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Technical Broken Exhaust Flange Studs

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by johnfin, Jan 29, 2025 at 12:13 PM.

  1. johnfin
    Joined: Apr 11, 2008
    Posts: 191

    johnfin
    Member
    from auburndale

    What is the best way to extract these. I was going to soak them in blaster but then I thought about welding a nut on the stud so I want it to be clean. I broke all three off.
     

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  2. tomcat11
    Joined: Mar 31, 2010
    Posts: 1,017

    tomcat11
    Member

    You can soak them with blaster or liquid wrench. Then try double nutting them. They will be stubborn and probably need a torch to heat up the flange.
     
  3. Bandit Billy
    Joined: Sep 16, 2014
    Posts: 13,960

    Bandit Billy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Clean studs with wire wheel, I like putting the nut about halfway onto the stud so you make sure you are penetrating the stud and not just jumping to the bolt, Crank up the amps on the MIG, let the red disappear and remove it with an impact gun.
     
    deathrowdave likes this.
  4. RmK57
    Joined: Dec 31, 2008
    Posts: 2,932

    RmK57
    Member

    Get it red hot and then clamp on vice grips. Should come out easy as you have quite a bit there bite on.
     
    arse_sidewards likes this.
  5. '29 Gizmo
    Joined: Nov 6, 2022
    Posts: 1,056

    '29 Gizmo
    Member
    from UK

    Hardly ever managed to rescue siezed studs from a rusty cast iron manifold. Get the drill and taps on standby.
     
  6. Jmountainjr
    Joined: Dec 29, 2006
    Posts: 1,749

    Jmountainjr
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    In the car I heat the flange to a dull red before spraying on the penetrating oil and then let cool. If I am in a patient mood, may repeat a few times before trying removing using the double nut deal on the stud. Drilling them out is an option, but the access in the car most times isn't great and it's easy to drill off center if you don't have a drill guide, so removing the manifold is usually quicker. If the manifold is removed from the car, and I am not in a hurry, I will soak the flange in white vinegar and let some of the rust dissolve and then try the heat and penetrating oil before the drilling deal. The best approach is up front just accept it's seldom a quick no stress deal. But slow any steady wins the race.
     
  7. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,769

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    You've been doing something wrong , hot wrench most always works
     
    RICH B and slayer like this.
  8. 34Phil
    Joined: Sep 12, 2016
    Posts: 639

    34Phil
    Member

    when you put it back together use brass nuts
     
  9. cfmvw
    Joined: Aug 24, 2015
    Posts: 1,017

    cfmvw
    Member

    Second on the brass nuts, plus I also put antiseize on the new studs before I install them into the manifold.
     
    bobss396 and sdluck like this.
  10. stubbsrodandcustom
    Joined: Dec 28, 2010
    Posts: 2,497

    stubbsrodandcustom
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Spring tx

    Id do the weld but move the nut as high up on the stud as possible so its heat cycle will penetrate into the manifold. And dont let them cool, as mentioned above, after cherry red has gone away, start wrenching them off. do 1 at a time also helps. The heat and the leverage is key.
     
  11. RodStRace
    Joined: Dec 7, 2007
    Posts: 6,139

    RodStRace
    Member

    Beanscoot likes this.
  12. 1946caddy
    Joined: Dec 18, 2013
    Posts: 2,212

    1946caddy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from washington

    I guess I do it different from the rest of you.
    Clean the flange and use some penetrating oil just where the stud enters the flange.
    Get your torch and heat just the stud until it's red hot all the way to the flange but do not heat the flange. (important that you do not heat the flange.)
    Let the stud cool to the touch and use a double nut or vice grips to remove the stud.
    The principal behind this is that the stud expands when heated red hot and then shrinks when it cools. This action breaks the rusty bond that has formed in the flange. Sheetmetal screws and body panel bolts usually come apart by hand with this method.
     
    vtx1800 likes this.
  13. Ratmother
    Joined: Jan 23, 2022
    Posts: 37

    Ratmother
    Member

    As Pocket Nick says above, try candle wax. Had bolt broken off flush on Model A exhaust manifold(where intake bolts to exhaust manifold) - built up stud enough with tig weld to get vice grips on and melted wax onto stud at manifold - may need to repeat heat and wax a couple times.
    Have used heat (oxy-acetylene)and wax on double-nutted stud exposed to water jacket that wouldn’t budge - it worked.
     
  14. Boneyard51
    Joined: Dec 10, 2017
    Posts: 6,619

    Boneyard51
    Member

    One thing not mentioned yet is your trusty air cheisel/hammer. Use a smaller one and put it on low setting , use the bit that is concave and put it right on the stud. It takes some time, sometimes, but this sets up a vibration in the stud and can loosen the threads. I try this before the welding nuts and things. Like all the methods mentioned….works sometimes….sometimes not!





