Operating the engine with the exhaust pipes missing is a great way to warp valves and possibly cause a fire. Have it towed. If you want to do the weld thing yourself, I suggest a small MIG welder. Works great in cramped quarters, requires little skill. And 110 v welders are available at reasonable cost. Read up on it. Welding for stud removal has a number of advantages. Besides having a nut that can be gripped with a wrench, the fast, localized heating will heat the stud without much transfer to the head. The quick expansion will stretch the threads in the head and the stud will "usually" thread right out. Dennis -----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Wesley Alden Pegden Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2005 11:26 AM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: removing engine studs: more questions Hi all... I emailed the list a few weeks ago about my upcoming intentions to remove the exhaust studs from the front end of my engine (they are rusted to the point of uselessness) in the process of changing my exhaust pipes. (I've already removed the rear pipes: they were bolted on, instead of being attached with studs). After looking through the archives, I have some questions. The simplest, most promising suggestion I found was to weld a good nut onto the the stud, and then use this to grip the stud for removal. Unfortunately, I have no experience with welding. What kind of setup would I need? Would this be a significant purchase? Would welding in cramped quarters under the vanagon be difficult? Another question... although I hate paying other people to work on cars for me... how much could I expect to pay someone else to do this? For that matter... Can I drive the car (i.e. to a shop), with some of the exhaust pipes removed from the engine? It would certainly be loud... but would it be bad as well? (with all those hot gases in the engine compartment...?) Thanks for any help! Wes |
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