[Torque454]

Just as the title says - i was removing the intake from my 87 F150 (302) and the front passengers side bolt snapped off. The head snapped off and then while trying to remove the intake (figured with the bolts straight up and down on the 5.0s, and the head of the bolt being broke off that the intake would lift straight up and come off. Wrong! It broke the bolt off again. So I have the head of the bolt, part of the bolt stuck in the intake, and part of the bolt stuck in the head Bolt is not sticking out of the head at all so welding to it is not an option.

I fear I will be pulling the head and taking it to a machine shop

Im going to try PB blaster for a couple days. and maybe drill a hole in the bolt and try an extractor, but i wont put much effort into that because I dont want to make it worse or impossible for the machine shop to remove.


I guess what I would like to know is if i can take a torch and heat up the head around the bolt and see if i can get it out with the extractor then? Or will heating the head cause damage to it? Especially if we are talking RED HOT kind of heat - which is usually the kind of heat it takes to remove a stuck bolt.

[Irelands child]

You can try heating it, but NOT to cherry red, just pretty warm. Once it's good and hot (but not THAT hot) you can melt some candle or canning wax into the threads. Then that 3/16 hole that you drilled through that 5/16 bolt before you heated and drooled the wax can be used with an extractor. Words of warning - use at least a 135 degree tipped cobalt drill bit as Ford tends to use Gr 8 bolts. The junk from your local hardwre store probably wont do it. Here's some drill descriptions from McMaster Carr - and it only takes a couple days to get an order to you - McMaster-Carr

[prumora1]

on the 5.0 heads the front and rear bolt holes extend all the way through the head. so you can drill completely through the bolt with a 3/16 bit, next a small bit of heat from a propane or map gas, that will get it just hot enough then use a easy out and you can run it or out, just if you take it in don't let it fall in to the block.

[Torque454]

Originally Posted by Irelands child

You can try heating it, but NOT to cherry red, just pretty warm. Once it's good and hot (but not THAT hot) you can melt some candle or canning wax into the threads. Then that 3/16 hole that you drilled through that 5/16 bolt before you heated and drooled the wax can be used with an extractor. Words of warning - use at least a 135 degree tipped cobalt drill bit as Ford tends to use Gr 8 bolts. The junk from your local hardwre store probably wont do it. Here's some drill descriptions from McMaster Carr - and it only takes a couple days to get an order to you - McMaster-Carr

Yep im thinking it needs to be hot, not red hot but hot, and use an EZ out on it. If that doesnt work I guess its off with the head and down to the machine shop :o

[Torque454]

Originally Posted by prumora1

on the 5.0 heads the front and rear bolt holes extend all the way through the head. so you can drill completely through the bolt with a 3/16 bit, next a small bit of heat from a propane or map gas, that will get it just hot enough then use a easy out and you can run it or out, just if you take it in don't let it fall in to the block.

Tried propane and the head sucked up the heat and dissipated it almost faster than the propane torch could heat it up. I don't have a mapp torch or oxyacetylene torch unfortunately.

[Torque454]

Borrowed a mapp gas torch today. Gonna try it and the easy out and see what happens. It soaked in PB blaster overnight and i sprayed it again this morning before work. Now im about to go out there and work on it some more and see if i cant get that bolt out...

[BigEsGarage]

I just did this yesterday on a Saab(can I say that here?)
The exhaust studs broke off, oh, about 1/8 into the head. I build up a tower of weld.
Basically one bead on top of another till it protrudes above the surface then weld it to a 3/8 nut.
Dude, it might take a couple of tries but it works slicker than ----!
I got 3 done in 1/2 hour, no drilling. You got a mig? set the temp a little on the hot side aim for the center of the bolt and take your time.
Just a suggestion.

[rickman2k]

you used a left turning drill bit, sometimes just drilling the hole will back the broken piece out, hope you got the hole centered real good !