MTFCA Forum

I read the hogshead removal topic from last year.

1. We installed the hogshead a few months ago so the ultra black and gaskets are nice n tight.
2. Everything is moved out of the way.
3. The rear axle is detached.
4. We installed the removable bands backwards and one popped loose, so have to do it over.

Now the issue is how to break loose the hogshead where the pan brackets are and the attachment
to the block. I do not have an engine hoist so I cannot lift the HH to get it to separate from the pan.

Any suggestions?

I have read here a hacksaw blade can be used to separate a glued together H/H.
I have used a utility knife blade. Then a pry @ the front with a wood chisel @ both sides.

I have in the past suggested that a thin layer of oil be spread to the H/H gasket surface.
The ultra will still seal, but wont take extreme measures to remove.
Bonus; the gasket can be reused.

On prior installs that someone used lots of silicone sealant , found that prying between the hogshead and pan with thin steel putty knife helped to break the seal. Resorted to tapping the blade handle with mallet too, wiggled the knife all along the seams. Finally got it separated.

Easier to remove later if Permatex #2 non-hardening gasket sealer is used on the gaskets on the pan , block and hogshead .

Purchase some wood shims from Home Depot, Lowe's, or the like. The ones used for shimming cabinets. Once you get the silicone cut or separated, try to stick a shim in to keep the surfaces apart. Work around and go back to the earlier placed shims and tap them in a little more as you work around.

Good Luck

I have had luck with silicone glued covers by loosening up the ball cover at the rear. When the top two bolts are removed and the cover moved back, there is room to get a pry bar between the ball cover and the trans cover. It seems easier to break the bond at the rear than to break the wider footprint at the front of the cover.

Allan from down under.

speedytinc wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2024 10:17 pm

I have read here a hacksaw blade can be used to separate a glued together H/H.
I have used a utility knife blade. Then a pry @ the front with a wood chisel @ both sides.

I have in the past suggested that a thin layer of oil be spread to the H/H gasket surface.
The ultra will still seal, but wont take extreme measures to remove.
Bonus; the gasket can be reused.

First of all, from the sounds of things, the HH aint been on all that long. Likely the RTV aint "that well set" anyway. Lightly tap a good thin strong screwdriver or putty knife in the joint as others said and it'll pop off.

As to removing it, you don't need a lift. Just a strong back (or two), you can grab it from where you remove the inspection cover and just start yanking and lifting. It'll come out, a bit stubbornly, but it'll come out. The real fun is getting it back on, and I recommend removing the brake and reverse pedal to put it back on. It's so much simpler trust me. Done a number of em like this, both in and out of the car. It aint rocket science as they say. Keep the excedrin bottle handy! It always messes with my herniated disc when I deal with em but I survive. Good luck buddy.

I never suggest smearing oil on any surface and then the RTV. RTV does not get along well with oil before it has time to cure. That's why once you put your HH on with generous RTV, give it overnight before putting in oil or running the engine which of course splashes it all over the joints. Learned that from an engine expert!