Operating the engine with the exhaust pipes missing is a great way to
warp valves and possibly cause a fire. Have it towed. If you want to do
the weld thing yourself, I suggest a small MIG welder. Works great in
cramped quarters, requires little skill. And 110 v welders are available
at reasonable cost. Read up on it. Welding for stud removal has a number
of advantages. Besides having a nut that can be gripped with a wrench,
the fast, localized heating will heat the stud without much transfer to
the head. The quick expansion will stretch the threads in the head and
the stud will "usually" thread right out.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of Wesley Alden Pegden
Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2005 11:26 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: removing engine studs: more questions

Hi all...
I emailed the list a few weeks ago about my upcoming intentions to
remove the exhaust studs from the front end of my engine (they are
rusted to the point of uselessness) in the process of changing my
exhaust pipes.  (I've already removed the rear pipes: they were bolted
on, instead of being attached with studs).  After looking through the
archives, I have some questions.

The simplest, most promising suggestion I found was to weld a good nut
onto the the stud, and then use this to grip the stud for removal.
Unfortunately, I have no experience with welding.  What kind of setup
would I need?  Would this be a significant purchase?  Would welding in
cramped quarters under the vanagon be difficult?

Another question... although I hate paying other people to work on cars
for me... how much could I expect to pay someone else to do this?  For
that matter... Can I drive the car (i.e. to a shop), with some of the
exhaust pipes removed from the engine?  It would certainly be loud...
but would it be bad as well?  (with all those hot gases in the engine
compartment...?)

Thanks for any help!
Wes