Broken studs....YOW!

Got a call yesterday from a buddy who said his mechanic was in a mess and very discouraged. The mechanic had taken in an '87 Ford pickup with the 460 V8 engine. The pickup needed exhaust gaskets and a new water pump. it had been sitting around a lot and had only 43,000 miles on it. Of the sixteen exhaust manifold bolts, FOUR were already broken off below the surface; SEVEN MORE twisted off when they put a wrench on them; four of THEM below the surface of the head and three with shank still showing. [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img] What a mess! They pulled the engine and today I welded nuts on every one of those little #//@*!! and we finally got them out. I had to use a stick welder because their wire machine was too teeny, and it made it tougher. We averaged five nut twist-offs per stud removed, BUT WE GOT THEM ALL OUT! With my bigger wire machine it would have been a lot easier. The bolts were so far below the surface that it took a lot of welding to build on out to engage the nut and hold on; and then the bolts seemed to gald real bad on removal. They had been hot....real hot....those 460's must have a high exhaust gas temp. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] I encouraged them to go back with STUDS, but I think the shop consensus was toward stainless stl bolts. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

Those 460 blocks are notorious for that. Even the heads are known for breaking off spark plugs. I don't know why, but I've heard more problems like this with 460's than anything else by far.

It sounds like you did a great job handling it, though. Congratulations!

Thanks, Gary. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] If memory serves me correct, I think one of our friends had the same problem with a V8 360 Ford pickup engine. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] I was AMAZED at what big header pipes this 460 had. They were 2-1/2" all the way to the muffler and a 3" tailpipe beyond. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

I know what you mean. I've got 460's in my F-450 dump trucks. They're monsters all right. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

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I was AMAZED at what big header pipes this 460 had. They were 2-1/2" all the way to the muffler and a 3" tailpipe beyond.

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Yikes! Makes my 57 Dodge engine seem a bit anorexic!

Pete

I'm a rodder from the fifties and early sixties, and it seemed like it took Detroit FOREVER to get good flowing stock exhaust manifolds. [img]/forums/images/icons/mad.gif[/img] Once the engines got over 350 inches the auto mfg'ers took some steps, but even then they were baby steps. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] One thing about it, it DID give you a HP boost when you slapped those aftermarket headers on the engine. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]