Valve Cover sealing problem with a stripped out bolt hole

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shanker

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So last week I decided to take the RPM Air-Gap I had for my wife's Duster 360 that's been in the attic for 10 years and bolt it on. Simple right? Not if you know me.

I pulled everything off, cleaned up & painted bits & pieces to freshen up the engine bay to not look like such a jalopy and on the rear passenger side lower valve cover bolt was a stud. I Had a set of ARP valve cover bolts that I pulled off a old dodge truck at the Pull-A-Part and figured why not use the nice shiny stainless ones....ugh...I doubled up some nuts on the stud and as soon as I started backing it out I realized I had F'd up and shouldn't have messed with it.

It had been epoxied in because the hole is F'd off. everything else is resolved & fixed except for that dang hole and I have a steady weep there.

I've tried JB Weld Quick-Steel (immediately failed) and classic JB Weld, waiting 12 hours to try and torque it, and it pulled immediately.

I kinda like the look of the 71 340 valve covers but if the MP Cast ones were still available, I'd buy them in a heartbeat.

I'm using these "Ultimate" Silicone gaskets. ( Valve Cover Gaskets - MOPAR Small Block V8 "ULTIMATE" Silicone - Silicone Gaskets - Real Gaskets Tennessee ) I've R&R'd the valve cover multiple times and they seem nice.

I can get the stud (using a cut down stainless steel air cleaner stud ) about 5 threads deep in the hole. There is tool steel busted off in the bottom of it that is NOT coming out even with my titanium carbide burr.

What idea's do ya'll have? Tack weld the stud in? That's haggard as all get out, but that's about the point I'm at. I'm willing to do anything short of pulling the head and having a machine shop un-f' it as I don't want to get into it that far.
The heads are 1971 340 heads, I don't know if they're the big valve heads or not but are not casted with a J or X on the pad. Next time the engine is out of this car and it gets promoted from Driver quality to something better, it'll probably get aluminum heads.

Valve Cover Bolt Hole Problem 01.jpg


Leaky Valve Cover Stud.jpg


10-29-20 Progress.jpg
 
It's broken off below the surface. You might be able to get it out with a easy-out but you will need to drill perfectly centered in the broken off bolt. If you don't have the tools and the know how hire someone else to do it. A welding shop can weld a nut to the broken off piece and usually just screw it out.
 
toolmanmike said:
It's broken off below the surface. You might be able to get it out with a easy-out but you will need to drill perfectly centered in the broken off bolt. If you don't have the tools and the know how hire someone else to do it. A welding shop can weld a nut to the broken off piece and usually just screw it out.
Click to expand...

Part of the problem is that there is already a tool broken off in it...Not even my burr could eat it up. I have one of these left over from having to chew up an E Z out in a bolt that I broke off in a 440 block. It was already pretty worn, but it was too dull from its previous jobs to cut anymore Broken screw extractor removal tool The Original Rescue Bit


This is something that should have been resolved with the engine block & heads were prepped at the machine shop by my Father-in-law 15 years ago, but that's water under the bridge at this point.
 
shanker said:
Part of the problem is that there is already a tool broken off in it...Not even my burr could eat it up. I have one of these left over from having to chew up an E Z out in a bolt that I broke off in a 440 block. It was already pretty worn, but it was too dull from its previous jobs to cut anymore Broken screw extractor removal tool The Original Rescue Bit


This is something that should have been resolved with the engine block & heads were prepped at the machine shop by my Father-in-law 15 years ago, but that's water under the bridge at this point.
Click to expand...
Yes!
 
It looks like you won't get it out and you probably won't get it to seal. It might be time to look for another head. A machine or welding shop can heat the broken pieces up with a torch to draw the hardness out of it. If the head was off it could be drilled out with carbide.
 
Man with the hole enlarged that big up top and the bolt that far down in the hole that’s a toughie.
 
