During my latest bout of shipwright's disease, I noticed that I have a
broken head stud on my TR. It's the one on the passenger side of the
engine, just in front of the heater valve. The nut and top 1/2" of the
stud were just lying there on top of the head. It looks like the stud
has been broken a long time - I just hadn't noticed it before. So, I
have some choices:
1) Remove the head and replace the stud. Rebuild the head while it's
off (it needs it).
2) Try to remove the broken stud with an E-Z-Out, without removing the
head, and replacing the stud and torquing it down and HOPING that the
head gasket is still intact.
3) Ignore it - it's been broken for some time and the car has run OK.
I'm inclined to #3. The engine is very, very tired and it is my
intention to rebuild it when I start the body-off restoration in a
couple more years. I don't drive the car much, and when I do it's very
conservatively, so I don't think that any more damage will be done than
has been already. I know the head will probably have warped a little,
but I intend to mill a little off anyway when I rebuild it, so warpage
doesn't bother me. I have not noticed any sign of emulsified oil in the
sump, either, which leads me to believe the head gasket is OK.
#2 might be an option - has anybody done this? If this approach fails,
then I can go on to option #1, but this will cause a whole new bout of
the dreaded shipwrights, because there would be no point in putting a
rebuilt head an a tired short block, and if I'm going to rebuild the
engine I should do the gearbox, which means I should take the body off
now and start the complete restoration that I can't afford... You get
the picture!
So, any comments from my fellow listers?
Michael Marr
1960 TR3A
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