Re: Head removal

[David Allinson - Telco Platforms Group Slough <David.Allinson@domain.elided>]

Richard,

couldn't find that message I mentioned but this is one from Glen
Merrell last year on the same subject as David Bigg's.


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Date: Tue, 22 Apr 1997 19:19:23 -0600
From: "Glenn A. Merrell" <gmerrel@domain.elided>
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: Stag Mailing List <stag-digest@domain.elided>
Subject: Stag Cylinder Head Removal, Frozen Studs
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Greetings to All,
	A quick note to update those interested in my Stag Surgery.  Last night
I sucessfully removed both heads using the "rope in the cylinder
method"  The right bank had "5", count 'em "5" frozen studs, and the
left had two frozen studs, one front, one rear.  
	The right head had been drilled into the oil return passage way by the
"hack" DPO, and the front and rear studs broken off at the washer
level.  To compound matters, the front stud had about an inch of welding
slag sitting on top of the stud (which popped off at the first tap of
the ballpein) and the aluminum in the area was melted around the broken
stud into the hole.  After removing the timing chains, guides, and
tensioners (all brand new!), and the cams and plugs, I threaded about 3
feet of 3/8 inch nylon braided chord into the clyinder.  With each
rotation of the crank, using the starter, the head rose about 1/8 inch.
I reversed the crank and fed about another foot of cord into the
cylinder.  After about 8 crank rotations, or when the head had lifted
enough to allow the crank to turn freely, the head was up about 2 inches
from the block.  I peered  under the cylinder head to see that all four
exhaust valves were bent (which I knew when I bought the car, the valve
tappets on the exhaust valves were lower than the intake tappets). At
this point I cut the two studs with a metal saw.  The remaining studs'
were removed with a stud extractor ("Snap-On Tools").
	The left head with the five frozen studs, none broken, had the same
procedure, but alternating between cylinders 2-8-4-6.  This lifted the
head enough to break the crud loose between the head and the stud,
allowing the studs to be withdrawn using a screw driver and some WD-40.
I don't think I swore during the whole process...ah well maybe once or
twice. 

Now for the bottom end!

Glenn Merrell
73 Mark II Stag
(in surgery)


{}  Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 13:20:53 +0100
{}  From: Dave Biggs <D.Biggs@domain.elided>
{}  MIME-Version: 1.0
{}  To: Stag Owners Club <stag@domain.elided>
{}  Subject: Re: Head removal
{}  Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
{}  
{}  Richard Brake wrote:
{}  > 
{}  > Subject:        Triumph Stag
{}  > 
{}  > Hi,
{}  > 
{}  > For the last two months I have been trying to remove a Stag cylinder
{}  > head. This head has two broken studs which have sheered off level with
{}  > the head. My daily routine is soak with Oil or Hyperclean then hit head
{}  > with a 4lb hide hammer approx 50 times. I have shifted the head up about
{}  > 16th to an 8th of an inch. This has decompressed the gasket but not
{}  > allowed me the clearence to insert a hacksaw and so cut off the accursed
{}  > studs (the way I removed the other head).
{}  > 
{}  > I have jacked the car up on the exhaust manifold and even suspended it
{}  > from the garage roof by the exhaust manifold to provide some tension to
{}  > the head before hitting it.
{}  > 
{}  > Has anyone got the plans for the SAAB based tool for head removal. This
{}  > bolts to the inlet and exhaust faces of the
{}  > head and allows bolts to screw down onto the relevant studs thus jacking
{}  > the head up.
{}  > 
{}  > And yes I still like Triumphs I just want this one back on the road, or
{}  > else I'll resort to getting my PI MKIII Spitfire with 2500cc engine back
{}  > on the road.
{}   
{}  Richard,
{}  
{}          I have heard of this SAAB tool but I havn't any further
{}  information I'm afraid.
{}  
{}  A method that was talked about on this list was the "rope trick". This
{}  involved poking a length of rope through the spark plug hole and turning
{}  the starter so that the piston pushed the rope against the head. The
{}  only concern was of damage to the conrod but this could be tried as a
{}  last resort ! I suggest that you remove the camshaft first to ensure
{}  that all the valves are fully closed (unless you are positive that that
{}  piston is on the compression stroke). This may work as it sounds like
{}  you have at least loosened the head.
{}  
{}  Good luck,
{}  
{}  Dave.
{}  
{}  PS. Don't bring your garage roof down !
{}  
{}  -- 
{}  	Dave Biggs                       
{}  	Senior Design Engineer 	
{}  	Fujitsu Telecommunications Europe Ltd, 
{}  	Birmingham Business Park,Solihull Parkway, Birmingham, B37 7YU.
{}  	mailto:D.Biggs@domain.elided  tel: 0121 717 6094  efax: 0121 717 6014
{}  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
David John Allinson	 	  tel: +44 1753 566 734
Product Manager                              ext: 13734
Sun Microsystems NPG   email: david.allinson@domain.elided