Getting stuck aluminum flathead heads off???

[Chris]

I thought I could get em, but man they are not budging! I am being very careful however as not to damage the heads. I got this engine a week ago, been squirting penetrating oil on each stud every day since! I have tried cranking it over with the plugs in, made some T handle pullers using spark plugs to thread into the holes, tapped and tapped on em all over...they will just not budge. Anyone else run into some suborn ones? How did you get em off without damaging anything?

[BILL WZOREK]

Have you tried the Rope in the cylinder trick ?

[turnpikecrusier]

I used a heat gun on the studs

[scrapiron]

Looks like you have everything there you need to start it up,,,,

[47COE]

I made a head puller using a steel plate with holes to match the plug locations.

Then remove the innards from some old plugs and tap them. Screw all-thread into the tapped plugs.

With the plugs in the head, place the steel plate down on the studs with the all-thread sticking through the holes in the plate.

Put nuts onto the all-thread and as you tighten the nuts the head will lift up. Once the top of the head reaches the top of the studs remove the steel plate and switch to some wooden wedges to get the head the rest of the way off.

My original design has 4 holes in the plate because I thought that I might need the lifting power of all 4 plugs. But the two outside ones were more than enough to do the job. I also used channel rather than a flat steel plate because it would be more rigid. That was also overkill. A 1/4" steel plate should be strong enough.

I could take some pictures if you need more info.

Tom

[Henry/Kokomo]

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First, locate cylinders with both valves closed. Then, make up a fitting with an old spark plug and a zerk fitting (actually, you'd need several). Pump the cylinder full of grease and then keep pumping. The hydraulic pressure will raise the head enough to get wedges under it. I haven't tried this myself but I've talked to a couple of people who have used it satisfactorily. I like 47COE's puller idea.

[Mike51Merc]

I'd get a stud-puller and remove as many studs as possible.

[alchemy]

Originally Posted by Mike51Merc

I'd get a stud-puller and remove as many studs as possible.

This was my first thought.

Then I've used a few thin chisels wedged in between the layers of the gasket. Tap as many chisels as you can find all around the head to spread the pressure.

[37 Coupe]

This would be the worse way to use a stud puller,if you could even get a good grip on about 1/2"-5/8" area that is threaded you are pulling studs from the very top. This would enable entire stud out of block to twist and break,you need to use stud puller as low to block as you can get.

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by 47COE

I made a head puller using a steel plate with holes to match the plug locations.

Then remove the innards from some old plugs and tap them. Screw all-thread into the tapped plugs.

With the plugs in the head, place the steel plate down on the studs with the all-thread sticking through the holes in the plate.

Put nuts onto the all-thread and as you tighten the nuts the head will lift up. Once the top of the head reaches the top of the studs remove the steel plate and switch to some wooden wedges to get the head the rest of the way off.

My original design has 4 holes in the plate because I thought that I might need the lifting power of all 4 plugs. But the two outside ones were more than enough to do the job. I also used channel rather than a flat steel plate because it would be more rigid. That was also overkill. A 1/4" steel plate should be strong enough.

I could take some pictures if you need more info.

Tom

I've done/made the same tool. Pulls them off with little effort for it pulls straight up. Any tweek side to side seems to wedge the head against the studs.

There was a thread about this a few weeks ago that may be worth while checking out.

[ford38v8]

Chris, check the comments on the "penetrating Oil" thread. Looks like a 50/50 home brew of ATF fluid and Acetone gets better reviews than any of the commercial products.

[flatheadfan]

47COE-

I have thought about doing something like what you have done but isn't there a danger of stripping the spark plug threads especially with very stuck aluminum heads? Pictures are always nice!

Thanks

Tom

[Mart]

I've never seen one, but I have heard of very thin hole saw type tools that you use to cut down through the corrosion. They would probably take out some head material too. Commonly used on older Brit stuff.

Would it be worth sacrificing the studs? Weld nuts on them, remove as many as will come out and then The heads should come off a lot easier.

Then you would have a bunch of broken studs to deal with, but that may be the case no matter how you do it.

Mart.

[47COE]

Originally Posted by flatheadfan

47COE-

I have thought about doing something like what you have done but isn't there a danger of stripping the spark plug threads especially with very stuck aluminum heads? Pictures are always nice!

Thanks

Tom

Two plugs should be able to exert tremendous force before the threads fail. If in doubt, you could use all four plugs. And don't get carried away when tightening the nuts.

The failsafe is the threads tapped into the plug to receive the all-thread rod. The inside diameter of the plug is a bit big for the nearest size tap. So the threads aren't full depth. Even if the head was totally welded to the block and you applied gorilla force, the all-thread would pull out of the plug long before the plug threads would strip out of the head.

I'll see about taking photos tomorrow.

Tom

[Mike51Merc]

Originally Posted by 47COE

Two plugs should be able to exert tremendous force before the threads fail. If in doubt, you could use all four plugs. And don't get carried away when tightening the nuts.

The failsafe is the threads tapped into the plug to receive the all-thread rod. The inside diameter of the plug is a bit big for the nearest size tap. So the threads aren't full depth. Even if the head was totally welded to the block and you applied gorilla force, the all-thread would pull out of the plug long before the plug threads would strip out of the head.

I'll see about taking photos tomorrow.

Tom

I still disagree about stressing the spark plugs threads on an old set of aluminum heads. I've seen too many failures, even from just tightening the plugs too much.
I actually had a spark plug explode out of an aluminum head, fly right by my head, dent the underside of my hood, and continue across the garage.

[36Bill]

I have used Tom's puller and it is easy. I had heads that were really stuck on my 36 and they came off without any force on the nuts that do the pulling. That is the nuts that are on the all thread that goes through the old plugs. The secret seems to be the force is in just the right place and in the right direction. It works.

