Thermostat Housing Bolt Kaput

Yesterday I enjoyed a nice drive in hills checking out fall colors. When I got back I notice small amount of antifreeze below thermostat housing, not the first time I’ve seen this. Upper rad hose replaced last spring so I know that’s good. So today I get the $1.79 gasket from NAPA. Dang bolt head twisted off.

Neighbor, who I trust and respect his 73 years of automotive experience, wants to heat the bolt red hot and melt candle wax around it, and if there’s enough bolt, work it back and forth with vise grip. I’m thinking yank manifold drill and extract.

Funny how a one hour repair will now take a day to fix. I also know somewhere, somebody is dealing with a far bigger problem than I have. The joys of working on these old Jeeps.
Mark


It was a good day for jeeping.

 

yup the wax trick works well

 

x2 on heat and wax . have birthday candles just for that

 

Just for kicks, gingerly try the vicegrips without the heat and wax first. There's a chance the bond is in the dissimilar metals of the thermostat housing and the bolt. Once you get the housing off, there may not be that much more holding the bolt in.

 

I have had success if there is part of the bolt sticking out putting a nut on it and welding it to the bolt,let it cool and gently start wiggling back and forth,as ITLKSEZ said may not be that much holding it.

 

pull the bolt on the opposite side, and remove the housing. Then you have plenty of old bolt to grab with vice grips.

 

Exactly what worked for me the last time. Got lucky!

 

I’m a believer in using candle wax to free stuck bolts. After working on and driving the ‘46 2A last 8 months moved it out for paint and brought the ‘71 in garage to finally fix that thermostat housing gasket. Invited the 74 year old chain smoking neighbor over, made his and my day.

The second bolt was frozen solid too, heated manifold, melted wax around head, came right out. Once housing off did the broken off one, easy fix using wax.

 

Listen to some of the old-timers, they know what they're talking about! Actually, you got lucky as the wax trick works best for bolts siezed in iron rather than aluminum.
Glad you were successful!
-Donny

 

“Blow that sucker out. Don’t like that flame next to the carb.” LOL

 

But the bolt was seized in iron, the intake manifold.