Using a Torch

I have set of nutbreakers for the purpose. I honestly don’t think they work that well, but it’s a thought.

You have more than one wife? I just have the one…

:wink:

I agree. Those nutbreakers never worked well for me either.

Remco, I no longer even have one. Like I said, they don;t work well.

Although I think with Halle Barry I could make it work…

LOL!! You have good taste!

I was the first patient ever to bring a photo of the cavity in to my dentist!

TSM, knowing you, this is not surprising in the least :wink:

OP, before you break out the oxy torch, which is damned hot and can do a lot of damage if you don’t know what you’re doing, try mapp gas. It’s hotter than propane, but not as dangerous as oxy.

Thank you. I try to surprise people. I’ve had the same dentist for perhaps 25 years now, so he knows my strange ways.

TSM- I use MAPP especially for plumbing. It is far superior to propane. It heats the joint super fast. This reduces heat propagation much past the area being soldered and does the job in 1/4 the time. It also can boil off any water whereas if there is ANY with propane it takes an eternity if it can do it at all.

As with all torches you can control the heating by; adjusting the flow, area of the flame being used or just the distance away.

I have used the same torch hardware interchangeably between the two gases. You might want to buy a can of MAPP to have on hand. Trust me, you’ll have the same can of propane the rest of your life after that :wink:

@TwinTurbo
… I had a buddy who would fire his up just to light a cigarette!

That reminds me a of a coworker who would impale hot dogs on a screwdriver and cook them with cutting torches.

S-T-E-E-E-R-I-K-E ONE !!

I was able to get the nuts off the studs at the front of the car (exhaust manifold flange), but the downstream nuts (past the cat) both stripped on me. And the third set of nuts - recessed up the firewall side - I couldn’t even get the socket on! I think my deep socket is TOO deep. I couldn’t even fit it over the stud properly from the top and, even if I had, there wasn’t any room left against that stupid fireshield for the ratchet or breaker bar to attach! Seems like a need a ‘shallow’ deep socket (and maybe a universal to try again from the top, and an even crazier combination from the bottom : maybe two 6" extensions, a wobbler, a universal, etc. It’s a narrow channel from underneath and the nut sits at a weird angle … the other nut - forget it … I doubt I can get onto THAT one from underneath)?

So how do I remove the stripped nuts now? A Dremel, a Harbor Fake equivalent, a nut breaker?? And what precautions do I need to take using a rotary tool with a cutting wheel on a nut bathed in flammable liquids (oil, Liquid Wrench, PB Blaster)? Is this a fire hazard?

I’m thinking of Harbor Fake’s $25 Dremel knock-off to cut off those nuts:

Reviews are good (if you can believe them). Looks like the attachments aren’t that great, but Dremel wheels work with this thing, so maybe that’s the way to go?

So I would cut the nut perpendicular to its face and then knock it off with a chisel? Is that a special kind of chisel?

If you’re trying to get a stripped nut off a stud and don’t want to damage the stud, I cut along the length the nut, close to the stud but being careful to not nick it. You’re basically making a larger flat on the nut since you can’t get a wrench on it anymore.
You can usually use a flat ended punch, put it in the direction that would loosen the nut and smack the punch with a mini sledge. It may loosen or it may break the nut - it will eventually come off. It can be a pain, no doubt, but you’ll get it.

Usually they use bolts and nuts to attach the flanges of the muffler together. Are you sure yours are studs, then?
If they are nuts and bolts, just cut them across the nut, into the bolt. If you have room, go to harbor freight and get a cheap 4.5" cut off wheel. The job will go quicker.
To gain a bit more access, you may be able to drop the pipes a bit by loosening the hangers and letting the pipes rest of cardboard boxes (that way you won’t stress the joints too much).

ARGH! Once stripped those are quite difficult to remove because of the clearance issue.

You’re right, a deep socket is too deep, and a shallow won’t fit over the stud. Did you not see the link to the semi-deep 15mm wobbly impact socket I posted above? That would have removed the nuts.

I think at this point you’re going to have to cut and grind by any means possible to remove the y-pipe and you’re going to have to repair or replace anything else that gets damaged in the process.

The flange at the front (mating to the manifold) has studs with nuts. Those loosened easily and appear to be re-usable. The stripped nuts are downstream of the cat and those are actually bolts with nuts. Now that you mention it, I remember taking apart the kids’ old, rusted swingset a while back and using a hacksaw to cut through the bolt’s tip and nut face, then whacking it away with just a hammer. I don’t think I have the room to use a hacksaw here, but what about putting a cutting wheel on my Craftsman variable speed drill? Probably not enough rpm there, right?