    Bones
     
  15. deathrowdave
    Joined: May 27, 2014
    Posts: 4,198

    deathrowdave
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from NKy

    Lots of good ideas , don’t chuckle at the wax you will be amazed at the results . It works well . In the end I replace with stainless studs and brass nuts .
     
    Nailhead Jason likes this.
  16. Beanscoot
    Joined: May 14, 2008
    Posts: 3,389

    Beanscoot
    Member

    You have it easy with those - there's something to grab.
    I have to disagree a bit with some of the answers.

    Oxy-acetylene torch works great, but the casting is what's heated. It has to get bright red, when the studs screw out quite easily.
    As the casting cools down to a dull red, it gets much harder to unscrew the stud.
    This is what I learnt as an apprentice in a shipyard taking apart many many rusty cast iron valves, and it's worked great for me on automotive manifolds as well.
     
  17. Greg Rogers
    Joined: Oct 11, 2016
    Posts: 887

    Greg Rogers
    Member

    wow, lots of different ways... I used to work at a place in the 80's that did lots of exhaust systems on 10 yr old rusty Michigan cars. We just heated the flange of cast iron manifolds red hot, and stud would come right out. All the mechanics had "souvenirs" in their tool boxes of old rusted studs they removed to compare with others-"Who's is thinner??". Anyway looks to me like that stud will come right out and threads will be OK.
     
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  18. Even Mapp gas in a propane torch will get it plenty hot. I like giving it 2 to 3 heat-cool cycles.
     
  19. Beanscoot
    Joined: May 14, 2008
    Posts: 3,389

    Beanscoot
    Member

    Just as an aside, apparently real MAPP gas is no longer sold. The stuff in the yellow cylinders is now "MAP\\PRO", etc. which is not much better than propane.
    Lots of talk about this on the Garage Journal etc.
     
    2OLD2FAST, bobss396 and Sharpone like this.
  20. 57Fury440
    Joined: Nov 2, 2020
    Posts: 359

    57Fury440
    Member

    My friend asked me to help him with an exhaust manifold for his small block chevy. He ended up breaking two off and left nothing to grab onto. He said he tried everything. This was about 15 years ago. We went to a good hardware store and got a good drill bit and drilled them out. We tapped them and installed new studs. It was a pain, but it worked.
     
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  21. chopolds
    Joined: Oct 22, 2001
    Posts: 6,268

    chopolds
    Member
    from howell, nj
    1. Kustom Painters

    Even if you don't have much of a stud left, Clean it with a wire brush, put a slightly larger size nut over the stub, and hit it with your welder, on pretty high heat. Be sure you are getting good weld on the stud, it will want to go just to the nut. I usually use an impact gun, right away, but you can use hand tools if you're fast enough. Never failed for me!
     
  22. ALLDONE
    Joined: May 16, 2023
    Posts: 2,231

    ALLDONE
    Member

    never ever ever drill them..
     
    Boneyard51 likes this.
  23. larry k
    Joined: Feb 23, 2009
    Posts: 576

    larry k
    Member

    1946 caddy , is the first guy in this thread that understands how heat works ,,, his way works every time !!!
     
    vtx1800 likes this.
  24. Joe H
    Joined: Feb 10, 2008
    Posts: 1,684

    Joe H
    Member

    Weld a washer to the broken stud first, you can get to the stud easier, then weld a nut to the washer so you can get weld on three sides of the nut. The more heat you put into the stud, the better they come out.
     
    ALLDONE likes this.
  25. HEATHEN
    Joined: Nov 22, 2005
    Posts: 8,859

    HEATHEN
    Member
    from SIDNEY, NY

    Why not? I've done it several times over the years and it worked out fine.
     
    TagMan likes this.
  26. Boneyard51
    Joined: Dec 10, 2017
    Posts: 6,619

    Boneyard51
    Member

    Sometimes that is the only option, if they break off flush with the flange! I have drilled many, many bolts out of holes in my career! In my job , I encounter many rusted bolts and have used every trick mentioned here! Sometimes you just had to do what you have to do!


    Bones
     
    Algoma56 likes this.
  27. As a common denominator , Heat is your friend.
    Vic
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2025 at 10:56 PM
  28. RmK57
    Joined: Dec 31, 2008
    Posts: 2,932

    RmK57
    Member

    Heat being the way to go but…you could always drill the whole thing out and just use a regular nut and bolt to clamp it, if there’s room of coarse.
     
    Boneyard51 likes this.
  29. Boneyard51
    Joined: Dec 10, 2017
    Posts: 6,619

    Boneyard51
    Member

    Help, actually makes a clamp to go over these bolts to “ repair” the broken bolt, so you do not have to drill them! I have never used one….but have seen them!





    Bones
     
    saltflats likes this.

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