctite on the new ones but make sure it's the removable kind not the
permanent stuff.

 Don't know that it helps much, they're in there quite snugly.

 I do squirt a bit of WD40 etc around the threads before removal.

 Sometimes I have to coax with a bit of hammer tapping around the outside or
even the end of the stud with a nut there to take the hit and protect the
thread.

 I think studs are truly dead. No amount of talking seems to help.

 You can pick up some fine curses tho, if you're listening to someone
else with a stubborn stud.

 If that doesn't get it then some real hot and fast heating around the
outside area of the threaded aluminum part will help.

 I say fast and hot because the aluminum tranfers heat real
well and if you try heating slowly, the alum. just pulls the heat away.

 Still, I'm just using a propane torch not acetylene. You can melt them!

 Most of them just walk right out tho. The tough ones are the exhaust
manifold studs. The aluminum has actually shrunk around the stud.

 Last comment: they make a step stud for those exhaust studs.

 It's for when the threads in the head have been thrashed and the 
hole has to be tapped for the next size larger bolt.

 It will be large on one end to go in the head, and the regular size 
on the other end where the manifold bolts up.

 I mention it because you may find one in your head already or you
may strip a thread getting them out. So don't worry there's a cure
for most kinds of screw-ups!

 west