Your persistence is admirable!
And resulting in SUCCESS! Good on you.
You are describing some incredibly tough critters - I have (thankfully!) not encountered any that severe. I am soooooo thankful they don't salt the roads out here.
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'99 F250 V10 Super Cab Long Bed 4x4. '06 short block, PI conversion, modded airbox, 5 Star custom tune, 315/75-16's, 4.30 LSD.
Why, yes, I am some kind of a geek engineer. Thank you for asking.
Wow. You have to retap each hole? Sounds like those buggers were there for good.
When I think about how much this would have cost to have done, there is a certain satisfaction in getting the job done yourself!
I would like to see what this self centering punch looks like.
Well, in the tap procedure, managed to break off a tap in the #9 upper hole, managed to get it out by using a small carbide bit, less that an 1/8" small ball with the dremel.
Well, guess what, this morning broke a second tap in the same hole, then the carbide bit slipped into one side track of the tap and it broke too! Went out and picked up a replacement tap, no-charge Lifetime warrantee, the second broken tap will have to wait till they get more stock.
Also bought a new carbide Dremel bit, rather than a small ball end, it has a round end and about a 1/4" side carbide teeth as well, perhaps will be a better bit.
The Center Punch is spring loaded, you place it on the spot and push hard, and at the end of its tension, it lets loose a wallop and makes a nice sharp center point. Not certain of the brand of this one, but my son had a Snap On similiar that someone ripped out of his tool box when working years ago at a auto dealership.
Thanks for the rave's, it's not easy, almost ready to cry, but hey, the alternative is to mask it together, back it out to the street and drive over to a local heavy truck and watch them try, worst yet, they may remove the head and take it to a machine shop, then it'll cost...$$$$$
More to follow! Given time and patience, alot of patience..
Not certain why taps are breaking, appears they are quite fragile, I am turning them about 1/8" back and forth to avoid metal buildup, turning very gently, but still they snap, Canadian tire brand, gauranteed, but heck, it sure is a pain to get them out, will probally get back to attempting to extract the last broken one which is about a 1/4" inside the head surface, and about a half inch of tap to remove, wish me luck and lots of patience. Will keep y'all posted on my progressing. Giving it a rest for the weekend.
Man I just read this whole thread, it was like reliving a nightmare. I had 8 or 9 just dissolve on the plow tow rig.
They were just gone flush with the head. Got a small 90deg. air drill to get them drilled out & a carbide ream to get the other ones out. I never wanted to go thru this again so I used the best little fix in the world ie: KEENSERTS
Just drill & tap with std. taps & drills. Get a good set of Lefty drills sometimes ya might get lucky.
They allow you to use std. thread SS studs & flange nuts. The reason the Ford studs go bad is the dissimilar metals.
The Keenserts have little keys in them to bit into the aluminum head, then they weld themselves to the head like the old studs did.
Anyway the ones with the inserts came right out with Kroil of Seafoam. The other ones === time for more Keenserts.
I suggest to replace all the studs with the inserts when you have it apart then you will have steel on steel.
3 years after the repair the other ones went bad & we had to do it all over again. I shoud have done all of them the first time. The repaired ones were still perfect.
Next year I will be getting a set of the FMS Ceramic headers & install a full set of Keenserts for the rest of the studs. These are the best kept secret Shhh do not tell
I have never EVER broken a tap in the 25 years I've been wrenching. Something is weird.
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'01 F250SD SC SB XLT V10 4x4 auto 3.73 Warn hubs Volant CAI, eBay headers and y-pipe - 5-star custom tunes on SCT X3
'97 Cougar XR7 30th Anniv Edition 4.6L
'74 F250 Highboy FE390 deceased! I've been wrong before, I'll be wrong again. Just wait and see.
Well then, perhaps I'm weird, especially after the first tap broke, I was especially careful not to go too far, a little bit or a right turn, perhaps 1/8 turn, not a 1/4 turn, then back as much or more to loosen the metal frags, which often dropped out, since it is an upward angle, then forward a bit again, gently, not forcing, and snap, and no, I checked depth, I did not bottom out.
I won't be back at it, till the weather dries up and warms up, this job entails kneeling under the front wheel well, (Wheel removed), which causes the knee's and joints to cramp up, but I certainly won't let it go to a truck center if I can help it, most work, if not all ends up having to be redone eventually, myself or at my cost.
Hey, those Keenserts look like a great fix, I just am not certain how much room I have without busting through a wall and have prestone pissing out, or worst yet an oil passage. Hope I get it done without having to go that far, thanks.
This is my biggest concern with getting to this myself. It'd be just my luck to drill into a coolant jacket!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gene/F-53/V10
Hey, those Keenserts look like a great fix, I just am not certain how much room I have without busting through a wall and have prestone pissing out, or worst yet an oil passage. Hope I get it done without having to go that far, thanks.
Those studs are so small prolly 1/2 to the cooling jacket.
I got em in with no green stuff... Are you using Horrer Freight taps. Aluminum is pretty soft stuff.
Those studs are so small prolly 1/2 to the cooling jacket.
I got em in with no green stuff... Are you using Horrer Freight taps. Aluminum is pretty soft stuff.
Yes, I know they're small but I have not done any research on the heads yet. As for taps I am not using anything yet as I have not even started the job. I am considering taking on this project as opposed to paying someone else a hefty sum to do it for me.
I just took a look at the engine this morning and can see I'll need to remove the inner fender skirts, shocks, shock mounts as well as a few other components just to get to it. Now my concern is if I'll have to jack the engine or not...
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