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TR2/3/3A Removing head studs TR3

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tinman58

tinman58

Jedi Knight
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Taking the block to the machine shop to have the cam bearings installed and wanted to remove the head studs from the block. Three have came out but the rest are in real good. Any advice?
 
Hit them with penetrating oil and then double nut the studs. Or, you can have the machine shop remove them. Just make sure you check the threads on the stud holes at the shop. Better to have them install a heli-coil there then to find out one of the holes is stripped after you have installed the engine back in the car, as I did recently. If you don't have them look at using ARP studs and nuts to put your engine back together.
 
DougF said:
Heat, candle wax and a pipe wrench.
Click to expand...

I had the same problem with three studs, two of them the long ones that go deep into the block...a heck of a place to have to drill out or put in a Heli-Coil. I called Ken Gillanders at British Frame & Engine as he's been messing with TRs pretty much since their inception. He said to use some penetrating oil (PB Blaster or Kroil) for a few days, and then twist them out with a pipe wrench. I asked him if he's ever seen one break doing it this way, and he said he's seen it only once in the hundreds he's pulled out like this. I took my chances with the odds, soaked the studs for a few days and put the pipe wrench on the first one. I watched the stud twist about 30° and heard pop-pop as the stud started to turn. A few more pop-pops and the stud screwed out. Same thing on the other two, but by this time the anxiety was gone. :smile:

I agree with using the ARP studs and nuts. Which, BTW, are available from Ken at British Frame & Engine.
 
I had one of the deep studs that was broken in my engine. It came that way and I didn't know it until I started removing the head because the figure 8 seals were leaking. I had a guy fix it while the engine was still in the car. Don't try that!!!!
 
I was at a customer's shop yesterday. They were pulling the engine from a Ford/Jaguar, but the locating pins wouldn't break free from the aluminum transmission case. They heated and quenched, shot penetrants, beat on it, lifted and dropped it with the jack with no results. When I suggested the candle, he slapped his forehead. Five minutes later, the pins broke free, both having a nice waxy coating.
 
I'm usually a DIY person but since your block is going to the machine shop anyway, why not have them do it? Tom
 
After another 30 minutes of cussing and trying the block is in the back of my truck with the head studs still attached. I will let the machinest deal with them.
 
Heat the area surrounding the fastener and just dab the candle around the base of it once hot enough for it to melt. The wax will wick into the threads.
A plumber's candle or any non-dripless candle will work.
 
I must say that I'd never use a pipe wrench or those stud extractors that cut into the stud.

I'm in the UK, but I have stud extractors that look like plug sockets and inside them are rollers that slide up a ramp until they grip like iron, they leave no marks and they'll get anything out. The States are a far better place to buy tools than here, so I'm sure they must be easy to find.

Ash
 
That's interesting, Tom, I've not seen one like that before.

But I have several other styles, including the ones like spark plug sockets, and they all have limits. I threw one of these
egle3244.gif

away after skinning the teeth off right where it grabs a TR3 stud.
 
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