There’s also this on the Sears site ($26.99), but no deep sockets:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00952166000P?vName=Tools&cName=HandTools&sName=Tap%20&%20Dies%20&%20Setsmv=rr

… or this “Grip Tite” nut/bolt remover ($58.49) which DOES have deep sockets:

http://www.sears.com/grip-tite-17-pc-super-sockets-rounded-bolt-remover-metric/p-00910325000P

============

But do I NEED a deep socket at this point? All I need is something to fit over the rounded nut that will then fit into a larger socket and cut into it as I remove it. This SHOULD be a single tool that gets smaller and smaller as you turn it.

If the nut/bolt stripped using a regular good fitting 6 point socket, the thing is stuck badly and those rounded bolt removers will likely have the same problem. Unless you already have them, I wouldn’t waste my money just to try on this project.
Hate to say it but it will take violence to get that thing off with cutting and grinding. @asemaster is on point.

If you got the nuts off of the studs at the firewall flange, good on you! If you haven’t gotten those, that semi-deep wobbly and a long stout extension is the only way I’ve reliably done it.

For the stripped nuts at the back of the y-pipe assy, just cut the bolts in half and replace them. If you really don’t have room for a hacksaw a cheap grinder and cut-off wheels will get it done.

Over the years with so many rusted out rides I’ve used just about every imaginable method on stuff like this. When I had no tools to speak of i had to use hacksaw blades broken to a fittable length with tape wrapped around the end to protect my hand. Talk about patience!

Then i got one of those handles that lets the blade stick out one end. And so on all the way up the chain. Only point is that you can make whatever you have work, just takes ingenuity and time.

That being said, this is a great job for a pneumatic, reciprocating body saw. Very compact and less susceptible to side forces which occur when you can’t see schmidt. This thing has saved my bacon so many times it’s worth its weight in gold.

Realize this tool may not be in everyone’s arsenal but once you have one, you’ll wonder how you kept your sanity with the more medieval tools.

asemaster:

I missed your tool reference. YEAH! - that looks like what I’d need for those firewall-side nuts. YIKES! $28 !! And NO - I haven’t stripped THOSE nuts … I’ve stripped the downstream exhaust nuts. Good access there to cut those off, I guess. I bought that Harbor Fake cutting tool with the 3" cutting wheels for $19.99 + $6.99 (for 10pk of wheels) this weekend, but then didn’t have the time to use it. Still rather use a NON-SPARK solution … like those low-profile Craftsman nut grabbers. It LOOKS like this tool can be used with a box wrench?

RemcoW:

I was using a 6-point socket when they stripped on me. I avoid the 12-point sockets like the plague.

TwinTurbo:

I’m known for doing jobs with the wrong (or least capable tools), but still getting the job done. I own a land lot in a subdivision that is totally clear cut (just grass). A builder built a spec house on an adjacent lot and sold it. The new owner then decided he didn’t want this 50’ tree in his front yard. Builder hired his lot clearer to take down the tree. Lot clearer knocked the tree over with bulldozer and dragged it onto my open lot and left !!! Other owner looked me up and called me to dispose of tree. I used a bow saw and 4 weekends to cut it up and dispose of it. Nobody offered the use of a gas-powered chain saw and I couldn’t justify buying one myself.

I strongly considered putting a hacksaw to these nuts, but laying on the ground with low clearance ultimately stopped me.

@ColtHero-

Whoa! My hat’s off to you, you must be one tough Hombre! I have this one particular stump left over from a fairly large oak, maybe 100’ when it was cut down a couple years back. It’s always bothered me to some degree but not enough to do anything about it- until the other day. My chainsaw had seen its last duty in the ice storm that came through here last fall. Major number of trees down. It died in the line of duty.

The other day I decided to take some frustration out on this stump. So I pulled out my bow saw and went to town on it. Talk about a workout! I don’t even think I got 1/3 of the way through and gave up. If you cut up an entire GREEN tree by hand, I’m duly impressed!

The next weekend I went out and bought a new saw. Stihl M250C, I think, anyway I still haven’t fired it up.

You must also be the nicest guy around too. I would’ve been PO’d in that situation and demanded the guy who left it there come remove it and patch the turf, regardless of it’s prior condition.

Huh, I think sparks are the least of your worries. You aren’t going to start a fire with the PB Blaster. I’ve drilled into the top of the nut before if you can get in there but run the chance of bunging up the threads.

As far as the tree goes, you can rent chain saws. Until this fall I had never hired anyone to work on my trees but had about a 30’ 3 clump birch that was in the way for roofing work. I couldn’t believe the price. The guy charged me $250 including grinding the stump and hauling it all away. They were done in a couple hours and I just watched and didn’t even work up a sweat.

Cut away with your new tool! Just wear safety glasses. Unless you have a ruptured fuel line and are sitting in a pool of evaporating gas you have nothing to worry about.