header bolt

upon taking my header pipes off the bike,1 bolt snapped with the nut still on.there is plenty of the bolt left sticking out of the head.i tried some vice grips to no avail.can anyone give me some helpfull advice as to how to go about fixing this ? any help would be greatly appreciated

Soak some liquid wrench on it over night. Then heat it up with a propane torch and try those vice-grips again.

00 Doc wrote:Soak some liquid wrench on it over night. Then heat it up with a propane torch and try those vice-grips again.

thanks for the reply,i appreciate it.last night before i called it a night @ 2am before i had to be at work at 6 i put some 3 in 1 oil on it and let it soak overnight and today at lunch,i went home and tried the vice grips again to no avail.then i forced a nut on there down allmost as far as it would go and now it turns but still a lil stubborn on the way out cause the nut wants to back out when its get to where the bolt becomes tight again.but at least now i know its not seized.will have to work at it tonight.and with a lil luck,it will come out.i'm kinda scared at the heating the bolt scenerio in fear i might melt some aluminum.this is a first time for me on dealing with this kind of issue.if i do get it out,i will proceed to replace the other 3 so i wont have to deal with this again on this bike.thanks again doc for taking the time to answer my question.i was in a frantic and tired state last night trying to fix it.

kenny

update,i used two jam nuts as there was just enough threads on the head bolt.locked em together,and slowly but surely ,it came out.header is now back on the bike.

When I snapped one of the header studs on my Valkyrie, I found a stud remover in the automotive aisle of the tool department at Sears. Picked the correct size, tapped it on and unscrewed the stud. Best $35 I've ever spent.

Marty

X Ring wrote:When I snapped one of the header studs on my Valkyrie, I found a stud remover in the automotive aisle of the tool department at Sears. Picked the correct size, tapped it on and unscrewed the stud. Best $35 I've ever spent.

Marty

that will be my next investment.it's obviously a must have tool for the garage.

Glad you got it out.

00 Doc wrote:Glad you got it out.

you and me both brother.

I don't think a propane torch can generate enough heat to be concerned about. I might be mistaken on this, but I'm more familiar with using acetylene to get frozen nuts and bolts loose (especially rusty tie rods) but propane is so much less heat, I wouldn't break a sweat (pun intended).

Also, because it is a stud you were trying to remove in this case, you might be better off cooling the stud. They sell stuff to freeze bolts like that, but I've never had much success with it. Just food for thought.