can't get the damn second clamp off of the phh on the block end. i can feel the large end of the clamp on the right side and can barely feel the other end as it is underneath the intake manifold. how should i attack this?? been on this clamp for the last 45 min to no avail. can i somehow rotate the clamp ends toward the bottom?? thanks in advance for the help.
clamp help on phh (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Elijah
- Start date
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do you have a Dremel, thats what some guys have sugested using.
Is it the factory cotter pin looking clamp or a worm gear clamp, spring type clamp?
Sounds like you're trying to access the PHH from above....most of us attack it from the wheel well opening. Remove the drivers side tire (vehicle secured on a jack stand) and then remove the two rubber skirts (just above and behind the coil spring tower), this will give you a much better view/access to it.
If the clamp is a spring type you might be able to rotate toward the bottom.
I think the majority of us just cut the PHH off with a utility knife and then deal with the remains as necessary.
Sounds like you're trying to access the PHH from above....most of us attack it from the wheel well opening. Remove the drivers side tire (vehicle secured on a jack stand) and then remove the two rubber skirts (just above and behind the coil spring tower), this will give you a much better view/access to it.
If the clamp is a spring type you might be able to rotate toward the bottom.
I think the majority of us just cut the PHH off with a utility knife and then deal with the remains as necessary.
- Thread starter
- #4
it's the spring type
i am attacking it from the bottom and it's spring type clamp the onw with cotter pin just got ripped out, no issues there. the next one has the spring tabs facing up towards the manifold. the dremel sounds like a great idea, assuming there is room in there to use it, and i'd have to go buy one. hopefully i can get without the dremel but i guess that will be a last resort.
i am attacking it from the bottom and it's spring type clamp the onw with cotter pin just got ripped out, no issues there. the next one has the spring tabs facing up towards the manifold. the dremel sounds like a great idea, assuming there is room in there to use it, and i'd have to go buy one. hopefully i can get without the dremel but i guess that will be a last resort.
C6H12O6
SILVER Star
Mine was oriented the same way. I had just enough room to get some needlenose vise grips on one of the tabs of the clamp and just manhandled it to the point it would slide the other clamp tab down to where it was accessible. You might try some WD-40/PB Blaster to lube it up a little. If you have a choice, try to pull on the clamp tab in the direction that would push it toward the other tab, loosening it up a little as you go, instead of pulling it in the direction that would tighten it up more.
Otherwise, the Dremel might be your only option.
Otherwise, the Dremel might be your only option.
I found that the bend on a set of standard channel lock pliers, provided the angle needed to get ahold of the tabs and rotate them around to a point where you could get at them.
The clamp on the block side of the PHH would be awful hard to get at with a dremel and typical cutting wheel. Maybe there's another attachment accesory that could get that far in and cut it off.
Rookie2
The clamp on the block side of the PHH would be awful hard to get at with a dremel and typical cutting wheel. Maybe there's another attachment accesory that could get that far in and cut it off.
Rookie2
If you get on the upper tab with a small prying device, you can push it down enough to get it to rotate to a position where you can pinch the ends together with a pair of pliers. I have had the most success with the regular old slip joint kind. Sometimes the angle is wrong on channel locks and needle nose aren't always wide enough.
Good luck. That part is a beeeoich.
Good luck. That part is a beeeoich.
For those who don't already know: You can take a pair of needle nose vise grips and put them in a vise (I heated mine) and bend the jaws 45 deg. for getting into tight places on vehicles.
- Thread starter
- #9
success!!!!
finally got the stupid spring clamp with the tabs facing up towards the intake. the dremel i purchased today out of necessity came with an attachment that allowed me to flex it on up into position, they call it a flex-tube, or something like that. i cut out little tabs and bent them outward and used a flathead screwdriver on the tabs to rotate them 180' to be able to get a bite on them with the needle nose. After that it was smooth-sailing. By the way I followed Rick's writeup from the slee website. Thanks for all the input guys.
Elijah
finally got the stupid spring clamp with the tabs facing up towards the intake. the dremel i purchased today out of necessity came with an attachment that allowed me to flex it on up into position, they call it a flex-tube, or something like that. i cut out little tabs and bent them outward and used a flathead screwdriver on the tabs to rotate them 180' to be able to get a bite on them with the needle nose. After that it was smooth-sailing. By the way I followed Rick's writeup from the slee website. Thanks for all the input guys.
Elijah
boekppl said:
Another believer in the Dremel - I used the extension attachment on mine as well. How many of those cutting discs did you break off before cutting through it? I counted 3 when I did it - those cutting wheels are fragile - I kept bumping into the block and snapping them. Glad it worked out for you.
after that i was alright 
Yah, that second clamp was the hardest part of the job for me. I finally used the dremel flex tube, and a metallic cutting disc that came in a costco assortment pack after I broke the first disc just reaching in there.
