Remove heads by pulling studs

[carguybill]

I need to remove the heads on my stock '34 and I'm concerned about damaging the aluminum heads. I've heard of welding nuts to the studs and backing them out of the block with and air ratchet.

Problems/issues with this technique?

[my4dv8]

Depends on how attached the head and stud have become after they have been an item for so long.
Really though they seem to grow together as one rusts and the other corrodes. I recently tried the welding trick a good solid weld but nothing the nut just twisted off. If you can get the pistons out you could try punching the piston from the bottom to persuade the head.

[BILL WZOREK]

Does the engine turn over?

[carguybill]

Originally Posted by BILL WZOREK

Does the engine turn over?

Yes the engine runs well but I have a leaky head gasket or a cracked block that I need to deal with.

[JSeery]

Loosen the head nuts and let the compression blow the heads off. Don't take the nuts off, just loosen them enough to let the head come up.

[Binx]

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Yup, drain the coolant, loosen them about 4 turns, fire it up and accelerate it hard. the engine will quit when they've both popped loose.

Lonnie

[BILL WZOREK]

What you tried to do by welding nut to stud with head still on as you have found out most likely won't work! the heat from welding needs to penetrate / migrate to the threads in the block.
All the heat is being lost before it has a chance to get down there.
This is why welding on to a broken stud works so well it heats the threads down into the block & the heating / cooling process cracks the rust loose
Do as suggested above that should work.

Let us know if that works if not there is other ways also >> Soft rope in cylinder / hole saw around stud .
These can be explained in detail if needed. I have never used these ways but others on here have & may chime in if you need more help. GOOD LUCK

[jkeesey]

Just an FYI, you may have a head so corroded it is leaking coolant not necessarily a crack or blown gasket. Factory Ford aluminum alloy is terrible. I had one blowing combustion straight out of the top edge toward the intake manifold. Those heads are notoriously hard to remove and my old racing buddy told me they used to smash them into pieces with a sledge instead of screwing around with the studs. Im still trying to find one of the hole saws that fits right around the stud to cut the corrosion.

[carguybill]

Thanks Guys,
I have tried loosening the head nuts and turning the engine over and the only effect I noticed was compression leaking through the composite head gaskets. I'm hesitant to trying the soft rope trick because I have heard that this process can end up bending the valves. My engine runs great, I hate to take a chance of damaging it.

I wondered if the removing the studs might work because in the process of loosening the head bolts to try the above procedure some of the studs actually came out.

Thanks jkeesey for the info on defective heads. I hadn't considered that.

I too, would love to have one of those hole saws to drill around the studs. I guess I'm going to have to look into having some made. Bill

[JM 35 Sedan]

I have seen pictures posted here of a device/tool made specifically for removing heads. A search may turn something up but I am thinking it could have been posted on the old Fordbarn prior to 2010.

[Bruce Lancaster]

Try a collet type stud remover...I think this is the proper Snap-on set that I have:
Set, Stud Remover, 4 pcs. (3/8"-24 thru 1/2"-20)


154.00 USD
Item: CG500
Note that the set will start looking cheap as soon as you break off a stud using another type!

[xix32]

A homemade mini hole saw could be made from .035" wall 1/2" dia. 4130 alloy chromemoly tubing, available from aircraft supply companies such as "Aircraft Spruce" in California. The I.D. of this tubing is still a little too small to fit over the 7/16" Ford studs. So it would have to be chucked up in a lathe and reamed out some to slide over the studs. File some teeth on the end, heat up the teeth end with a torch untill red then quench in oil. This high carbon alloy steel will harden enough that way to bore soft aluminum.

[carguybill]

Originally Posted by xix32

A homemade mini hole saw could be made from .035" wall 1/2" dia. 4130 alloy chromemoly tubing, available from aircraft supply companies such as "Aircraft Spruce" in California. The I.D. of this tubing is still a little too small to fit over the 7/16" Ford studs. So it would have to be chucked up in a lathe and reamed out some to slide over the studs. File some teeth on the end, heat up the teeth end with a torch untill red then quench in oil. This high carbon alloy steel will harden enough that way to bore soft aluminum.

Thanks for the idea xix32, I checked Aircraft Spruce and they have 1/2" chrome molly 4130 alloy with .028 wall thickness. Their part number is 03-02300. I'm going to get some and experiment with it. If anyone else here has already done this I would appreciate any information you learned. No sense to reinvent the wheel. If others here are interested in this idea, I'll start a new thread.

[Lawrie]

I have what I think is a ford service tool for removing stuck heads,It has two long studs that screw into the plug holes ,then a bar is dropped over the stud,this bar has two jacking bolts that line up with the head studs,and most times you can just wind the head off.
I used to own a V12 Jag with stuck heads ,I made a 1/2 plate to fit over the whole head and mounted it off any stud or tapped hole on the top of the head then drilled and taped above all the head studs,screwed in a 5/16 bolts onto the head studs and just wound them down a 1/2 turn at a time .
maybe you could make a plate up the fits over the head and mounts off the 4 plug threads.and drill and tap some jacking bolts onto the studs,
the heads are going to be toast any way
If you want a pick of the ford tool let me know.
Lawrie

[carguybill]

Originally Posted by Lawrie

I have what I think is a ford service tool for removing stuck heads,It has two long studs that screw into the plug holes ,then a bar is dropped over the stud,this bar has two jacking bolts that line up with the head studs,and most times you can just wind the head off.
I used to own a V12 Jag with stuck heads ,I made a 1/2 plate to fit over the whole head and mounted it off any stud or tapped hole on the top of the head then drilled and taped above all the head studs,screwed in a 5/16 bolts onto the head studs and just wound them down a 1/2 turn at a time .
maybe you could make a plate up the fits over the head and mounts off the 4 plug threads.and drill and tap some jacking bolts onto the studs,
the heads are going to be toast any way
If you want a pick of the ford tool let me know.
Lawrie

I'd love to see the photo. Thanks, Bill