Removing the Cam Ladder

[Bedifferent]

Two thoughts come to mind. A small set of vice grips with the curved jaws. Or a trick I've used many times. Take a sturdy screw driver or small chisel and drive it into the screw head from the side to make a notch. Then angle the screw driver / chisel and use the notch to strike the screw in the direction it needs to turn.

Good advice...but make sure you use a good quality vice grip and not some bargain cheapy. There is a big difference in this application.

 

[mr hunt]

Good advice...but make sure you use a good quality vice grip and not some bargain cheapy. There is a big difference in this application.

A manual impact screw driver would be my choice at this point - you would need to take a bit of time to cut a notch in the torx head

 

[Ugarte]

A manual impact screw driver would be my choice at this point - you would need to take a bit of time to cut a notch in the torx head

That looks like a good idea too but access is still a problem. I would not be able to get the impact driver vertical on some of the bolts, plus cutting a notch in the bolt would be difficult on the intake side. Doable but more patience than I have would be required.

I ordered the craftsman 6 piece bolt extractor set recommended by Turbo200r4. Access will not be an issue since I can just attach the extractor to a ratchet. I have a feeling that is going to work but we will see.

 

[Bedifferent]

That looks like a good idea too but access is still a problem. I would not be able to get the impact driver vertical on some of the bolts, plus cutting a notch in the bolt would be difficult on the intake side. Doable but more patience than I have would be required.

I ordered the craftsman 6 piece bolt extractor set recommended by Turbo200r4. Access will not be an issue since I can just attach the extractor to a ratchet. I have a feeling that is going to work but we will see.

Let us know, as I may be interested in buying a set to have around. You just can't have too many tools!

 

[warp9.9]

I came across this thread while searching for something related to this issue. Sorry of someone has already mentioned the following but didn't read the entire thread.

As one of the first people who responded said, an impact driver would do the trick and, as someone else said, tapping the torx bit with a hammer usually works too. The first response may have been referring to the tool I'm mentioning but, if it does, someone may think he was referring to a pneumatic impact driver. You can get the benefit of both methods by using a manual impact driver as pictured below. I must have four or five of these things and they have saved the day (and make jobs easier) more times than I could possibly remember over the over 50 years I have been working on my machines. They're inexpensive too. Harbor Freight probably has ones just as good as anyone else's for next to nothing. You can use them with sockets and bits other than the Phillips head and flat screwdriver heads that come with them. As long as you can get a clear shot on the bolt, just a tap of a hammer on the end of the tool and you should be all set.

The only way that will work on the cam ladder is if yoi first pull the engine out of the bike.

 

[ZoneIII]

The only way that will work on the cam ladder is if yoi first pull the engine out of the bike.

LOL! That's why I said you could use the tool if you could access the bolt with it. I haven't worked on the valves yet so I'm not familiar with the procedure yet.

 

[ZoneIII]

Let us know, as I may be interested in buying a set to have around. You just can't have too many tools!

Funny but I realized that I should have added something to my suggestion. Yes, you won't get the downward force on the bolt if you are using it on a hex head bolt or any bolt that isn't driven on it's face such as a slot screw, phillips head, torx, allen screw, etc. You still get the twist but when it's combined with the downward force the tool is designed for, it works wonders - in some cases better than a pneumatic impact driver - especially with smaller bolts that the pnematic would be overkill for. What I should have mentioned is that if you are using this tool with a hex head bolt, etc., you can still transfer force down onto the bolt while the tool is also twisting it if you put something in the socket so the hex head of the bolt bottoms out in the socket and leaves a space between the base of the socket and the case or whatever it is screws into. As someone pointed out above, giving the bolt a rap is a big help in loosening up bolts, especially when it's a steel bolt in aluminum. The tool gives downward and twisting force at the same time. Very effective.

For the big things that I can get to, though, I just use a pneumatic impact driver.

I somehow accidentally deleted my original post about this tool so someone may wonder what I'm talking about. It's just an impact driver that you rap on with a hammer. I'm guessing almost everyone here already has one.

 

[sonny]

Had a problem with a bonneville a long time ago. Went to pull the cams and did not follow proper sequence. Ended up with a wasted bolt. School of hard knocks paid off. Went to pull cam ladder off of rocket and paid real close attention to the manual. Took cam ladder off and did not have a lick of problems. Had cams in proper position, slowly 1/4 turn on all bolts. Then took it a bit over the top and only turned bolts about another quarter of a turn. Then removed all bolts with no problem. Those bolts are only torqued down to 10MM but if cams are not in the right position or you just loosing them as you go you're screwed. I follow a old school thought "A GOOD WELDER NEEDS NO HAMMER" You get it right the first time.