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Help removing the head
- Thread starter Cyberpyr8
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tr6_easyrider
Jedi Hopeful
Offline
Well there you have it Bill.
Paul only left you with two options.
"Only sissy blue bloods open oysters, or actually have their servants open them for them."
Which is it?
Joe
Paul only left you with two options.
"Only sissy blue bloods open oysters, or actually have their servants open them for them."
Which is it?
Joe
I love reading a good mystery like this and look forward to the ending. My heads came off fairly easy on the TR but not removing heads off a Ford. I tried every trick. I started going back and forth across the head with my finger lookin for a headbolt I might have missed and lo and behold, I had missed one. Came off easy with all the headbolts removed. Haven't made that mistake again.
OP
Cyberpyr8
Senior Member
Offline
Well I finally got it off. It took forever and a lot of effort but the one bolt towards the front of the head was slightly bent. I was able to get the head off without damage and now I am down to the pistons and block. I am going to remove the engine and do an upper and lower rebuild once I get some more funds. Hopefully once that is done I will be back on the road for a while. I already miss my LBC and the weather hasn't started cooling off yet! I will post an update as soon as I get it back together.
MTribe
Jedi Hopeful
Offline
Cyberpyr8... glad to hear you got yours loose. There is hope! My head still won't budge.
Any tricks on getting the studs out? I tried the double nut trick this morning, but I can't get them to release. (In fact, I used some grade 8, shallower nuts to get more threads into the top nut, but it just started stripping theads on the stud, with only a few turns of engagement).
Maybe there's something I'm missing?
Any tricks on getting the studs out? I tried the double nut trick this morning, but I can't get them to release. (In fact, I used some grade 8, shallower nuts to get more threads into the top nut, but it just started stripping theads on the stud, with only a few turns of engagement).
Maybe there's something I'm missing?
Brosky
Great Pumpkin
Offline
Have you followed this thread of my travails with the head removal?
https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcforum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/353655/fpart/1
https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcforum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/353655/fpart/1
MTribe
Jedi Hopeful
Offline
Brosky,
I have the exact same problem you did. The head is stuck, and all studs are removed except the manifold-side #3 and #5.
I removed most of the studs with double nuts, then had excellent luck with with a craftsman bolt extractor (intended for hex head bolts, the kind that bites into the metal as you turn it, but worked great on the studs) for the stubborn ones.
Can't get the last two studs loose. I'm doing the rope trick to try to pop the head off, no dice. I have the extractor on the last studs, and a cheater bar improvised with a jack handle to turn the extractor. The bolt extractor is grabbing the stud mightily and not slipping, and more than enough leverage--the stud just won't turn!
Any suggestions? I wasn't quite sure what you did with the heating?
And I recall someone suggesting dripping candle wax on the threads?
Hoping to get the motor to the shop tomorrow, so any help appeciated!
I have the exact same problem you did. The head is stuck, and all studs are removed except the manifold-side #3 and #5.
I removed most of the studs with double nuts, then had excellent luck with with a craftsman bolt extractor (intended for hex head bolts, the kind that bites into the metal as you turn it, but worked great on the studs) for the stubborn ones.
Can't get the last two studs loose. I'm doing the rope trick to try to pop the head off, no dice. I have the extractor on the last studs, and a cheater bar improvised with a jack handle to turn the extractor. The bolt extractor is grabbing the stud mightily and not slipping, and more than enough leverage--the stud just won't turn!
Any suggestions? I wasn't quite sure what you did with the heating?
And I recall someone suggesting dripping candle wax on the threads?
Hoping to get the motor to the shop tomorrow, so any help appeciated!
vettedog72
Jedi Knight
Offline
I think the studs will break before you can get the "bad" one(s) loose. Keep trying the rope trick and Kroil, Buster and or Liquid Wrench on all the studs. Alternate bumping #1 and #6. When it comes off, it may be mm by mm for the first inch or so. The good news is after the head is removed the rebuild is a piece of cake /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
MTribe
Jedi Hopeful
Offline
RE the rope trick--I'm stuffing some nylon rope into a cylinder, then turning the flywheel via a socket wrench attached to one of the flywheel bolts, repeatedly ramming the piston/rope into the head by cranking the wrench by hand.
Sound about right? Someone mentioned hooking the starter up and using that to ram the head, but I don't want to break anything. Let me know if I might try being even more forceful with it.
Sound about right? Someone mentioned hooking the starter up and using that to ram the head, but I don't want to break anything. Let me know if I might try being even more forceful with it.
TR3driver
Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
Use the starter ! It won't break anything.
