Any tricks to remove tight rod caps

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modok
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Re: Any tricks to remove tight rod caps

Post by modok »

My go-to would be a 14" x 3/4" aluminum drift, and 24 dead blow
Good for lots of things, also, long enough to reach the piston.....

I'm not sure why guys use brass rather than aluminum for a drift. It work hardens.
Perhaps....a tradition from before aluminum was invented?
AC sports
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Re: Any tricks to remove tight rod caps

Post by AC sports »

Finally managed to get them off without damage!
Yes, a harder hand is what they needed.
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Re: Any tricks to remove tight rod caps

Post by Newold1 »

Reason I brought up the rod vise even though obviously the rods were being disassembled on an engine where they are on the crank is because I have worked with a few rods that where mishandled while they were being refitted with new rod bolts and resized on the big end. Holding the big end improperly especially clamping for new bolt and nut burnishing can out of round the bolt holes and after the caps have been taken off on a refresh or rebuild the bolts are damn near impossible to remove and sometimes the rod has been twisted enough to result in undue wear to the rod bearing and the piston pin. I am guessing there are a lot of guys who work over rods without using a good tool like a rod vise and don't always realize the damage they are imparting to the rod. Right tool for the right job!
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DrillDawg
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Re: Any tricks to remove tight rod caps

Post by DrillDawg »

I've hammered on a old 1/2" drive extension and socket while disassembling old stock engines, I also have several hard oak drifts made out of an old shovel handle. Something like this is what you need to use with rods that use rod "bolts".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAuenOoao8E
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Re: Any tricks to remove tight rod caps

Post by PackardV8 »

modok wrote: Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:29 am My go-to would be a 14" x 3/4" aluminum drift, and 24 dead blow
Good for lots of things, also, long enough to reach the piston.....

I'm not sure why guys use brass rather than aluminum for a drift. It work hardens.
Perhaps....a tradition from before aluminum was invented?
Yep, some of us are older 'n dirt. My brass drifts usually mushroom on the end struck and chip off on the working end. By the time they've been ground back into shape as needed, they get shorter and shorter.

Then, there's the purely subjective; striking a brass drift of equivalent diameter just feels and sounds better than aluminum.

Your opinions and results obviously differ.

Off topic, but my machinist prefers to drive cam bearings with an aluminum bar as opposed to the heavy steel bar which comes with the DuraBond and most other cam bearing driver tools sets. He just finds it much easier to control and maneuver.
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Post by dwilliams »

Some ARP bolts are *way* oversize, particularly the Wavelocs intended for small block Mopar rods. I used to use a lot of those in Ford stroker motors. After several "wtf?!" events I called ARP; their tech guy said up to .005" was fine, and recommended using a hydraulic press to put the bolts into the rod shanks... which didn't help getting the caps off later.

I finally bought a reamer to open the rod bolt holes up for around a .0005" interference, then found the knurl or wave diameter wasn't real consistent. I wound up cutting the knurls down on some of them on the lathe.
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Re: Any tricks to remove tight rod caps

Post by Zmechanic »

PackardV8 wrote: Tue Aug 07, 2018 11:02 am My brass drifts usually mushroom on the end struck and chip off on the working end. By the time they've been ground back into shape as needed, they get shorter and shorter.
I have two in my box. Could quite possibly the two cheapest and most valuable tools I have. I have one of them that single-handedly saved me so much money and time in a pinch I might have done a little dance after it got a very valuable part unstuck without damage. :)

I'm also slightly ashamed to admit I've done the socket on an extension trick. But it was on a core and I had no intention of saving the crank or rods.
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