[Just-in-credible]

One thing I forgot to mention was the broken exhaust bolts I fixed. Like usual, the 862 heads that I bought had a bunch of broken exhaust bolts still stuck in the head. I had done a bunch of research on the best way to extract them. The top two methods I saw were either drilling and using an easy out, or welding on a nut. I know how bad my results have been using the drill and easy out method in the past, so having said that, I found that the method that made the most sense to me was welding a nut onto the broken stud. So I figured I would give that a try. Besides, I just bought a new welder, and I am looking for every excuse I can to practice with it.

So the procedure I used was simple. I just cleaned up the end of the broken stud with a wire wheel on a Dremel so I had a good surface to weld to, I placed a nut over the broken stud, and gave it a little buzz with the MIG. And I simply spun out the bolt with a wrench. All of the broken bolts came out without a hint of problem after I welded the nut on. I made sure to spin the broken section out while the nut was still warm from welding. Not sure the heat helped or not, but it didn’t seem to hurt. Some were broken with a good 3/8” sticking above the gasket surface, and some were broken 1/8” or more below the surface. All of them welded no problem and caused no damage to the head.
And for the record, the welder I bought is a Miller multi matic 220 AC/DC. It is a MIG/TIG/ Stick machine, and it is pretty amazing. It has a lot of smart control options, and it even makes my hack welds look almost like I know what I’m doing. One thing that I really noticed helped me a lot was switching from the straight CO2 to Argon CO2 mix. I found much less spatter, and much easier to weld thinner metals without burning through. I’m sure you guys that are better at welding already know this, but for the rookies like me, it was a real noticeable change.

Anyhow, next steps, lap the valves, and try porting the heads. I bought a trunion upgrade kit for the rockers as well, so I will be installing that too.