Date:         Wed, 5 Feb 2014 17:23:53 -0800
Reply-To:     Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Cleaning/Checking Cylinder Head Question Follow Up
Comments: To: Steve Cotsford <cotsford@AOL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <BF7D8AC7-72D5-4397-BF86-0325DFC5DAB2@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

It's four nuts and studs and four bolts to the heads. On some (most?) you'll
only be able to get a vise grip on because the pipe curves over what's left
of them. And then you snap off the corroded stud/bolt and you'll have to
drill and extract it.  It can be a nightmare, which is why it's easier to
pull the engine when doing the heads if the nuts are severely corroded.
Plan on replacing all the nuts and bolts, and all of the gaskets.
http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van/page_567_279/exhaust-hardware-kit.html

Try soaking overnight with PB Blaster and hope for the best.

Good luck!

Stuart

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Steve Cotsford
Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2014 5:03 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Cleaning/Checking Cylinder Head Question Follow Up

So what is the best and safest way to remove the cylinder head exhaust studs
and bolts or nuts ?    Probably they have very many years of rusting so
soaking them in PB Blaster or Kroil is certainly going to be necessary.  I
would guess driving on a socket of perhaps 1 size smaller than the nominal
size so that there is less chance of slippage and rounding off of the nuts.
Should one dispense with that and use a dremel thin grinding wheel to
carefully grind off one area of the nuts so that they can be broken off the
studs without stud damage?    Cleaning off the threads remaining with the
correct size thread die so that new nuts will fit nicely?        Once again
I would like to hear the opinion of those who have successfully done this
troublesome job.         Thanks,   Steve