No, you don't need to take off the heads at all.  My way of doing is to take
the engine out, drill the bolt out if you can't take it out if it still has
a small piece to grab on.
I think, the person who worked on it, did not know how much force he is
allowed to put on that bolt before braking it off.  Even then it can brake
after you have used oxy/acetylen, so drilling out is the way to go.
I am close to Seattle, in Lynnwood.  It is a bigger kind of job.
Your engine is fine, as far I can tell, seeing many with that mileage.
Zoltan

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen Grisanti
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2018 10:32 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: need advice

Happened to me and I got a mobile welder to make a house call to try the
"welded washer" trick. I had tried getting it out myself with no luck.
Drilling in that position was not doable. Weld a steel washer to the steel
stump remaining, then weld a steel nut to that washer. Nothing welded sticks
to the aluminum head. Turn that nut with wrench to extract.

Unfortunately, my guy's heart was not in the job and I wound up yanking the
head and taking it to a machine shop. I still have faith in that first
process and people do swear by it.

Good luck!

Stephen

Mobile

> On Dec 10, 2018, at 12:34 PM, Mark McCulley <markmcculley@GMAIL.COM>
> wrote:
>
> 1987 syncro Westy
> 210K
>
> Dropped of at mechanic this morning to replace exhaust. Stud broke off in
> one of the heads and they're telling me I'll need to replace the heads or
> put in a new engine. I was going to go with replacing the heads, asked
> them
> to confirm that the rest of the engine was OK. They measured oil pressure,
> 22psi @ 2000rpm using the VDO gauge on my dash. Said engine was worn out.
>
> Is there no way to extract broken stud from head without taking the head
> off?
>
> Mark
> Seattle, WA