383 Broken exhaust stud please help!

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Redfoxestco

Redfoxestco

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I broke off an exhaust stud while removing the old ones. 383 engine, still in car. It’s the second to last one on passenger side. Followed other users posts as well as YouTube wormhole on drilling and extracting but no use.
- Is there any way for me to salvage this?
-Or will I have to remove the head and take to machine shop?

-Also, is it possible to remove without removing engine? Just installed new valley pan, manifold and carb. Am I going to have to get a new valley pan if so?

I drilled up to 1/4 then used a tap but I am concerned my hole is too deep and too close to threads to continue.

Thanks in advance for the help and advice. i was trying to replace manifold gaskets as I’ve had exhaust leaks

Oh! And is this a water port? Or can I leave it as is, deal with exhaust leak and sort out later?

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Pull the head.

I doubt you can weld anything to it to then weld a nut onto, so pulling it off is what looks to be inevitable.
 
First off, definitely leave the spark plugs in and stick some paper towels in the open exhaust ports while you drill. You are off center, so you're kind of screwed. Left hand drill bits and easy outs may not work at this point. I have torched out broken studs just like that quite a few times. A good tip and torch skills required, but that's what I would do. Only end studs are in water jackets, I believe.
 
Your pulling the head. Now it's drilled off center, it makes the removal more difficult.
 
Probably easier to drill it out and helicoil.
 
Pull your head, don’t muck it up any further. I’m a tool and die maker, I’ve cut out lots of bolts out. I’ve cut out broken taps. Take my advise, there is learning curve to it. Take it to a machine shop that has some one with experience.
 
Somebody had a good trick. (need to be good with a Wire Feed Welder)

Weld a flat washer that has a 1/2" center hole to what is left to that stud in the head. Then take and weld a 3/4" nut to that washer so you can get a socket on it and spin it out.

Welding wont stick to the cast iron head very well, so it should spin out. Plan B if all else fails is helicoil back to stock size stud.
 
ch1ll said:
Pull your head, don’t muck it up any further. I’m a tool and die maker, I’ve cut out lots of bolts out. I’ve cut out broken taps. Take my advise, there is learning curve to it. Take it to a machine shop that has some one with experience.
Click to expand...
Listen to this guy, He knows. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
George Jets said:
Somebody had a good trick. (need to be good with a Wire Feed Welder)

Weld a flat washer that has a 1/2" center hole to what is left to that stud in the head. Then take and weld a 3/4" nut to that washer so you can get a socket on it and spin it out.

Welding wont stick to the cast iron head very well, so it should spin out. Plan B if all else fails is helicoil back to stock size stud.
Click to expand...
Depends on how much shop labor is, spending several hours just to remove a broken seized stud could get a little pricy.
Plan B might be the most economical option. The easiest option.
 
65wgn440 said:
First off, definitely leave the spark plugs in and stick some paper towels in the open exhaust ports while you drill. You are off center, so you're kind of screwed. Left hand drill bits and easy outs may not work at this point. I have torched out broken studs just like that quite a few times. A good tip and torch skills required, but that's what I would do. Only end studs are in water jackets, I believe.
Click to expand...

This will work..... as he has said, you can use a torch as steel does have a lower melting temp as cast iron does. You do need to keep the torch turned down on the temperature
so as to keep most of the heat on the exhaust stud. As it melts down, take a regular screwdriver, or pick and work the loose stuff out. I have never checked to see how
deep the stud hole is, just make sure you don't go to far.

I have also used my mig welder, and used a 3/8" fender washer, just be sure to
grind the inside of the washer hole, then place the washer flat to the head, and
turn your heat setting up to high, then go into the hole with the mig wire, and
fill the drilled out area of the stud, up with wire including the washer, then place
a larger nut to the washer, and fill with weld. This will put quite a bit of heat to
the stud, which should loosen up the rust, crud, etc, and you should be able
to remove it. Once it starts to turn....work it back and forth, and it should
come on out. If it breaks off, go back to the drawing board, and start over.
I have gotten everyone out, that the broken stud needed to be removed.
 
Difficult location, poor visibility, amateur skill level, only fairly crude strategies available while in car. How good are you blindfolded with a shotgun?
 
I would go farther than that. I'd pull them both. What if you need to do work on the other side in six months and break one of those? Studs are cheap.
 
Take a rounded tip carbide bit, cut that stud back till it's contoured.
take a center punch and give it a good whack.
Get yourself a really sharp 3/16 drill bit and drill it out.
Take a 1/4 left hand bit and drill slowly it should back it out.
Chances are you may have to pull the head & be prepared to do a helicoil. Not a big deal.
 
