Seizing by hand 2/3’s of the feckless exhaust manifold stud, the remainder holding fast in Autosport Labs’ 1973 240z’s aluminum head, I examined the cylindrical advantage in an attempt to divine its essence. Evidently the stud had been near the end of its useful life as part of a fastening system for some time judging by the small, but not rusted part, of the break. Setting that part of the stud down, I turned my attention to the present issue of freeing a 34-year-old, 1/3-inch piece of steel from its aluminum prison.
I get this same feeling while sitting around a campfire with friends and family—the cold at my back. I also get it when planting potatoes in the spring—hands dirty with soil. I imagine my ancestors feeling the same when the snow melted … the rains came … the game returned … the spear was ready for flight.
In my case certainty came from close proximity to a well-appointed tool cabinet and the ancestral compulsion to wield the potential of its load. I knew at that moment I would survive the day, my tribe would be nourished, a story would be told and some knowledge would endure.
Scott “Leadfoot” Miller
![IMG_9707.JPG After the bolt extracting tool failed to produce a satisfactory result we resorted to steel (but not aluminum) dissolving acid.](http://www.autosportlabs.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/IMG_9707-300x225.jpg)
![IMG_9705 Clay dam clinging to head to hold acid.](http://www.autosportlabs.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/IMG_9705-300x225.jpg)
The engine had a good acid trip. lol
Cool! I didn’t even know such a thing existed!