I am attempting to restore a ...490 aluminum intake manifold for my '66 327. The manifold has 3 pipe-threaded fittings that need removal -- one in the vacuum port, one in the coolant bypass hole, and the heater hose nipple. Can't seem to make any headway with penetrating oils due to the tapered pipe threads. Can anyone offer tips/tricks to remove stuck fittings without breaking the casting or pulling out the female threads? They've been in there for decades & are tight. Thanks.
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Re: Removing stuck fittings from aluminum intake
Heat, lots of heat! The aluminum of the intake will expand at a greater rate than the steel fitting, and heating the area around the fitting will help loosen it. Get your self some welding gloves to work with, since the aluminum intake is one hell of a heatsink, and the heat will spread fast. I cut the excess nipple off the fitting and hit it with an 1/2" impact after heating the snot out of it. Never had one that did not come out!
Regards, John McGraw -
Re: Removing stuck fittings from aluminum intake
Jeff,
I had a broken frozen bolt in my cast intake where the thermostat is attached and someone on the board suggested that I heat the bolt but NOT cherry red and take a candle and melt wax around the threads. It will smoke a bit but in my case the bolt came out with ease. I couldn't believe my eyes because it was so easy. I would try this first because you don't have to use high heat.Comment
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Re: Removing stuck fittings from aluminum intake
I watched a man remove a plug using the heat/wax process. I was skeptical but it worked like a charm. I had tried to remove the plug with no success. After the heat/wax, it came out with almost no effort.
VerleComment
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Re: Removing stuck fittings from aluminum intake
Hi All,
Another method that works well is to cut the water fittings using a hacksaw blade. I cut the fitting off so that only the hex part is left sticking out of the manifold. Them take a good hacksaw blade and cut the fitting in 3 or 4 places about 3/16 inches apart from the inside stopping just short of the manifold by HAND. Then take a hammer and punch and collapse the nipple. It takes a few minutes, but works well and is safe for the aluminum manifold. The problem with heating aluminum is it will gall. Use an antiseize on the new fittings.
Hope this helps,
Page CampbellComment
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Re: Removing stuck fittings from aluminum intake
Thanks to all for the ideas.
Tim/Verle: Could you clarify that the success you experienced with wax/heat method was on tapered-thread pipe fittings vs. conventional UNC thread? Wondering how the wax gets past the taper ...
I have access to heat treat (draw) furnace & hearth is big enough to hold the manifold. Assuming intake is Al alloy 356 (Al + ~7% Si), melting point s/b around 1150F. My thought was to heat to 4-500F then hit the nipple hex with an impact tool & socket -- I could even do this while it is still in the furnace, I think. Altough there are several decent options for the hose nipple, the pipe plugs with square heads give me more concern. I worry about the weaker aluminum while at-heat & the need to fuss with hand tool(s) to grab the head. Guess I could drill the centers & keep expanding the drill size until it's thin enough to collapse.
Anyway, will advise how this adventure turns out.Comment
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i have used the candle wax trick
to remove the 3 oil gallery plugs from the back of chevy blocks when nothing else would touch themComment
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Heat/Wax treatment is simple
and requires little expertice. Even Bubba can do it, so try it first, and last.Comment
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Re: Removing stuck fittings from aluminum intake
Jeff,
That's a good question about the tapered threads verses a regular bolt. I would still try the wax method because with high heat I would be concerned about damage to the manifold, the wax method made a believer out of me and in the future I will always try it first. Let us know how it works.Comment
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Re: Removing stuck fittings from aluminum intake
the plugs in the oil gallery in the back of the block NTP thread alsoComment
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Re: Removing stuck fittings from aluminum intake
The plugs removed were tapered pipe thread.
VerleComment
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