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Trevor
06-02-2012, 08:58 PM
By the end of the week I should finally be ready to put my heads back in after breaking exhaust manifold bolts off in them... two years ago.

Anybody up for a shop day sometime in the next month or so? The amount of time that has gone by since I took things apart makes me wonder how well I'm going to do getting everything back together.

Frank84
06-03-2012, 08:11 AM
I'm not sure I'll have time for a shop day with my project going, but it will be good to see your truck back on the road! How did you end up getting the broken bolts out? The V8 I just removed has had three broken bolts in the heads for the past 5 years.

Trevor
06-03-2012, 09:03 AM
After I broke off a snap on ez out in the first one and messed up the threads around it while trying, unsuccessfully, to drill it out and break it out, I pulled the heads and took them to a machinist. I didn't even bother trying to get the two out on the driver's side head. I believe he drilled them out. I guess he may have used an EDM.

For the one I messed up, he drilled it out over size, tapped it, and threaded in a piece of stainless. He then drilled and tapped the new hole into the stainless. That part was well worth the $75 it costs me.

Frank84
06-03-2012, 11:26 AM
$75 sounds like a good deal to me. At least you'll be able to put all of the bolts back in properly now.

Trevor
06-08-2012, 10:03 PM
I just finished my first valve job.

1599

1600

And here is the repair on the tapping that started it all:

1601

I've got some RAVE studying to do and then I might start putting it back together tomorrow.

Frank84
06-09-2012, 01:47 PM
Looking good! Hopefully you can get it back on the road again soon. Is there anything else that you have to do after the engine is put back together?

Trevor
06-09-2012, 05:56 PM
I need to put the center console back together. The brakes were also a little squishy last time I drove it, so I imagine I'll have to look into that. Other than that there is a whole list of things to do, but they are not necessary for it to be road worthy. I suppose there could be all sorts of things that crop up once I get things put together... it has been stationary for over a year and a half and only driven around the driveway for six months prior to that.

I got the heads on today. Cleaning up the exhaust manifolds and putting them on is next. I have a broken stud to remove from one of them.

Frank84
06-10-2012, 06:45 PM
Hopefully there aren't any new surprises when you start to drive it again. If some of the stud is left, I've had good luck with a cheap harbor freight stud extractor before on those. A little heat helps too of course.

Trevor
06-10-2012, 09:46 PM
I should have heated it up, but I was being impatient while trying to get the mating surfaces cleaned up. There was nothing wrong with the stud, but I broke it off in my haste. A few minutes at the drill press and and a tap got it fixed up. These things are so much easier when they are not attached to a vehicle. It also helps when there is not a piece of super hard Snap-on extractor broken off in the offending fastener.

Frank84
06-11-2012, 12:01 PM
[QUOTE=Trevor;17782]These things are so much easier when they are not attached to a vehicle.QUOTE]

That's for sure! I'm finding that is true with just about everything on these cars.

redhawkrovers
06-11-2012, 12:06 PM
Her's a good way for removing broken bolt's
set a larger nut over the stud even if there is none sticking up
MIG weld the nut to the broken piece let it cool just a little
then try turning it out some times i weld two or three nuts on
till it comes out.
Jim

Trevor
06-11-2012, 08:18 PM
I bolted on the exhaust manifolds this evening, but didn't torque them down yet. The reason being I'm not sure what to torque them to. I'm using the DII style manifold to head bolts with the collars - or spacers or whatever they're called. What should these be torqued to? I only have specs for the locking tab style and I'm assuming these are different.

Trevor
06-11-2012, 08:42 PM
Her's a good way for removing broken bolt's
set a larger nut over the stud even if there is none sticking up
MIG weld the nut to the broken piece let it cool just a little
then try turning it out some times i weld two or three nuts on
till it comes out.
Jim

I'm not sure I'm quite proficient enough with the welder to pull off that trick. Thanks for the tip,though. Maybe some day I'll confident enough to try it.

redhawkrovers
06-12-2012, 04:40 AM
The exhaust bolt torque according to the RAVE
is 55NM or 40 ft pounds

Trevor
06-12-2012, 05:13 PM
The exhaust bolt torque according to the RAVE
is 55NM or 40 ft pounds

Thank you.

Trevor
06-14-2012, 11:55 AM
I got up early this morning to refit the rocker covers. After about 5 minutes of searching for the 12 point socket that I must have had to remove them in the first place, I remembered that I had pulled the intake first so that I could use a box end to remove the rocker cover bolts. 8mm/ 5/16" 12 pt sockets aren't so easy to come by in E-town. I found an 8mm 1/2 drive socket at Advance, which I knew wouldn't work. Napa had a 5/16" 3/8 drive. I bought that and after a little time at the bench grinder, I was in business.

1614

I'm getting close now. I need to remount the power steering pump, reconnect a bunch of hoses and wires, and refill the cooling system. I'm also going to pump the gas tank out and pour some fresh gas in.

I saw thread over on Dweb about the world's longest head gasket job. I think I've got him beat.

Frank84
06-14-2012, 01:56 PM
Good luck putting the rest of the little stuff back together - sounds like you'll have it back on the road soon!