So… what seems to be my last hurdle in this process of converting to triple SU’s is the badly corroded, and impossible to get a wrench on, adapter at the rear of the manifold. ( I’m tempted to get into a rant about fitting steel adapters into aluminum that are exposed to water. Anyone who thinks all Jaguar engineers were brilliant hasn’t looked at this…)
I have pulled out my arsenal of tools, including a torch, blaster penetrating oil, hammers, an “easy out” and a large wrench. None of which is having any effect.
So I turn to you guys, because I’m at a complete loss.
I’ve had luck with heat (Propane), a wrench and a long extension, and “walking” the fitting by tightening, then loosening. It takes forever to get it to move at all, but then once it starts to move even a tiny bit, then penetrating oil helps.
I’ve probably broken off about as many as I’ve removed though.
Is there room to get a thin walled socket on it? I’m not sure if that’s SAE or not. I know the fuel fittings aren’t but I think the water fittings are. You might have to sacrifice a socket by grinding it down so it will fit next to the manifold. Keep soaking and then warming the manifold, not the steel. That is what you want to expand.
Also if you can get a socket on it, try tightening first to break it loose. In a fit of desperation I might try attacking the copper washer with a dremel cut off wheel. being careful not to hit the aluminum. If you can remove it, that would allow the penetrating oil to have a clear path into the threads.
Hi guys. Thanks for all the ideas. I can’t get an impact tool on it as there is no room for a socket. I may try to grind one down, or see if I can find a thin wall. Of course my earlier attempts with an open end wrench have already rounded some of the corners…
Erica I like the idea of attacking the copper washer. It would allow both a path for the penetrating oil, and perhaps some wiggle room to try to tighten the adapter, as was suggested to break it free.
I second the impact wrench idea if you’ve not already tried. Use a deep six-point hardened impact socket (13/16?), set the torque to low and alternate back and forth CW and CCW. It’s worked many times for me when nothing else would.
I agree and, when the AL is at it hottest, I would suggest spraying the ID of steel with computer keyboard cleaner ( the cold stuff) to contract it hoping it breaks away from the Al.
Awhile back somebody posted the candlewax method : stick a wax candle on the hot threads when you’ve heated everything up. The wax wicks in the threads allowing them to free up.
AeroKroil is also your best friend.
Marco
So I’ve been working the copper washer. Got 70% of it… I’ve applied some more penetrating oil, directly on the steel threads, holding the manifold vertical so that gravity might be on my side.
I haven’t won the war, but I think I may have won the battle of the copper washer
So measuring across the flats I get .813”. That’s 13/16
I don’t see how even a thin wall socket will get me there. Here’s a pic showing the room between the adapter and the manifold. There hardly enough room for the thing to turn, let alone add a socket to it. I felt down into the manifold and the walls seem thin, so I’m reluctant to take away any of the alloy
It won’t. There’s not enough clearance, unless you carve away some of the aluminum from the manifold. Not gonna happen. I’ve been pondering this problem myself for rebuilding a recently acquired tricarb setup, was hoping there would be a simple work around revealed in this thread. I’m thinking of pushing in a 7/16" bolt and welding it to the adapter and then trying my impact wrench. Like this (don’t have a 7/16" bolt handy. The one in the pic is 3/8, which is too small but this is illustrative of the idea … you can see where I’ve already rounded off a corner trying to get this thing off.
I know it’s secondary right now, but that flat sealing surface in the manifold that the copper washer seals against is shot now. May have to substitute a tapered pipe thread nozzle and re-tap to get it to seal.
I say take a 4" cutoff wheel (that is worn down to about 2") and cut the head off, flush with the manifold. Then use a hacksaw blade and cut 4 slits in the interior wall, nearing the threads. Then as stated, pry the remnants away from the threads with a hammer and steel chisel.
I like this idea a lot. Bob doesn’t have much meat left on the fitting but enough to weld a bolt to.
I will say though that you can grind hell out of a socket and it will still work although I would not use an impact with it. I have one that I ground down to almost nothing on one side because there isn’t enough room to fit a socket on the bolts that attach the front rotors to the hub. It still did the job even though it was reduced to little more than a flare wrench.
I don’t know that you’d get any movement even with a flare nut wrench, Robert. It would fit snugly and would have no place to go. There’s almost a half inch clearance inside that nipple. I’d be inclined at the stage Bob is at to use a hacksaw blade to cut down to the very tips of the aluminum threads in two places then use a hammer and punch to collapse the thing.
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