Exhaust Bolts OUT! (Day 55)

Big celebration here; we finally got them out.  All 8 of them and not a single breakage.  I think I have discovered the secret:

1.  Trick - take your time.  My bolts had been in for at least 25 years and it has taken me 2 weeks to get them out.  Not 2 weeks of total work but a little bit every day.

2.  I think the magic formula was a concoction of 50% brake fluid and 50% cellulose thinners.  Brush this on twice a day.  Mine came out after 3 days of this.

3.  Don't be afraid to do some impact driving.  I had hex bolts holding my exhaust in and it took me a while to find the right combination of driver bits and 3/8th inch and 1/2 inch converters.  Give them a good whack.  Do it a couple of times a day.  Keep adding concoction.

4.  Don't stick on the one bolt, try them all.  I spent the first week on one bolt.  Nothing moved.  Then today I tried another bolt on the other side of the engine.  It came out quite easily.  So I did some of the others.  The first bolt was the worst.  See the photos and you understand why.  I had spent all that time being put off because the first bolt I tried was the worst.

5.  Take your time.  Don't expect to do it in a day.

6.  My next trick was going to be the blow torch (I ordered them from Ebay but they have'nt arrived yet) but in the end they weren't needed. 

7.  Trick - try tightening them as well as unscrewing them.  My first discernable movement on the first bolt I got out was when I screwed it in.  Even the smallest movement is good.  Add more concoction and keeping screwing it up (until it's very tight) and then unscrewing it a little.  For a time it seemed to me that it got tighter the more I unscrewed it.  That was the sign to screw it back in and add some more concoction and wait a little.

8.  From the photos you can see that the concoction penetrated the bolts by about 50% (see the darker part of the bolt) which is quite amazing. 

Exhaust Bolts part 2 (Day 54)

 We are still on exhaust bolts. Now trying 50/50 mix of brake fluid and cellulose thinners. I will paint this concoction on twice a day for a week.

I also bought a decent hex bit that fits nicely in the hex bolt and allows me to attach a nice socket wrench.  Only just fits (you can see it touching the exhause manifold) so it is not lined up entirely square.  I also have the problem of how to reach the other bolts for cylinders 2 and 3.  Apart from the exhaust manifold getting in the way, the frame tubes are an additional obstruction.  The set up shown below will not work with these cylinders!



Exhaust Bolts (Day 44)

OK I am now in the the danger zone.  Famous for snapping off, rusted exhaust bolts is the next job on my list.  I have tried WD-40 and Penetrating Fluid.  Next is heating with a blow torch (I have to get one first).  Worse case scenario is that they snap off.  I am taking the head of the engine off for sure (hope not to go as far a splitting the cases) as I want to check pistons and bore wear.  But since we have owned this bike from new, we know there are no problems with the bottom end and gear box.  So why open them up?

 I don't think these Hex bolts are original.

 They are certainly not moving.

 Even the spiders are fed up.

 

Another shot please.

Cleaning Chemicals

Went and got some cleaning chemicals and the 14mm ring spanner missing from my set.  Gunk Green Clean (hope it's not so green that it doesn't work), Halfords Shock and Unlock (for seized nuts and bolts), Swarfega (do you remember that stuff - doesn't smell like it used to), thinners, Autosol metal polish (used to get through tons of that).  Now for the hard work.