E7polyhachett said:
This will work..... as he has said, you can use a torch as steel does have a lower melting temp as cast iron does. You do need to keep the torch turned down on the temperature
so as to keep most of the heat on the exhaust stud. As it melts down, take a regular screwdriver, or pick and work the loose stuff out. I have never checked to see how
deep the stud hole is, just make sure you don't go to far.

I have also used my mig welder, and used a 3/8" fender washer, just be sure to
grind the inside of the washer hole, then place the washer flat to the head, and
turn your heat setting up to high, then go into the hole with the mig wire, and
fill the drilled out area of the stud, up with wire including the washer, then place
a larger nut to the washer, and fill with weld. This will put quite a bit of heat to
the stud, which should loosen up the rust, crud, etc, and you should be able
to remove it. Once it starts to turn....work it back and forth, and it should
come on out. If it breaks off, go back to the drawing board, and start over.
I have gotten everyone out, that the broken stud needed to be removed.
Click to expand...
When I was working I did hundreds of broken bolts that way. I didn't use the washer trick but I like it. I used a stick welder so I could bend the rod into just about any position. I used 7016 rod and just held a nut, the same size as the broken bolt, in place with a pliers or sometimes a rod tacked to the nut. I'd stick the rod through the nut into the hole and fill it until the nut was full of weld and turned red hot. Let it cool down a little it should come right out. Never had one fail to come out.
 
Pull head ! That’s going to be the fastest ,easiest way ( if anything is easy about extracting a broke stud lol ) which it isn’t ! I knew a guy that was in his 90’s ! Everything I took to him that had a broke bolt or stud or whatever, he could get it out ! He told me he welded a sucker rod to the broke piece ! Not sure what sucker rod is , all I know is he always got it extracted!
 
Do something you've never done before with tools you probably don't have..
 
I did this recently to both a broken exhaust bolt and valve cover bolt.
Engine was out.
Drilled a hole to give myself something to stick the mig weld wire into and drew out the weld until it was above the head. I screwed a bolt on to the hot weld, but not all the way, then welded the nut on.
Turned the nut back in first and it spun right out.

My first attempt at welding the nut flush and turning out did not work, for whatever reason.
 
Shitty spot for sure ,but mig welder ,washer and nut is how I do all my studs . Let it cool so heat can transfer into frozen bolt . But you my still have to pull head to get proper access . And do both heads was an earler post great recommendation
 
George Jets said:
Somebody had a good trick. (need to be good with a Wire Feed Welder)

Weld a flat washer that has a 1/2" center hole to what is left to that stud in the head. Then take and weld a 3/4" nut to that washer so you can get a socket on it and spin it out.

Welding wont stick to the cast iron head very well, so it should spin out. Plan B if all else fails is helicoil back to stock size stud.
Click to expand...
Slick George, slick Man!
 
RustyRatRod said:
I would go farther than that. I'd pull them both. What if you need to do work on the other side in six months and break one of those? Studs are cheap.
Click to expand...
Man, I Dig the way You think. I mean, if it's a driver, and Ya goes very ta work, fix it and go, but if yer workin' on it to Ride Out later? Get er Done Now, and Done Right, the FIRST DARN TIME!
 
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Ironracer said:
Man, I Dig the way You think. I mean, if it's a driver, and Ya goes very ta work, fix it and go, but if yer workin' on it to Ride Out later? Get er Done Now, and Done Right, the FIRST DARN TIME!
Click to expand...
No thanks.lol
Not me. I base pulling the other head on the condition of the 1st one pulled. If the seats n guides are shot..THEN you pull the other one. If the other side isnt leaking..as in ..if it ain't broke...dont fix it...otherwise..you making more work and having less fun.
Maybe op will try removing them when they are still warm the next on...and maybe that saves him. I'm guessing the stud should have been made moly bolts long ago and or the headers are what newly changed that.
Exh studs are always a headache. I dont use them. I learned with slant 6 engines how bad they are and much of a pain in the *** when they break. I started using Pontiac oil pan stud kits that have a rounded end on them so you can't screw the threads up as you put your intake and exhaust on either ...again made of moly steel...and they don't break.. Fine thread too so they clamp far better. Anyhow...a machine shop can mount that head to the table and run a drill press centered with a small carbide to start it...or they'll just torch it out...or maybe theyll wels a tit onto it 'more possible out of the car' and turn it.
 
when i've had them drill off centre like that i've carried on, tapped a new thread (off centre) and filed the header flange hole off centre to suit where the new stud will be. never gave it a second thought and much easier/quicker than pulling heads and/or paying a machinist to get a stud out.
 
mygasser said:
when i've had them drill off centre like that i've carried on, tapped a new thread (off centre) and filed the header flange hole off centre to suit where the new stud will be. never gave it a second thought and much easier/quicker than pulling heads and/or paying a machinist to get a stud out.
Click to expand...
Yeah, well... that's probably not the best way to go about it..
 
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