Help...broke a tap in intake manifod

[go-stang5.0]

I swear this cam swap will never end. I was trying to finish everything up and one of the fuel rail bolts would go in half way and get really tight so I tried to use my thread chasing kit to chase the threads in the hole and I snapped the chaser in the bolt hole. There is a portion of the shaft sticking out of the hole and I tried to get some vice grips on it to back it out but they wont bite into it (its hardened).

heres a link to the kit..I was using the tap in the top right of the box (its tiny)
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...Hand+Tools%2C+General+Purpose&pid=00942275000

I'll post photos in a min.

I'm about ready to take it to a machine shop...also will my fel-pro 1250 gaskets be ok? The manifold has been torqued down for several days but not run. I don't wanna spend a bunch of money on new gaskets if possible.

 

[go-stang5.0]

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/560012632RNaHFY

heres a link to the photos...I'm thinking about lopping the end off and trying to drill the rest out but I think the hardened bit is gonna destroy my bits...or do you guys think otherwise?



if anyone has any suggestions it would be much appreciated.

 

[RAD]

What about this: try to grind it to make a square shape and then grab it with vice grips?

 

[go-stang5.0]

The tap is really thin if you look at the craftsman photo, its less than 1/4" in diameter...I know cuz its 1/4" thread size and the shaft narrows from there. Basically theres not much to grind and still leave enough strength to back it out. I tried to JB weld a socket that fit snugly around it (3/32" I believe)...no luck there. If i had a welder I'd just tack the socket on the protruding shaft. I guess I could just take it to the local machine shop and have them deal with it.

The manifolds torqued down already..can I reuse my intake gasket if I take the manifold off...1250's cost me $35.00 locally and I'd like to not have to buy another set.

 

[94-302-vert]

As for the gaskets... what is more impt to you the $35 or the time to re-do it...

I think everyone will agree that the best bet is to replace the gaskets as they "might" not re-seal.... your call if you want to do all of this without new gaskets jsut to find yourself in it again to change the gaskets later...

 

[bmac50]

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/560012632RNaHFY

heres a link to the photos...I'm thinking about lopping the end off and trying to drill the rest out but I think the hardened bit is gonna destroy my bits...or do you guys think otherwise?



if anyone has any suggestions it would be much appreciated.

Have you tried left handed drill bit? Be warned they are expensive and usually come in kits but they do work with a steady hand.

 

[go-stang5.0]

Never heard of LH drill bits....too late now I already took the manifold off. Gonna take it to the machine shop in the morning. I was gonna use the cork end gaskets I had them glued on good with gasket adhesive but the dabs of RTV on the corners pulled them up so thats not an option any more. Hmmmm....Felpro says in their directions to put RTV around the water ports, put the gaskets down and torque down the manifold and let it sit for a while...then pull it off put on the block valley gaskets and torque it down for good. This led me to believe I should be able to reuse the gaskets but they do seem a bit squished. I'll think about it...maybe I'll get some 1250S's I've always wanted to try those out.

 

[bmac50]

Never heard of LH drill bits....too late now I already took the manifold off. Gonna take it to the machine shop in the morning. I was gonna use the cork end gaskets I had them glued on good with gasket adhesive but the dabs of RTV on the corners pulled them up so thats not an option any more. Hmmmm....Felpro says in their directions to put RTV around the water ports, put the gaskets down and torque down the manifold and let it sit for a while...then pull it off put on the block valley gaskets and torque it down for good. This led me to believe I should be able to reuse the gaskets but they do seem a bit squished. I'll think about it...maybe I'll get some 1250S's I've always wanted to try those out.

http://www.mytoolstore.com/hanson/hanson.html

Tip: If you use a left-hand bit to drill the hole in a broken screw or bolt so you can extract it, the odds are good that the very act of drilling will remove the broken screw without ever needing to use the extractor. Your drill must be running in reverse when you use left-hand bits.

I always use cutting oil when using these.

 

[go-stang5.0]

I see....I'm still gonna get an estimate at the local machineshop. If they want an absurd amount of money then I will look into this option. I don't wan't to hassle with this any more...I wanna get this project done so I can do my clutch before it gets too cold and/or snows. Until the car gets done I'm pretty much riding my kawi everywhere and it's getting into the 40's... I can't ride the bike much longer.

Oh and I found a set of Edelbrock 7220 gaskets in the garage so the felpro's gettin replaced.

On a side note: the 7220's are listed on summit's website as having a steel core...well I just trimmed the water ports on mine and theres no metal to speak of. If anyone cares...just wanted to put it out there.

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

If you can somehow cut a slot in it, you can use a flathead screwdriver to back it out. It's probably going to be damn hard to do though, since it's hardened.

 

[go-stang5.0]

I'm gonna stop by school before work and weld a socket to the tap and see how it goes. Machine shop said to bring it in on monday and they were just gonna weld something to the end so I figure I'll try it myself.