Bolts or all-thread in 14mm spark plug thread

[guyrj33]

I think you may find that a couple of those stuck head studs are rusted to the head and that's what's keeping the head in place. Perhaps a couple of cycles of heating and cooling the studs will free the head???

[gjordan]

Nautitrics, I will give all of the gory details when I get back to working on it._____Grant

[gjordan]

Well I got back at it and it didnt get better. I priced a Moyer Marine stud remover and gagged. $160 seemed way too high. I found a stud remover at my local hardware store for $12 (Irwin Tools) and thought I would give it a try. I had been soaking it in PB Blaster for weeks. I had used heat several times to try to get the PB Blaster to penetrate. The remover only took a 3/8 drive , so I didnt think it was very strong, but I put it on a stud and used an 18 volt impact driver and was happy that the stud came right out. The impact driver didnt budge the next one , so I put a socket over the remover and put the breaker bar to it. It sheered it right off. The whole row on the side near the exhaust valves sheered off rather than turning out. Soon I will start drilling them all out (with a drill stop to make sure I dont ruin the threads in the block) with a left hand bit. Left hand bits are available from Napa Auto and are supposed to be better for drilling and then using Eazy-Outs. Old engines sure are fun. Grant.

[a64pilot]

I would take it to a machine shop. Likelyhood of you being able to remove all the broken studs without deforming the original threads isn't good. So they are going to need inserts and those holes need to be drilled with precision and kept perfectly straight.
How about giving the guys at Moyer a call and seek their opinion?

I would not use an easy out, as I feel sure it will snap off, then what is your plan on removing an easy out? Hint they are hard as diamonds it seems

[model 10]

When you break off the easy out you can probably be saved by a plasma cutter. Might as well do all the studs that way.

[nautitrix]

Ok so the studs are not going to come along the easy way. Be happy you now know one way that won't work. After you broke all the studs loose or off, have you tried removing the head. Is it your thoughts that the studs are so rusted to the head that it is the rust that is holding the head on? If you drill down to the top of the block and the head won't come off you will know you have a different problem. Once you get the head off do not panic about the studs. While I have never heard of using a left handed bit for an easy out, I would strongly recommend drilling and then tapping with an undersized left hand thread and torquing a bolt in to remove the remainder of the stud. Using a heat wrench may be of a big help. The advantage to this is that if you can move the stud it will save the thread and if you cannot it will still leave you the option of u sing an easy-out. If you do resort to the easy-out and it breaks off don't panic, they are only (almost as hard as diamonds). The upshot of this is that a diamond burring bit on a Dremel will get rid of the broken easy-out. I have done this after several mechanic friends have said it won't work. If you were getting paid by the hour to do it it would cost too much so they won't even try, but when your time is only valuable to you it is quite doable.

[Jim Cate]

At this point, you might well be better off replacing rather than rebuilding. Sounds like you might be in for some expensive outside labour just to get to the point where you can start spending money on rebuilding. And who knows what other surprises will await inside, once you get there!

Jim

[jamhass]

Some machine shops have an "Electric Discharge Machine" EDM. These can electrically erode studs without damaging the block. I had to remove a broken stud from a Lotus engine once and my buddy saved my checkbook with one of these. Not likely an inexpensive operation, and might be tough to find a shop with one.

Otherwise, listen to Jim Cate.