Club 80-90 Forums

...hopefully a better picture for you...?

Ta for the pics re towbars

Mine has not got a towbar yet, so will see what transpires if / when I decide to get one (for the Classic Motorbike).

Well the garage got all the studs out in one piece thank God. PlusGas and lots of heat

Should be going back to collect it later.

ghost123uk wrote:Ta for the pics re towbars

Mine has not got a towbar yet, so will see what transpires if / when I decide to get one (for the Classic Motorbike).

Well the garage got all the studs out in one piece thank God. PlusGas and lots of heat

Should be going back to collect it later.

Good news indeed!

Aye, it's home now. The garage had to cut and bend the r/h end of the lower valence to get the tail pipe to clear I guess the VW-SpeedShop silencer must have been assembled wrongly during manufacture. As it was not bought direct from the makers but "new second hand" I will have to live with that. At least I have a bit more ground clearance and the tail pipe on mine sticks out horizontally, rather than pointing down, and I quite like that "look". It sounds nice too, not loud but a deeper note. I am sure it accelerates faster too, or maybe that is self induced delusion syndrome.

Hi there,
Can someone explain (to a bit of a novice) what you mean by the stud problem? We need a new exhaust system and am trying to consider the options. Would rather get stainless steel and would rather fit it myself but your conversation has made me worry that I may get part way in and then get stuck!

pairoftrainers wrote:Hi there,
Can someone explain (to a bit of a novice) what you mean by the stud problem? We need a new exhaust system and am trying to consider the options. Would rather get stainless steel and would rather fit it myself but your conversation has made me worry that I may get part way in and then get stuck!

The studs / bolts that hold the exhaust to the head(s) have a habit of rusting up and upon trying to remove them they often shear off. This leaves a bit of it stuck in the head. Removing that broken bit of stud can be a real headache. There are various methods but, if it is broken off flush with the head, then drilling it out is the usual scenario. This can involve removing the engine to gain access to the stud, which has to be drilled very accurately. If done with great care (and good drill bits) the thread in the head can be re-used, but often it has to be "helicoiled" (or "timecert'd" = similar process). All the above is all too common.

The best tricks to avoid the above =

Apply PlusGas (NOT WD40) many times before attempting to remove the bolts / studs. I prefer not to use the engine in between applications. I do it 5 or 6 applications the day before and don't drive it.

Use lots of heat from a gas (cannister type will do) blow torch, get them bolts / nuts a smokin ! I mean get them really hot, many folks just warm them up. The only thing you don't want to do is melt the aluminium head metal, but I have never managed to do that (yet )

Use only top quality, well fitting tools (worth the expense).

Take your time, try and choose a nice day to do it if working outside.

I've read a lot about the 'stud issue' above - thanks ghost123uk for the explanation - one thing I'm unsure about is where to get new studs to to replace the old ones, and what material to get them in. Anyone got any recommendations?

I prefer to use high-tensile M8 steel grub screws, about 40-45mm long. The little socket in the end means that if they are installed with copperslip, you have got a fighting chance of removing them next time. Makes exhaust fitting a doddle.
PS I am a fan of the Speedshop exhaust. Nice and quiet but still a little sporty, the new band clamp for the silencer is a big improvement over the original afaics.

I hate that stud and nut at the lower side of the rear J tube. Although I only have a few mm of thread showing above the nut, you cannot get the nut off because of it's proximity to the actual exhaust pipe (due the the bend there) - A pic is worth a thousand words isn't it You end up having to undo lots of other bits of the exhaust just so you can manoeuvre that J pipe enough to get the nut off. Not ideal if the work you are doing is not connected with removing the exhaust, such as removing the pushrod tube protection plate.

Ian, I take it you mean Allen headed grub screws (like these), then put a nut onto the exposed thread?
Brass manifold nuts or high-tensile again?
Is SS studs and nuts a no go due to being not as strong?

I ask as I will be removing my (SS Bluebird twin tip) exhaust soon, if/when I fit my newly acquired DJ and I would like to replace all the fittings with the best (though the ones there now came off and went back OK 8 months ago).

I've fitted ss grub screws with copper coated brass nuts (plenty of copperslip) and have disassembled them a few times without any resistance. They also look 'proper' with the brass screws.

JFYI = C&P from another thread as it might be useful to have here also =

8mm SS Grub screws Ebay link here

8mm High-Tensile Grub screws Ebay link here

I am guessing these are suitable brass nuts? Ebay link here

Oh and just to complete a shopping list, here are some 8mm SS washers Ebay link here
If anyone knows of any better brass nuts, (copper coated has been mentioned by what2d ^^^) please let "us" know

Brass nuts every time on exhausts. Wouldnt bother with SS grubs, they will stretch and encourage galvanic corrosion elsewhere.

Good info on why not to use SS studs there ^^^

Just ordered a new Speedshop exhaust and hope to fit it in the next couple of weeks after it arrives. I purchased new studs and nuts from Brickwerks and they told me that steel is the best way to go. If they did stick at some point in the future at least you have a chance of drilling them out. With Stainless it would be pretty much game over. Steel studs and copper nuts is what they recommended.

I'll post my impressions of the exhaust once it's on.

Roydini wrote:Brickwerks told me that steel is the best way to go. If they did stick at some point in the future at least you have a chance of drilling them out. With Stainless it would be pretty much game over.

Another going reason not use SS then I suppose. I wonder if the Brickwerks ones are high tensile steel. I also wonder if high tensile steel studs a bugger to drill out if the worst ever happens (as opposed to "normal" steel). I'm thinking the exhaust flanges are not very highly stressed components, though perhaps the recommendations to use high tensile are more to do with metal compatibility or stretching/loosening issues. Perhaps one of our more knowledgeable on this subject could comment? Plain steel studs/bolts/grubs V High Tensile V Stainless Steel ( E D I T = I bet someone has already told "us" above ^^^ )