Another V10 Header job
Thread Starter
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Cross-Country
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
Another V10 Header job
...almost.
Dropped it off at the shop on Tuesday and by Friday afternoon they had given up. 7 out of 10 studs snapped off deep just on the passenger side and they couldn't drill them out. Not some backyard mechanics, this guy builds his own crawling rigs.
Long story short, found some rebuilt cylinder heads on CL for a few hundred. Labor on putting those in with the new headers bolted on is $1400. Here is where I am struggling: I see rebuilt v10's around Texas for under $3000 so for a little more I could have a fresh motor under the hood. Current one has only 140k and its running smooth.
What would you do??
Dropped it off at the shop on Tuesday and by Friday afternoon they had given up. 7 out of 10 studs snapped off deep just on the passenger side and they couldn't drill them out. Not some backyard mechanics, this guy builds his own crawling rigs.
Long story short, found some rebuilt cylinder heads on CL for a few hundred. Labor on putting those in with the new headers bolted on is $1400. Here is where I am struggling: I see rebuilt v10's around Texas for under $3000 so for a little more I could have a fresh motor under the hood. Current one has only 140k and its running smooth.
What would you do??
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,087
Likes: 24
From: Central Florida
140,000 is not bad. Mine has 307,000 and still runs strong. I have some issues with sensors/electrical, but the engine is strong smooth and good.
There must be some way to get the broken studs out. This forum has examples of shadetree guys successfully doing it 3 or 4 different methods. Maybe your rock-crawling-fabricator is great, but just doesn't know the tricks.
Leave the engine in, spend a few hours on this forum, and take the new ideas back to your mechanic. It'll work.
There must be some way to get the broken studs out. This forum has examples of shadetree guys successfully doing it 3 or 4 different methods. Maybe your rock-crawling-fabricator is great, but just doesn't know the tricks.
Leave the engine in, spend a few hours on this forum, and take the new ideas back to your mechanic. It'll work.
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,087
Likes: 24
From: Central Florida
The most successful trick I've seen on this forum is about welding to the broken studs and then unscrewing them. Personally I feel like that's insane, but I haven't tried it.
Quite a few humble, shade tree, semi-skilled guys on this forum have done it successfully.
To me it seems crazy and nearly impossible to MIG weld carefully enough to avoid damaging the aluminum cylinder heads, but this is clearly a case where my opinion doesn't match real world experience. Maybe I'll try it one day. My V10 has about 6-8 broken studs.
Quite a few humble, shade tree, semi-skilled guys on this forum have done it successfully.
To me it seems crazy and nearly impossible to MIG weld carefully enough to avoid damaging the aluminum cylinder heads, but this is clearly a case where my opinion doesn't match real world experience. Maybe I'll try it one day. My V10 has about 6-8 broken studs.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 42,561
Likes: 423
From: Long Island USA
I had two when I did my headers - and they were a big pain in the ***. i suspect your mechanic didn't want to keep going wasting huge amounts of shop time on a job that would climb way up there in $'s compared to just slapping on a set of heads.
For us DIY'ers who are only spending our own time, it can take two weeks and I wouldn't care. But paying someone else to do it, I can easily put myself in that mechanic's shoes and say "nope"
For us DIY'ers who are only spending our own time, it can take two weeks and I wouldn't care. But paying someone else to do it, I can easily put myself in that mechanic's shoes and say "nope"
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Cross-Country
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 54
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140,000 is not bad. Mine has 307,000 and still runs strong. I have some issues with sensors/electrical, but the engine is strong smooth and good.
There must be some way to get the broken studs out. This forum has examples of shadetree guys successfully doing it 3 or 4 different methods. Maybe your rock-crawling-fabricator is great, but just doesn't know the tricks.
Leave the engine in, spend a few hours on this forum, and take the new ideas back to your mechanic. It'll work.
There must be some way to get the broken studs out. This forum has examples of shadetree guys successfully doing it 3 or 4 different methods. Maybe your rock-crawling-fabricator is great, but just doesn't know the tricks.
Leave the engine in, spend a few hours on this forum, and take the new ideas back to your mechanic. It'll work.
Ill keep the the old heads and see if I can't get it done on the work bench.
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Moderator
Joined: Jul 2010
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From: Media PA
Good luck and keep us posted.
When I installed my Banks headers I had two broken studs, successfully MIG welded a nut to one and drilled and Easy Outed the other. The MIG filler wire will not stick to the aluminum of the head, I use an aluminum top on my welding/fab table for the same reason, you can weld right up against it with no issues. You would need aluminum filler wire and I think reversed polarity on the welder with a different shielding gas to get a good weld to the aluminum.
When I installed my Banks headers I had two broken studs, successfully MIG welded a nut to one and drilled and Easy Outed the other. The MIG filler wire will not stick to the aluminum of the head, I use an aluminum top on my welding/fab table for the same reason, you can weld right up against it with no issues. You would need aluminum filler wire and I think reversed polarity on the welder with a different shielding gas to get a good weld to the aluminum.
Thread Starter
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Cross-Country
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 54
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Will definitely keep y'all posted. Heads are at the machine shop now getting resurfaced and valve job done.
While they are off, would it be cheap insurance to do the injectors with the plugs now or is that a waste of money if the truck is running fine?
While they are off, would it be cheap insurance to do the injectors with the plugs now or is that a waste of money if the truck is running fine?
Mountain Pass
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 169
Likes: 0
From: Klamath Falls, Oregon
This doesn't apply to OP since he went a different route, but here is a trick to get the broken studs out. I broke most of mine when I installed my new used engine, so I had the luxury of doing this out of the pickup. After you weld a nut give it about 15 seconds and cool the welded stud/nut with a wet rag. The stud will shrink while the aluminum around it stays warm, 9 times out of 10 they come right out. I even had a couple that broke a couple threads down in the hole, just zap, wait, zap, wait until it builds up enough to weld something to it, cool, and remove.
Tuned
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 368
Likes: 0
From: Ventura, Ca
absolutely have the time serts installed to save yourself some headaches later on.