After each attempt, turn the engine backwards as far as it will go, and hit the starter again. As mentioned, it may only move an imperceptible amount each time, but it will move. Also switch cylinders periodically or if you can see the movement.
https://www.team.net/www/triumph/mainStag.html#HeadRemoval
After each attempt, turn the engine backwards as far as it will go, and hit the starter again. As mentioned, it may only move an imperceptible amount each time, but it will move. Also switch cylinders periodically or if you can see the movement.
https://www.team.net/www/triumph/mainStag.html#HeadRemoval
Brosky
Great Pumpkin
Offline
You can put the car in fourth gear and rock it back and forth to use the rope trick effectively. Make sure all plugs are out when you do this.
We heated the stud to try to get the bond bewteen the rust and the head broken loose. Plenty of penetrating oil helps and you will probably find that you will see the head rise on the coil side of the block.
When you see that, use a flat bladed scraper to go in from the manifold side as a wedge to break it free. You may have to carefully and equally use wedges to work the head up, starting from the stuck side front to back then to the opposite side.
Do this with wooden shims so as to not damage the block or head surfaces. It's tedious, but you want to remember the physicians oath "First, do no harm".
We heated the stud to try to get the bond bewteen the rust and the head broken loose. Plenty of penetrating oil helps and you will probably find that you will see the head rise on the coil side of the block.
When you see that, use a flat bladed scraper to go in from the manifold side as a wedge to break it free. You may have to carefully and equally use wedges to work the head up, starting from the stuck side front to back then to the opposite side.
Do this with wooden shims so as to not damage the block or head surfaces. It's tedious, but you want to remember the physicians oath "First, do no harm".
MTribe
Jedi Hopeful
Offline
Hey, you guys are da best! FINALLY got the head off the block. In case it helps future searchers:
0. liquid wrenched all head bolts a week prior to trying to remove them
1. removed all studs possible with double nuts (had to use shallower grade 8s from the hw store to get enough thread engagement on top nut)
2. removed stubborn studs with Craftsmen bolt extractor--designed to grab rounded bolt heads, but worked incredibly well on the studs, even super tight ones (destroys the threads, though)
3. despite two studs remaining, worked with the rope method (stuffing about 10ft of 3/8" nylon rope into cylinder through plug hole, then turning flywheel) quite a while on cylinders 1 & 6 until both ends of the head moved just enough to see a sliver of light between the head and block--however, head still would not break loose with two studs remaining (btw, I did not use the starter to turn the flywheel since I had already taken it off & engine was out of the car so would have taken a while to wire it up... just used a socket wrench on a flywheel bolt and spun it as hard as I could)
4. then got one of the two remaining galled studs out with the bolt extractor by using the hollow handle of my floor jack as a cheater bar! (I know, not generally a good idea, but I was desperate after spending two days on this)
5. tried same technique on last remaining stud, broke bolt
6. hit side of head with rubber mallet until it started to rotate, then used the head itself as the means of unthreading the final remaining bolt from the block
Unfortunately still have that broken bolt in the head, but at least part of it sticks out on the bottom. BTW, those bolt extractors that grab the head of bolt (or in this case threads) are amazing--the bolt broke before the extractor slipped.
Thanks again for the advice. Much appreciated.
0. liquid wrenched all head bolts a week prior to trying to remove them
1. removed all studs possible with double nuts (had to use shallower grade 8s from the hw store to get enough thread engagement on top nut)
2. removed stubborn studs with Craftsmen bolt extractor--designed to grab rounded bolt heads, but worked incredibly well on the studs, even super tight ones (destroys the threads, though)
3. despite two studs remaining, worked with the rope method (stuffing about 10ft of 3/8" nylon rope into cylinder through plug hole, then turning flywheel) quite a while on cylinders 1 & 6 until both ends of the head moved just enough to see a sliver of light between the head and block--however, head still would not break loose with two studs remaining (btw, I did not use the starter to turn the flywheel since I had already taken it off & engine was out of the car so would have taken a while to wire it up... just used a socket wrench on a flywheel bolt and spun it as hard as I could)
4. then got one of the two remaining galled studs out with the bolt extractor by using the hollow handle of my floor jack as a cheater bar! (I know, not generally a good idea, but I was desperate after spending two days on this)
5. tried same technique on last remaining stud, broke bolt
6. hit side of head with rubber mallet until it started to rotate, then used the head itself as the means of unthreading the final remaining bolt from the block
Unfortunately still have that broken bolt in the head, but at least part of it sticks out on the bottom. BTW, those bolt extractors that grab the head of bolt (or in this case threads) are amazing--the bolt broke before the extractor slipped.
Thanks again for the advice. Much appreciated.