When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
1976 F-250 390 FE : HELP! Best method to extract manifold broken bolts
Hey guys, I'm wondering what the best method will be to extract these broken exhaust manifold bolts. I've got two plans so far.
1. Pull the hood, fender liner and tire so I have easy acccess and can simply drill all three bolts out and extract them.
OR
2. I'd pull the intake and heads and do the same there.
My first thought was to loosen out the motor mounts and jack the engine up (I don't have a hoist) but when I got to thinking I realised with the space I'd need for the drill I'd have to jack the engine up about a foot, maybe more.
Just wondering what my best option is, quickest and least painful. I'm leaning more towards the first option as the motor is all original and I've heard the stock intake manifolds are very heavy, as well as the fact that I just hooked up a new carb and the works and don't want to uninstall everything.
Let me know if any of you guys have a similar experience and the way that you did it! Check out the pictures for a little more context.
I broke some on my 77 351M 4wd auto, like 3 on one side and 3 on the others. I left everything there except for the tire. I foolishly used cheap drill bits and cheap easy outs. I broke a drill bit off in the hole and then a easy out off in another one. Cost me way more time, so after getting quality drill bits and quality easy outs, I finially got them removed. I ended up only needing to use one helicoil.
Wow prices have went up like crazy, but nothing beats a REAL set of quality drill bits, when you have to do some serious drilling. You must center punch the left over bolt head. Then step up drill to where the left over is almost ready to come out. I then used on a couple a quality pick to cave in the rest of the bolt. Chase and clean the threads. Again with QUALITY TAPS.
I had to diamond bit Dremel the broken cheap drill bit and easy out, out. Than start all over. Come tap time I welded the tap in a socket and that way had the leverage and ability to hold it straight and had lost of leverage to cut new clean threads.
Could I of pulled the heads sure, but I like a challenge. Not enough to weld a nut on the broken stud. Good luck.
I have never had any luck using easy outs on broken bolts that are rusted & seized because if the original bolt didn't break it loose, then the easy out likely won't either. If you break an easy out then you have a bigger problem. If I can grab the broken stud with a pair of vase grips and heat the casting red hod with an oxytocin's-acetylene torch then the broken stud usually comes out. If I can't grab the bolt then the next step is to carefully centre punch, drill, & tap. If done carefully, the broken bolt can be removed without damaging the original threads in the casting.
If your situation, pulling the head is likely the best route or pull the front clip off to gain better access.
If you have access to a welder. Weld a nut onto the broken off part of the bolt. The heat really helps it break loose. A cold spray will also aid in getting it out once the nut is welded on.
Agree welding a nut onto the one at right is the way to go if you can have that done. Then heat surrounding area red hot (must have oxy/acetylene to heat fast and hot) and it will come out. As for the one on the left I think it will need drilled. Use care to insure you get drill CENTERED. Start with small bit like 1/8 or 3/16 and go up. Then increase size of bit and drill it out completely. Not sure an extractor will work on that one but you can try once you have a 1/4" hole. Still must heat surrounding area red hot quickly with oxy/acetylene. If you have to drill it out completely then use a helicoil but be sure you don't drill too big. The helicoil comes with a special bit and tap. The gasket surface area looks horrible. If you do get it to seal with gasket it probably won't last long. For that to be corrected, removal of head is needed. So make the decision if you want that sealing surface cleaned up because if you do its a lot easier to remove broken bolts with head off/
If it were mine, I would pull the heads, and drill these broken bolts out. I use a drill press, and a Lathe center drill, to drill the broken bolt.
A lathe center drill is a short rigid drill that is less likely to walk off course, or get crooked.
From the look of the mating surface of your head, it needs to be surfaced in order to ensure a good seal.
These bolts can be drilled out, on the truck, but there is no way to fix the rough sealing surface of the head.
Remove head, take to machine shop, have them drill them out. Then have them machine the exhaust side of the head flat and have the manifold machined flat. No need for gaskets then. Do both heads the same at the same time. Try to find a set of the factory locking bolts, a little never seize and you should be good for another 40 years.
I have to agree with some of the other guys here. It stinks, but you really need to remove that head if you want a permanent solution and the least risk of buggering up the threads for the manifold.
this would be the order of success/ease... starting with step 3, there is a chance you end up at the machine shop anyways and/or needing to helicoil some stud holes.... if you want to try step 3, don't use those extractors that have groves in a twisted pattern. use something like these
1 remove the heads and take them to a machine shop
2 remove the heads and weld nuts to the studs
3 remove the heads and try to drill/extract them
3.1 end up getting 1 or 3 of the 3 with option 3 and have to drill and tap it out (hopefully you didn't break a drill bit or the tap before or during this in the head
4 don't remove the head and try step 2
5 don't remove the head and try step 3
A 90degree drill head and stubby left handed drills would easily get them out to where you could run a tap through it. I've also used a Dremel with a carbide ball bit to grind them out like a dentist drill. By the looks of the corrosion on the exhaust flange, that's might not seal up too well. You should probably pull the heads and send them to a shop to at least get a hot tank cleaning and a skim pass over the exhaust flanges.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
