Exhaust flange bolts

I am currently in the beginning stages of restoring my bike to as new. But in order to do it RIGHT I really need to take the engine out. That doesn't bother me but what does is the exhaust flange bolts. I am terribly afraid of breaking them off. So afraid I am to the point of not taking the engine out and working around it. Any comments on this or any sugestions on removing said bolts.

 

Hope someone comes up with a REAL GOOD reply!!! All the pics I've seen of removed engines, are they just lucky?

skillet

 

They are supposed to be nuts on studs. Did yours get replaced with bolts along the way?

If they're original and never been touched, they're not very tight (not supposed to be.) Soak 'em in Kroil for a couple days then carefully unscrew them.

 

When I took mine out I soaked them in PB blaster for a day or before going at them. I already had replacements so I just went at them with a vice grips as tight and as close to the head as I could and luckily they all came loose fairly easy. If that doesn't work heat(and lots of it) can be a very big friend of loosening stuck/corroded bolts, nuts and studs.

 

When I took mine off I didn't soak or spray them with anything. If they felt felt tight I would have stoped and used PB Blast (I got to get some Kroil)

 

I soaked mine with liquid wrench over night, and then the next day sprayed it again and just gently worked it back and forth till they came out. Mine is a nut on stud setup though, and will definitely be putting anti seize compound on it when they go back on.

 

Thanks guys, I feel a little more at ease now. And yes they are nut on studs so I am going to soak them with pb blaster and see what happens. I will keep you posted..

 

When I looked I just took it for hex headed bolt ...

skillet
BTW does this mean I go back to biker wannabe?

 

Well I did it, easy as pie. All I did was put some PB Blaster on them, started the engine till the PB Blaster started to smoke on the nuts, and like cheap magic, off they came. Almost like they where put on just yesterday. But on a sad note, I had to lay Maxine to rest today, till I put her all back together again. I ran her carbs dry, fogged the cylinders, and took her battery out. There she sat at piece knowing that she will be like new someday,,,,,,,someday soon. Sniff

 

Here's to the day she's back on the road. When I get to that point, hopefully mine come off that easy...

skillet

 

50/50 mix of transmission fluid and acetone is way cheaper than kroil or PB blaster and has been shown in tests to work better as a penetrating lube. Only annoying thing about it is that the home mechanic could mix up a 2gallon batch of it and leave a gallon and a half behind in his will.