Head stud removal

Having a hell of a time pulling the studs on my 24 stud flathead. Looks like it may have been left out in the elements for a little while, but nothing too terrible. My grandpa has been really interested in this build and has given me some tips on pulling them out. I have hit them with a soft drift, bathed them in penetrating oil, and always used a stud puller. These babies are in there. There not budging. They have been sitting in penetrating oil for a few days now. I will give it another go tomorrow, maybe they'll have loosened up by then. Im just worried that Im going to break a stud off in the block.

Any tips on other ways to get them out?

Rob

 

Try some heat applied to the stud (propane torch) and then apply an old candle to where the stud meets the block, letting the wax melt into the threads.

Flatman

 

Iv had the best luck with this method
Start by standing the block on end so you can get penetrent in the water jackets’ (down the water pump holes) and on the back side of the studs (all but 2 go into water) this is mainly to lube the treads for there last trip out. Use Gibbs brand if you have it.
Keep spraying them for a day or two.
Also give the end of the studs some love taps with you favorite HAMBer
Then starting at one end use a 12 or 14 inch pipe wrench to turn them with even pushing, don’t hit jar or yank on them.
When it comes lose turn it back in and spray it some more. Now your getting oil in the treads.
If one feels like it wants to break stop and use some mild heat on the block surrounding the stud.
Believe me when I say Iv tried everything and this works the best. I know using a pipe wrench sounds half ***ed, but Iv found it dose in fact work the best.
Out of the two or three types of stud removers Iv tried all slip or are to ***bersome and hit adjacent studs.
On the last four 59a’s I have only broken two studs. On the last three Iv broken none and these were all very rusty been out in the rain for years with no heads on blocks.
One more thing, keep your grinder with a wire wheel handy so you can check for cracks as you go. No need to pull um all if it’s junk.

 

Cool, sounds good! You say get a pipe wrench on it... do I use jam nuts or will the pipe wrench hold the stud?

I went over to the shop this morning and continued to bathe the motor in penetrating oil. Im going to take my time on this one. I'm usually pretty anxious when it comes to my projects but I am so afraid of ****ing this motor up because it's the first one that I have done and I just don't know much about the flathead platform.

I'll keep you updated with posts and pics when I get it apart.


Rob

 

If those studs are rusted in that badly, you may have even more problems than the studs. Have it pressure tested for leaks when you finally get them out. You might find that the block is riddled with cracks.

 

Im going to have it magnafluxed as soon as I get it torn down. The rust isn't "bad"...there is no visible rust on any of the studs. I haven't really cranked on them yet...Im being a ***** with it...I dont want to sanp them off.

 

pipe wrench on the stud, no nuts

 

Thanks, I'll give that a try!


Rob

 

I've seen and done some amazing things with application of heat. Whe you do get the studs to start to turn, make sure you work it back and forth so the **** on the threads to work itself out of the threads instead of being worked through them.

 

Henry used good steel in those studs, better than Grade 8. They don't break easy.

 

Think I have seen a special round tool made to pull studs. Snap On? Double cam affair.

 

Those single cam stud tools don't work. Forget them. I used a big Vise Grip.

On the hard ones I wire brushed the top of the stud clean and ran a nut down flush with the top. Used a TIG to weld it solid to the stud (no spatter like a MIG might give), and turned it out while it was still hot. Haven't broken one yet.

 

The stud tool isnt slipping or anything... I am just being overly cautious with it.

If they dont give soon, I will try heat and a pipe wrench and take it from there.

Thanks for your help guys.

 

If you go to the universal hot wrench, you might try adding a big pair of vice grips and a hammer to tap on the vice grip with when turning. As much fun as you can have with monkey wrenches, at least when you add the vice grip you dont have to monkey with attaching it every time you apply force.

 

Noted, and makes sense! I will try it out.

 

if a few break dont sweat it...it just goes with the territory....i made a bushing that fits in the holes in the head it has a 1/8 hole in the center slip the head back on and use a long drill bit to get a nice straight and centered pilot hole then drill it out

 

Just like pulling brake drums...apply some heat to the block around the stud.

 

Well I got all the studs out of one bank of the engine. I did however manage to snap one off. It was coming out nice and clean then just twisted off...I wasn't even on it that hard. Going to make a jig and drill it out I suppose. I already had to drill out one bolt. The one in the water neck (what were the ford engineers thinking, by the way?)

Any how, I'm having a good time learning a new platform. My buddies keep ribbing me (my grandpa too) about running "that old boat anchor" Or "prehistoric piece of ****" as pappy puts it... Grandpa talks a lot of ****, but hes having fun watching me mess with this old piece. He just keeps going into old story about his hotrod buddy's parts hes built, finding car bodies in the desert to make something out of. Old people are cool....lol ok enough of that!

Rob

 

I was just doing the same thing and came in here looking for advice. You did better then me I broke 2 studs on my first side . I learned you gotta keep the pipe wrench square with the block . Oh what fun

 

So you ended up using the pipe wrench? I used the stud puller after soaking the studs for about a week.

Good luck on the rest!

 

if you put a pipe wrench or vise grip on the studs plan on throwing them out.

a stud is junk after is is marked up or galled up.

if they cant come out with a double nut they are junk.

 

Yeah, some are bent....all being replaced.

 

then don't worry and put the biggest baddest pipe wrench on and spin them out

 

In my experiance with 'bangers, it's easy to snap off a stud by using a pipe wrench. I heat them red hot with a torch as near to the deck surface as I can get. Don't need no wax don't need no pipe wrench. Using my Craftsman stud puller out they come. never snapped one this way.

 

You guys that keep suggesting the stud pullers, dont realize on a V8(in my experience) the ones that work (the cam type (snap on-craftsman)don’t clear the stud next to the one your working. You have to keep stopping and unlocking it and starting over. After about 15 studs (you got 48 total to do) your getting real pissed off.
The colet type removers clear but just slip and so do vise grips witch are also to short. The pipe wrench is long and gets tighter the harder you push on it and (if the jaws are sharp )will not slip.
If your breaking um with pipe wrench your not using your torch.
189 out unbroken is proof
Your dreaming if you think you can save the studs.
About the only thing in life more aggravating that a nag of a wife is breaking down a rusty flathead. Iv done both.