I think I've read every rusted stud thread on this site and figured I'd report on mine. I have a 1999 2 valve F53 motorhome, 60k miles w/EGR.. I have the manifolds off (cut off the EGR tube) . I had 5 studs broke before I started. I had several studs break with 1/2 inch exposed. I PB blasted a couple times a day for a few weeks. I tried heating with a torch, I tried welding nuts, no good. When I used an extractor (the one that looks like a drill chuck) I knew the studs were going to break as I was applying a lot of force to the wrench., Anyway, two came out, 4 broke just below the head.. The ones that came out were very hard turning when they came out. When I looket at the studs that came out, There was aluminum embedded in the top thread or two up near the little bulge. I suspect this is where they are seizing.

Anyway, it looks like I have about 12 that I'm going to start drilling on this week. I bought a guide to help line up the center, I should be able to use it on most. If there is a positive note, at least the F53 has a lot more room to work than the pickup folks..

THOUGHTS - Because of the age, I'm considering just removing the heads, get the studs drilled at a shop, and installing new head gaskets. I'd hate to spend a lot of time drilling studs, and run into a problem on the last one, only to remove a head.. Also, again because of the age and low miles, I'd hate to have a head gasket go bad in the next year or two...

I'll probably start the drilling process and see how it goes, I'll start with what I think are the hardest ones first.

I plan on putting long headers on it when finished. I ordered a set of e-bays (DNA headers) for a F250/F350, They should fit the motor home chassis, maybe,..

Thanks for everyone on this site...

 

I was researching parts, gaskets, etc in case I decide to pull the heads.. Out of curiosity, I looked at the cost of a Ford Re-manufactured engine, $2800.00 ( FORD XC2Z6006RARM )

I may start a new thread to get people feedback on this..

 

What kind of torch did you use? When I did a 5.4 ,I used an oxy acetylene. Heated until orange, and all came out.
Take your time, and don't give up.

 

Tnks... When I welded the nuts on they were red hot.

The good news is, The DNA headers showed up today so I bolted them up as a test fit. They fit great, no clearance issues anywhere. the only minor issue is I will need to make an extension pipe so the headers can bolt to the exhaust pipe..

 

Ok, one guy had success with a very small pipe wrench .

 

I have done studs on 2 v10 motors. One in the vehicle and one with motor out.

Out is easier, obviously but of the 40 studs I have done 10 or so came out in 1 piece, 10 or so came out with a stud remover as you mentioned. The rest were removed with a guide plate that had a drill bushing in it. Studs drilled easy with a good left hand drill bit. None broke loose with left hand bit, but all came out easy after I used a larger bit to get rid of 1st couple threads of stud.

I sprayed the hole drilled with penatrating oil after I drilled thru stud. There will be about 1/4" space behind stud.

The drill bushing is a must....as is a good right angle drill that is small with a light on it.

on my excursion I had to lift motor up 3 in off motor mounts to reach some broken studs along with removing the starter.

took 40 hrs to do engine that was in vehicle. Took only 2 hrs or so to do removed motor.

 

Anyone have any input on if it's worth it to replace the factory manifolds with cheaper e-bay ones? I'm going to be doing this sometime this fall/winter and I'm not sure I want to put the old ones back on. Thoughts? Thinking about going ebay only because the truck barely sees a thousand miles or so a year.

 

Factory exhaust manifolds are cast stainless steel.

If they are not cracked I would have them planed and trued up and reuse them. They are very good quality pieces.

 

Fair enough, thanks!

 

Rock. Thanks for the info... I'm feeling a lot less discouraged about this as I was a couple days ago..

Damaged threads on head. One item I noted, and have heard a couple others mention (including yourself) The first couple threads in the head seem to cause the problem when trying to remove the studs. I noticed this on a couple of the studs that came out real hard, When I looked at the stud, there was aluminum in the first thread or two kind of jammed into the stud.

I'm going to work on a couple of the studs that broke off below the head, I'll clean the hole of any loose aluminum threads, build up the stud and weld a nut to it. I'll let it cool, then use my MAP torch to heat up the surrounding head area and then try to wrench it out..

I did buy a template guide tool from Amazon (Lislie drill guide) and a couple packs of cobalt 1/8 inch drills. I have a right angle drill , I bought all this ;last year when I helped my grandson drill out broken studs on his Chrysler pickup. So if I start drilling, I'll take it slow and easy.. The big advantage of the F53, there's a lot of room in there, just get comfortable and go to it..

DNA Headers - I received the ebay DNA headers yesterday and bolted them up for a fit check (They are for a F250 / F350, 2 valve). They fit OK on the F53. The crossover fits nicely with good clearance, and there are no clearance problems with the starter, frame, motor mounts, etc.. I will need to snake the oil dipstick tube into the headers (maybe put a small shield on it).. I also need to extend the F53 exhaust pipe by about 24 inches to connect to the headers. I'm thinking of making the extension and use an 8 inch flex pipe section to connect to the headers. The flex should isolate the weight and vibration of the exhaust system from the headers.

 

Left hand drill bits. Center punch the stud and drill. Did mine on my f350, easy.

 

Woody, Tnks for the encouragement.. If the weather is good this weekend, I'll see how far I can get with this..

 

URG.. Not going well. The drilling is ok, but the studs will not budge with EZ outs.. I drilled one completely out and re-tapped the hole.. I have 12 more.. If they go like this one, I think I'm going to pull the heads..

 

EZ outs are tapered and just push the stud aginst head, making them harder to come out.

Spline extractors are the only way to go. They are tapered a little but really work good.

like this type

https://www.orsnasco.com/storefrontCommerce/itemDetail.do?item-id=98883&order-quantity=1&item-index=0&customer-item=585-52201&order-uom=&warehouse-id=17&item-number=585-52201

 

What method are you using to weld the studs? I had a bunch snap off inside the head, which is aluminum. I used a 140amp miller mig welder and built up the weld puddle until it was above the head enough to weld a washer on, let that cool, then welded a nut on top of that. They all came right out with little effort. I can only assume the heating and cooling of welding and let cool helped to loosen everything up. Don't worry about messing the head up, just don't put your arc right on it, and it will be fine. The mild steel welding base metal won't stick to the aluminum head. The aluminum dissipates heat much faster than steel.