Live with the leak or pull the head and visit your friendly machine shop...or someone with a good drill press.

You can fill the hole with braze if you get the broken ez out out...
 
at this stage i'd be tempted to drill from the side into the hole to the broken bolt and try to loosen it up that way. at least if you get it out as above you can braze the hole and redrill and tap the thread in the braze. you really have nothing to lose where you're at right now.
neil.
 
974F4C90-85EE-4506-B4E3-244BE9619297.png
Back during my Millwright years our machine shop had an EDM machine that could zap and break up broken ez outs and taps. You could check with local shops to see if they have one or offer that service. Once removed you could drill and tap a little deeper and use a stud. If the guy is good enough he could do it in the car. I had a engine deck welded in the car with the short block together and never missed a race. Hurt it Sunday and raced next Friday.
 
You said that there was tool steel down in the bottom of the hole. How thick/big is it. The reason I ask is that I'm a machinist and have had to deal with these problems before. Tool steel is brittle and it will break if you smack it with a dull punch and hammer. If we ever had a broken drill bit or even a carbide drill bit broken off in a hole we would use a dull punch and a hammer and bust it out of there. But it depends on how thick/big the piece is??
 
Treblig said:
You said that there was tool steel down in the bottom of the hole. How thick/big is it. The reason I ask is that I'm a machinist and have had to deal with these problems before. Tool steel is brittle and it will break if you smack it with a dull punch and hammer. If we ever had a broken drill bit or even a carbide drill bit broken off in a hole we would use a dull punch and a hammer and bust it out of there. But it depends on how thick/big the piece is??
Click to expand...

This, I've even had the shock break the threads loose and the bolt/tap/extractor come free. Your luck its large, I get to extract 0-80, 2-56 and 4-40's and its always a stainless fastener in aluminum.
 
Take it to a shop that has a tig welder and someone that knows how to use it. If you were closer my son would have that out in minutes with his fingers. Fill the hole and add on the bolt with weld. Then weld a nut on. Cool it quickly with air a turn it out with your fingers most of the time. If not he grabs them with a pliers. Every other day there is someone here with a broken exhaust bolt that they can't get to. There has not been one he hasn't gotten out in the car or truck.
 
Treblig said:
You said that there was tool steel down in the bottom of the hole. How thick/big is it. The reason I ask is that I'm a machinist and have had to deal with these problems before. Tool steel is brittle and it will break if you smack it with a dull punch and hammer. If we ever had a broken drill bit or even a carbide drill bit broken off in a hole we would use a dull punch and a hammer and bust it out of there. But it depends on how thick/big the piece is??
Click to expand...


yep...it was a piece of an extractor....

the good news is that I put some more hate into it, used a small punch, then worked a burr some more into the broken extractor, then put my shop vac on it and had a geyeser. I guess the previous hack drilled all the way thru the bolt into the water jacket.

At this point I think I'm better off as I can heli coil it or time sert it now that the hole is obstruction free. All it took was a little more hate.

Valve Cover Bolt Hole Problem 02.jpg
 
shanker said:
yep...it was a piece of an extractor....

the good news is that I put some more hate into it, used a small punch, then worked a burr some more into the broken extractor, then put my shop vac on it and had a geyeser. I guess the previous hack drilled all the way thru the bolt into the water jacket.

At this point I think I'm better off as I can heli coil it or time sert it now that the hole is obstruction free. All it took was a little more hate.

View attachment 1715621642
Click to expand...

I'd heli coil it and use a valve cover stud kit. Make sure to put RTV sealer around that stud.
 
whoever *tried* to get that bolt out was very close....I have no idea why they gave up at this point and epoxied in a stud.

Valve Cover Bolt Hole Problem 03.jpg


Valve Cover Bolt Hole Problem 04.jpg
 
I the widest part of that hole was .302 so luckily I'm able to put a 1/4-20 time sert in it. I ordered the 1/4-20 master kit and 10 .500 length inserts. I'll thread a stud in with some RTV and be good to go.

