Aight....On my buddys 87 camaro, he called me and said he couldnt get them off to put his new headers on(just got the car the other day, his first mod)..So I went over there, and he had rounded the 2 center bolts clean off that are in the middle, then he took his die grinder them to form them back and then broke what was left of the head pretty much off .

So what can I do and not ruin the heads?

How can I drill them out (Never Done That Before), I got one out with forming it with my dremel w/ the flex shaft and a gator socket. But that one is so screwed I don't know what I can do.

He is afraid he has ruined his head on the pass. side, which I don't want him to be afraid to mod his car.

Can I take out some of that Iron around the bolt and then form it with a certain bit and get it off?

Someone help me on this, he is already talking about selling it if I can't fix it.

So if yall can think of anyway to help please post....

-Jensen

 

you could try an easy out. you would have to drill a small hole in the center of what is left to the bolt, then tap the easy out in and try to losen the bolt. i would soak the bolt with penetrating(sp) oil for a week or so, then try the easy out. chances are, you are going to break the easy out. other than that i would say to take the head off. drill the bolt out. run a tap down the new hole and use a different size bolt.

 

Did the bolts break flush with the exaust flange on the head? Or did just the head of the bolt break like you said? you can pull the other bolts, and slide the manifold off and work with the rest of whats left with some vice grips. If they broke off flush, the heads will have to come off to get them out properly. Use a good penetrating oil like PB Blaster! It's good stuff and most auto stores carry it.

 

As a professional mechanic I would say that E-Z outs work about 10% of the time remove all other bolts,and manifold and work it out from there...........if you have to pull the head find someone with access to a mill ............I have had to remove 100z of broken bolts and this is one of the best ways......................also if head not removed and still stud to work with try mig nut to what has now become a stud an wrench it back and forth gently with Pen oil...............Good luck

 

I had the same thing happen to me when I put my headers on.

I thought I was seriously screwd, but I got lucky. I removed the rest of the bolts and got the manifold off. After I got the manifold off I had a bit of the bolt remaining sticking out of the head. I soaked it with PB Blaster (THE ABSOLUTE BEST penetrating oil!!!) and went on to the drivers side. After getting off the drivers side manifold I soaked the stud again and went and got lunch. When I came back I got the dremel out like you did with the flex shaft and formed a couple of flat sides. I got on the stud with the best wrench I had that I could get on the stud and started trying to move it back and forth. After about the third attempt to move it it broke loose and I actually removed it from there with my fingers!

This post really did not add much to what the guys wrote above but I did use the method to get the same stud out. It worked for me...

Good Luck!
Speedy

 

Exactly! If you don't use PB Blaster the first time your just wasting time. I've used everything else and haven't found anything that works faster or better than it does. The only thing WD is good for is door hinges!

 

PB Blaster. :hail:

 

How are the Manifold wars coming?

 

Soaked it, dremeled me a head, went at it with a wrench, and the P.O.S. thing snapped yet again.


Going to soak it again a few more times and try once more.


Any other ideas?


Thanks Guys, Jensen

 

How is it as it sits now? Is the manifold off with the broken bolt sticking out of the head? If so keep aoking it. I mean soak it to the point that there is PB blaster on your shoe soles from it running off onto the gound. They I would use a pair of vice grips and turn very slow. You will have a less chance of breaking again this way and when it starts to move spray it again.

 

The only thing I might add to what ShiftyCapone wrote is as you are doing what he said you might take a small hammer or whatever you can get into the space and tap on the stud. Tap straight into the head.

Donot pound! Just tap. The whole idea is to break up the corrosion that is holding the bolt captive. Sometimes a little tapping will do that... Other than that keep pouring the blaster to it.

I saw a tool at home depot that looked interesting that might work here. It is a cresent wrench with a lever on the bottom like a vice grips. After you have screwed the jaw down as tight as possible you close the lever and it puts additional pressure on the jaw... I believe it was made by Stanley... If you look there may be a better version of the same thing somewhere else. This one showed being made in China. @#$%%it When did they start making Stanley tools in China?

Good luck!

Speedy

 

you could also cut a straight line into the remaining stud and used a flat head screwdriver bit in a socket and gently rock it back and forth. Worked for me in the past...

 

Try the dremel, adn make s slit in it, then get a flathead attachment for your rachet, you should make it a tight fit, and give it a crank, if not, weld another bolt ontot he top of that one....

 

I don't think getting a grip is his problem. I think the bolt has become tempered by heat for so long, it has become brittle. I used to work in a stamping factory where we stamped, heat treated, plated and coated metal parts. One thing I learned during the heat treating process is timing is critical. Too much heat made the parts too hard and made them brittle and subject to cracking. How about this; file the end flat, get a 3/8's die thread it, and use it for a stud! Nut's and lock washers don't fall out like header bolts anyway. Just and idea if there's enough bolt left sticking out.

 

Okay guys, thanks....it's out....And this is what I done.

Soaked in PB Blaster(*** Sent)...around 3 cans worth.

Then took a Flat Head insert to it....


Rocked it back and forth while the owner of the car sprayed the **** out of it some more, and finally I I was backing it out and it broke lose REAL GOOD...

So right after we got done, I cleaned up my tools...and went and bought a year's supply of Blaster.


Thanks for all the help guys...Thought it was going to take a machine shop to get that bolt out.

-Jensen

 

I'm very glad to hear that you got it out!

Question: How did it feel when "it broke lose REAL GOOD... ?"

Mine did that. Although I was elated, I still said several bad words and mentioned something about the heritage of the bolt...


Congrats!
Speedy

 

I told ya it was good stuff! But three cans? I never had to use that much. I used one can, soaked all the nuts and bolts on my rear end (please, no jokes!) and had some left over. Sounds like you were a little frustrated with getting your nuts off!

 

Yeah I was about ready to nut up inside that exhaust .


And when it broke loose, I was giving it my "yeahh yeahhh, You can't tell me no baby!You're lubed up as wet as a bolt can get...."






Thanks again guys, Jensen