Bill

[itsa52]

How about throwing air pressure to a cylinder with both valves closed? Piston will go to BDC but you'll put 125 psi air to the cylinder?

Just need a modified plug to accept an air line quick connect.

If you think 125 psi is to much you could regulate it to less and increase as needed.

[G.M.]

I have several thin hole saws that were made for this purpose. There is a holder with a "T" handle or can be usd with an electric drill. It is 7/16" ID and 1/2" OD. This leaves a .032 wall thickness.You have to be careful or they can break. If you could find a 7/16 iD deep hole saw the OD could be turned or if to hard ground to 1/2. This removes them and very little material is removed it's all corrosive junk. Some of these heads are so porous they pull apart or break if the original Ford or KRW chisel type head puller is used. These looked like ice tongs. G.M.

[bobH]

Lots of choices here. I never had much luck with the little hole-saws - they just seem to gum up, and they also tend to enlarge the hole in the head, which I would prefer not doing. My preference is the arc-welded-on nut, then hammer them with a substantial air-driven impact wrench. Work the impact on 'forward', and 'reverse', on the really stuck ones. (Don't try to muscle them off with a wrench or breaker-bar. That's how you end up with broken studs.) The studs are sacrificed, but the heads are not damaged.

[Jack E/NJ]

scrapiron>>>Looks like you have everything there you need to start it up>>>

x2. Don't rev it up too much though. 8^)

Jack E/NJ

[tiquer]

Originally Posted by Chris

I thought I could get em, but man they are not budging! I am being very careful however as not to damage the heads. I got this engine a week ago, been squirting penetrating oil on each stud every day since! I have tried cranking it over with the plugs in, made some T handle pullers using spark plugs to thread into the holes, tapped and tapped on em all over...they will just not budge. Anyone else run into some suborn ones? How did you get em off without damaging anything?

Hey Chris old stock car guy told me once they would drain the coolant and remove the head nuts as you have and just start it up when it quit the heads were loose???

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by tiquer

Hey Chris old stock car guy told me once they would drain the coolant and remove the head nuts as you have and just start it up when it quit the heads were loose???

I watched my dad do this once. The motor had Ford aluminum heads on it. I was amazed how long it ran until the heads actually popped up.

[tiquer]

I think once the heads get warm and expand they would let go

[columbiA]

The early 33-36 alum heads were made of a poor alloy & it was not unheard of to have to take a sledge hammer to them to break them off because of severe corrosion to the studs.

[Fe26]

Originally Posted by columbiA

The early 33-36 alum heads were made of a poor alloy & it was not unheard of to have to take a sledge hammer to them to break them off because of severe corrosion to the studs.

Been there, done that. Sledge hammer and an axe and a lot of blue language...

[tiquer]

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Wow that would suck, good thing it`s not one of those

[47COE]

Originally Posted by tiquer

Hey Chris old stock car guy told me once they would drain the coolant and remove the head nuts as you have and just start it up when it quit the heads were loose???

That works if you have compression.

I built the puller to pull the heads because I had no compression for 5 cylinders and wanted to free up the stuck valves.

Tom

[Chris]

This engine does not run...yet. I bought it from a guy street rodding the car (41 Ford). He said he tried to get it running but it has 2 stuck valves. I can see he tried getting one head off...the gasket is all mangles in a couple areas. I hope he did not gouge the heads up too bad.

I made this puller tonight. I'm going to give it a whirl. Guys that have made/used them said it pulls the heads off with very little effort. I'm dying to see if this is a 221 or 239...Praying it's a 239 I'm gonna put stock heads on it and dump it in my 41 convertible. Engine in it is VERY tired!

[IVT1]

Quickest,cheapest & safeist is the old school way as Bill says the rope trick, for u unenformed guys that's removing the spark plugs & fill the cyl. with a small rope like small eng. starter cord hit the starter & pop off comes the heads

[Gary in La.]

Right on IVT1. I use "sash cord" as it can be controlled better and compressed. Don't know if hardware stores still carry sash cord. For those not old enough to remember, sash cord was used in the older windows to attach the counter weights.

[2tudors]

A spaceing tool or two may help.You find them at a industrial supplier who handles pipe fabrication tools.They are about six inches long and 2 inches wide and made from spring steel .They are used for spaceing/gapping pipe.I have used them several times,at the thickest part of taper they are 1/8 " thick.Use a couple and move around head gently tapping in between surfaces.Also have tapped them in enough to put stess on head,then warm it with a tiger torch.The heat and pressure may break bond on stud.
If you try to find some look for thinner make,are better steel and last longer.These also work on anything...misc covers,gaskets,cutting(with hammer)cutting wood,best scraper you'll ever use.

[Chris]

Got my puller made. It worked OK, got one side loose enough for me to wiggle/wrestle with it for another hour to get it off. I need to beef it up, add a couple more studs and use all 4 spark plug holes for the other side. It is STUCK. Good news is on the side that came off, the heads look really nice (not all eaten up) and with the center water passages in the block I think it's a 239!!! EDIT: never mind, I got it backwards I think it's a 221

[Chris]

I measured the bore this morning with a caliper and it's right at 3 3/16, so maybe someone bored it to 239? I'll get an inside micrometer and find out exactly what it is!

[Ed Pitts]

Chris, what is on top of the pistons? Std or + 060, etc. Ed

[PeteVS]

Here's a head puller from Vern Tardel's website...

http://www.verntardel.com/blogs/fron...test-shop-news

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Ed Pitts

Chris, what is on top of the pistons? Std or + 060, etc. Ed

It is STD, so I am now leaning twards a 221 punched to 239

[37fatfender]

Looks like it might be sleeved ???