Thanks Dennis, fear and perspective help.  My heat maxes out at propane and the crank pulley idea reminded me of maybe my best tool – willingness to walk away.  When I replaced the exhaust system a few years ago, I was probably two weeks getting all of that stuff loose, but I didn’t break any.  That’s the big goal, so I’ll spend some time with it every day until it dissolves in PB Blaster.  Thanks for the reality check.

From: Dennis Haynes
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2020 3:11 AM
To: Gene P; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: RE: Water Pump Pipes

Removing the tin on the left side of the engine will make this job a lot easier. For that rear pipe top screw a cut down Allen key usually works. Next trick to loosen is the heat wrench, (oxy-acetylene torch). If you really can't get it out next step is to remove the crank pulley. Oops here goes another 1/2 day. 

Dennis
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Gene P
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2020 7:57 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Water Pump Pipes

Yeah, those Allen head buggers.  Stuck good, not stripped out but no way any of them had the bite to turn them out.  Big pipe -  I got the top one with vice grips and hammer.  Bottom one, tapped a T40 Torx into the head and got it from underneath by the cat with a 15” breaker bar.  Halfway I thought.

Small pipe – got the bottom one like a regular person with a hex socket and breaker, not bad at all.  Top one, behind the pulley so you can’t get a socket on it, or the Torx.  I have a ground down Allen key, used an extension with a 6mm socket on the end that fits over the handle end of the Allen key to provide some leverage, but again no way is there enough bite to pop that screw, more force will just strip it out.  So I’ve been at the vice grips and hammer deal for about 200-300 taps.  Nothing.  PB and time outs, nothing.  Am I missing something?  Some other way to get at it?