If so, how the f#!k did you get them out? I have a nice '56 330 Im trying to do a refresh job on, and 3 of the plug tubes refuse to come out. One of them is still fine and I could just leave it. The other 2 are mangled from the previous owner trying to remove them. I am trying to NOT remove the heads. So, I was wondering if I just took the valve train ***embly out, and then got them out, without taking off the head it would be easier? They don't want to come out, but they will turn some. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Ok dont take this the wrong way but the plugs are out ????? not just broken in the tubes short of that they have to come out nothing else holding them in unless a little junk between them and the head .......... QQ
I guess the only other thing to do would be to collaps the tubes and get some new ones or spray lots of CRC and keep working them untill they free up. I would have to wonder what the rest of the motor is like if the plug tubes are frozen........ Strange QQ
if your going to take the rocker ***embly out thats all the head bolts you might as well just lift the head off. ive had to do this a few times but all my motors get complete dis***embly anyway. best way to go about it is to just take the head off and beat the two mangled ones out (you wont get any junk in the cylinder) and just slowly try to work the good one out. try some heat from a small plumbers propane torch and let it cool. you'll get to check the ridge too and figure out if it needs rebuild or not.
This must be quite common on the early hemis....I have three tubes stuck in a 241 Red Ram...been soaking for a month...still tight.....I'll watch this thread to see if someone comes along with a good solution..
If they turn a bit, and the spark plugs are out, I can't imagine that they'd be that difficult to get out. I've never had the problem with the milk tubes getting stuck in the heads on any of the 5 early hemi's I've owned over the years. I'd get ugly with the ones that are already mangled, that aluminum crushes and tears pretty easily, so it shouldn't be too tough to get them out. Some heat, penetrating fluid, and time should free up the other one.
I have a propane torch You can borrow, Holmes (two actually) In the "big motor" they used to get stuck all the time. we would warm them up (with the plug still in them) and drip some 99 cent candle way into the bottom. it would usually let them release.
We made a tool that works like the neck on a bicycle. I'll go take a photograph of it and post it in a few minutes. You insert it into the tube, tighten it up and then attach a slide hammer and voila.
hey mr ford , im in the middle of a 354 rebuild and i agree that it must be gunk around tubes , i also have a very nice set of tubes that are extras , ill let them go for a reasonable price.
Here you go: There is a socket head cap screw in the bottom of the hole (3/8" NC). The slide hammer threads are 5/8-18. I'm going to add knurls to the shaft (no jokes here) to help it grip the tubes. It's made from aluminum, so it won't harm the tubes.
i know i used a tool like that when i was working on toyota 4 cylinder dohc's and it made the job pretty easy,
Thanks for all your help and advice so far guys. Im headed out to the shop now, so Ill let you know if I was successful when I get home. That removal tool looks pretty bad ***! Might try to rig something like it up.
HotRodCh***is - that's a neat idea right there. Mr. Ford - If those tubes are that stuck, doesn't it stand to reason that you might want to get inside that engine to see what the rest is like?
I don't understand how they can be stuck, since they don't really attach to anything at all. The spark plugs seat them, right? Is it gunk that has them stuck?
On ours it was a combination of gunk and X-number of years under a bench with bad tube seals in the covers.
I have some 270 red ram heads I have been working on for three years!!. I made a slde hammer thing and have been putting Kroil? on them every time I walk past. I am thinking of making a container that just fits them and covering them in gas. I don't know if it would be cheaper to buy different tubes! The tubes interchange between the Dodges and the Chryslers. The DeSoto's are unique. 241 Dodge's were steel. I believe the rest are alum.
As Andy noted, small Dodge used steel tubes and if not maintained would become one with the head.... There are some variations in the ID of the plug hole likely due to differing foundries. Some on the aftermarket tube seal products simply do not fit due to this. If you have aluminum tubes then collapse them. If you have steel tubes then try heat and alternate with Evapo-Rust.
Two of the tubes in my 291 DeSoto were stuck when I took the motor apart. Tried everything I could think of to get them out. Long story short, I ended up ruining them and buying different ones. The tool HRC made looks like it would work pretty well. Wish I would have thought of that.
Why not try a piece of dowel that has the OD a little smaller than the ID of the tube? Put the dowel down the tube and tap the dowel (that is sticking up out of the tube) side to side, top to bottom, and so forth. Perhaps it might get it loose. A small tailpipe expander might work too.
Well, I got 'em out. I think the fact that they had not been removed in 52 years might have had something to do with it. Evidently, it is the beginning of the end though. All of you guys that have also had this problem, please send your Hemi's to me. Obviously, if a couple of plug tubes are stuck, then the whole bottom end must be wasted too. Just get rid of em.
Sorry, its late! Serious thanks to everyone for the responses! First major motor catastrophe averted!
The Chrysler heads have a larger I.D. where the tube fits, and rarely presents a problem. I have come up with a tool which consists of a center plug (as mentioned by others), as well as a locking collar which fits under the upper lip of the tube.
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