Tomorrow I'll re-work the lip on the valve cover and make sure that they're good and flat and so that when the bolts are torqued down the lip will sit flush. They've already been previously trimmed to fit over the intake runners.
 
Looks like you did GOOD!! Just remember that all drill bits, tool steel, carbide bits are brittle. They break fairly easy but be sure to wear eye protection, I have a small hole in my ear lobe to prove what can happen!!!
 
Working for the railroad I've welded a nut on a stud like that a100 times or more and many times it was broken off below the deck like that. Not once did I ever have to drill it and use an easy out. Just use a nut the same size as the bolt diameter, hold it in place with a pliers or vice grips. It helps if someone can hold it for you. Then, striking an arc on the broken bolt first, just fill up the nut with weld. The nut will get red hot so you want to let it cool down a little before you put a wrench to it. A stick welder works best for this. If you have something broken off I'd try break it up and get it out first.
Try it, you've got nothing to lose.
Steve
Oops! I didn't see your post above.
Glad you figured it out
 
Hell yeah. That's gonna turn out nice.
 
Treblig said:
Looks like you did GOOD!! Just remember that all drill bits, tool steel, carbide bits are brittle. They break fairly easy but be sure to wear eye protection, I have a small hole in my ear lobe to prove what can happen!!!
Click to expand...

I noticed you posted that you're in South TX....what Part? I'm from Kingsville but have lived in Portland since 2005
 
shanker said:
So last week I decided to take the RPM Air-Gap I had for my wife's Duster 360 that's been in the attic for 10 years and bolt it on. Simple right? Not if you know me.

I pulled everything off, cleaned up & painted bits & pieces to freshen up the engine bay to not look like such a jalopy and on the rear passenger side lower valve cover bolt was a stud. I Had a set of ARP valve cover bolts that I pulled off a old dodge truck at the Pull-A-Part and figured why not use the nice shiny stainless ones....ugh...I doubled up some nuts on the stud and as soon as I started backing it out I realized I had F'd up and shouldn't have messed with it.

It had been epoxied in because the hole is F'd off. everything else is resolved & fixed except for that dang hole and I have a steady weep there.

I've tried JB Weld Quick-Steel (immediately failed) and classic JB Weld, waiting 12 hours to try and torque it, and it pulled immediately.

I kinda like the look of the 71 340 valve covers but if the MP Cast ones were still available, I'd buy them in a heartbeat.

I'm using these "Ultimate" Silicone gaskets. ( Valve Cover Gaskets - MOPAR Small Block V8 "ULTIMATE" Silicone - Silicone Gaskets - Real Gaskets Tennessee ) I've R&R'd the valve cover multiple times and they seem nice.

I can get the stud (using a cut down stainless steel air cleaner stud ) about 5 threads deep in the hole. There is tool steel busted off in the bottom of it that is NOT coming out even with my titanium carbide burr.

What idea's do ya'll have? Tack weld the stud in? That's haggard as all get out, but that's about the point I'm at. I'm willing to do anything short of pulling the head and having a machine shop un-f' it as I don't want to get into it that far.
The heads are 1971 340 heads, I don't know if they're the big valve heads or not but are not casted with a J or X on the pad. Next time the engine is out of this car and it gets promoted from Driver quality to something better, it'll probably get aluminum heads.

View attachment 1715621551

View attachment 1715621555

View attachment 1715621557
Click to expand...

Id pull the head or try to tig weld to it a stud.
 
Treblig said:
Corpus Christi, just over the bridge.
Click to expand...

awesome. Iv (actually my wife) has this faded purple Duster 360 and I have a 70 Coronet R/T and also building a 74 Ramcharger with a 440 and 1 ton axles under it. Not many Mopar people around here. I only know two (not including our local flipper who I’m cordial with, but try not to interact with)
 
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