Head Removal - Impact wrench

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: Head Removal - Impact wrench
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bud Holzschuh - Panama City, FL on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 10:12 am:

In a few weeks I will be removing the head (and pan) on my 15 touring. I doubt if this has been done since the car was new. I have also heard horror stories about breaking off head bolts.

Many years ago I worked in a marina and we had to remove engine mounting bolts of which 9 out of 10 would torque off (break) if we used a regular wrench.

Tried an impact wrench one day (set on the lowest torque setting that would work) and the broken bolt ratio went to about 1 in 100.

All this is by way of asking...are your chances of breaking a head bolt less, if you use an impact wrench ?

Thanks
schuh


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Charlie B actually in Toms River N.J. on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 10:20 am:

Since you claim to have experience with it I won't set up a counter argument but my instinct says no. I imagine that the vibrations set up with the gun at it's lowest setting has something to do with your success at it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Will,, Trenton,,,New Jersey on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 10:35 am:

Heres my experance with this,,, Back in my 20's I had an old VW.While taking off a tire I broke off bolt with a 4 way lug wrench. My dad hit it with his air impact and removed the other three with no problem. Was it just luck, who knows.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fred Dimock, Newfields NH, USA on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 10:46 am:

Never thought about that but it makes sense.
Metal is elastic up to the point it stretches and ultimately fractures.
If you stay in the elastic range and cycle it (Impact wrench)you can make the joint vibrate loose as Charlie mentioned.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Charlie B actually in Toms River N.J. on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 11:13 am:

Let me just jump in here again. It's the quality of the bolt metal and the length that bothers me about impacting T head bolts. Still think I'd go for a soak and a few well placed (light) hammer shots on the heads then hand wrenching them off. Or at least loosening them by hand then gunning. As mentioned on other posts: be SURE to clean out the block/head bolt holes with an awl & compressed air. Don't know how that crap gets in there but it can make you cry later if the bolts bottom out on it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Willie K Cordes on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 12:09 pm:

A hammer works good on breaking loose the rust and works on pipe and bolts that would break off if not loosen up first.
The impact does the same think as the hammer.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mack Cole ---- Earth on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 12:21 pm:

I have broke them both ways.So perhaps the impact was to strong.
I see the logic,makes sense,but useing a wrench or socket and pull handle,and progressively tightning,and looseing the bolt,as in gently,back and forth,useally will help get 1 loose.And most of the time you can feel when something aint right,where as the impact feels nothing.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Aaron Griffey, Hayward Ca. on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 04:53 pm:

For the last 30 or more years I have believed that they will come out better with an impact.
If you can put a little counter-clockwise tension on the bolt with a box end wrench when you hit the head with a hammer it can help too.

About 5 years ago I broke 37 head bolts off in a 50-53 Ford V8 engine that had been used in a boat since it was new.
The owner had a friend that was good at drilling them out so....
$700 later I got the block back.
I would have done it for a lot less. Maybe 690.?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bernard Paulsen, San Buenaventura, Calif on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 05:41 pm:

You are looking at a bolt, any bolt, that is clearly rusted in place. What can you do to it to loosen it before you apply force?

1) Soak it in snake oil
2) Head it up, then heat up the surrounding area
3) Hit it with a hammer

The impact wrench probably works like the hammer here.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gary H. White - Sheridan, MI on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 07:39 pm:

My dad always told me that if you think you are applying too much force to loosen a bolt or nut, use a hammer (brass if you got one)on the wrench to break it loose. I've gone against his advise a few times and regretted it. Plus a few taps with the hammer can avoid skinned knuckles and other unpleasant happenings.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil Paoletti -- Rrnton WA on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 07:55 pm:

For whatever it's worth I have had good success by simply heating the bolt head with an acetylene torch. I use a small tip, turn the bolt head red, let it cool a bit and then apply a bit of old brake fluid to the bolt area as it cools. The thermal expansion of the bolt seems to break the rust bond and as the bolt cools the brake fluid is wicked into the joint. The same approach works on rusted nuts also. When working with an aluminium head don't heat the bolt head as hot; you must take great caution to avoid damaging the alloy. In my experience old brake fluid is a superior penetrating fluid than any other penetrating oils on the market. Once the cap screw is out and the tapped hole cleaned be sure and coat the threads with "Never Seize" before reassembly.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ray on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 08:44 pm:

Saw add on boating show, Loctite makes spray that freezes and supposedly breaks free bolts on boat engines that are corroded.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By George_Cherry Hill NJ on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 10:25 pm:

Schuh,

My late father in law was a master at taking rust buckets and giving them total resto's...the year before he passed he received a 1st in one of the MVPA on something that started as what a scrapper wouldn't want...

He also used an impact wrench but actually went the other way...torque load well below and 'tighten' and let the rat-a-tat do its' magic for a bit, then he would rat-a-tat the other way until he had maybe an 1/8th turn...load it up with penetrating oil, and come back the next day and spin it off with rat-a-tat.

I'm sure he broke one or two along the way, but in 40 years of being around him, he never broke one in my presence.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ian Corfield on Sunday, May 20, 2012 - 02:22 pm:

I have used an impact driver on motorcycles very successfully. These devices take standard 1/2" drive sockets (or screwdriver adapters) and have an internal coarse thread. The theory is that you hit the bolt or screw hard in a downward direction which breaks any bonding between the threads and the coarse thread in the driver provides a simultaneous torque to unscrew it. These devices work well on screws in (particularly Japanese) motorbikes which are renowned for stripping their heads when sufficient torque to undo a steel bolt quietly corroding in an ally casting is applied. They also work well on large bolts when used with an equally large hammer as long as the socket is packed out to ensure that the force of the downward hammer blow is transmitted to the bolt head. Never had to use it on the T though, my head bolts came out OK with just a normal 1/2" socket and driver.
Ian C


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