Tom M'Guinn

Look what I just found (finally) in my 3 liter block while chasing threads. It bums me out on many levels. I refuse to take it back to my local machine shop. I'm thinking of driving it down to Competition Engineering or other well-known p-car only machine shop. Any recommendations?

Magown

Man Tom you just can't get a break. Sorry to hear it, should have set it to Texas.

Epic2112

What should I be looking at here?

Tom M'Guinn

Epic, I updated the picture....

theedge

God that sucks. Did they remove the headstuds, or was that already broken off and you told them to remove it?

IMHO you should get a refund, or take your block elsewhere and get them to foot the bill for their halfassed work to get fixed by someone who knows what hes doing.

Tom M'Guinn

It does indeed suck. This particular poblem is not the machine shop's fault. THe block came with 9 1/2 of the head studs already removed, unbeknownst to me until I went to chase the threads this morning.

Edit: My local machine shop previously removed a broken water pump stud that I snapped off myself. They hacked that up pretty good when they removed the broken stud, and I had other problems with them earlier on, so I don't really trust them to get a broken head stud out.

fast951

Tom, this sucks... Don't let it get you down, any "good" machine shop should be able to drill it out. Make sure you let them know that loctite was used, they might need to heat the block if they plan on backing the remaining studd's portion out.

NZ951

You could also try welding on it and then using vice grips to turn it.

ehall

Sorry about the bad luck Tom. Hang in there.

Ski

Maybe you can find a metric Heli-Coil kit. Drill out the stud, open up the bore for a threaded insert that has the metric threads on the inside for you head stud to go into. They should both be put in with Loctite RED. Tom I'm not sure which head studs you have but if you go the heli-coil route, I would recommend putting about 50# on it (and the rest of the studs as per sequence)and let it sit overnight, sort of pre load it if you will. These kits are used on big EMD, Cat, and Detroit engines all the time. good luck.

Tom M'Guinn

Sounds like you are describing what I'd call a Big-Sert or Time-Sert. I'm not sure if they even make them for the 944 block? At any rate, I'll have some thinking to do if the stud does not come out cleanly.

Tom M'Guinn

Curiously, I just put a magnet on it (to see if maybe it was finger loose -- a guy can dream right?) -- but the magnet did not stick to the stuck!?!? Anyone know why that would be? I checked on a 951 stud to see if I was crazy, and the same magnet stuck hard. What are 968 studs made of and/or what is that non-magnetic metal in my head stud hole?

Tom M'Guinn

[QUOTE=Tom M'Guinn]It does indeed suck. This particular poblem is not the machine shop's fault. THe block came with 9 1/2 of the head studs already removed, unbeknownst to me until I went to chase the threads this morning.
QUOTE]

Check that -- I just went back and looked at my photos, and realize that I did indeed deliver it to my machine shop with headstuds installed. It came back without studs (which was fine since my plan includes raceware) with one of the studs snapped off. I'm not sure what I will do about all this. In the meantime, take note that the shop in question is [EDIT] Automotive in Mountain View. Buyer beware!

Epic2112

Thanks, I'm a little less dumb now.

ed devinney

I've never tried EDM, but that's touted as a method for removing pieces such as this. There have to be a number of machine shops in the bay area capable of removing the stub, but it might be pricey.

Since you have pics proving you delivered with the studs in the block, get a quote from a high end machinist and then go back to the original shop and do what you can to have them make good.

Good luck!