Broken Manifold/Crossover Stud- difficulty of replacing manifold

[DMCMW Dave]

Don't remove the studs -- split the nuts off, clean up the threads with a die, then reinstall with stainless nuts.

This presumes that they are not as rusted as the much larger outlet studs were. I'm not sure why they would necessarily be in any better condition. Was this a salt-belt car at some point?

[Ashyukun]

This presumes that they are not as rusted as the much larger outlet studs were. I'm not sure why they would necessarily be in any better condition. Was this a salt-belt car at some point?

It came from Dayton, so yeah. And it's not like Lexington is entirely OUT of the salt belt, either.

I'm definitely worried about the condition of the engine studs myself- that's the primary point of this thread, trying to figure out what the best approach would be- especially with regards to going forward with it myself or having a shop do it. If I were closer to one of the actual shops, I'd almost certainly take the car there and have the current exhaust pulled and new put on, but the closest (up just north of Cinci) would be over 100 miles- though I could still pretty much just put the stock muffler back on temporarily. My concern with taking it to a local exhaust shop would be that they'd snap a stud themselves and not be able to fix it... :/

[content22207]

Unless someone can come up with a good reason not to, just snap the damn things off and flip the manifolds.

Bill Robertson
#5939

[Ashyukun]

Unless someone can come up with a good reason not to, just snap the damn things off and flip the manifolds.

Bill Robertson
#5939

"I don't want to unnecessarily destroy things or potentially make like a lot harder down the line," is a good enough reason for me, at least.

If I do decide, for example, to pick up Hervey's headers, I wouldn't be able to use them if I had just snapped the studs off willy-nilly. I've tried really hard to not make any changes that cannot be reversed to put the car back to stock, and simply destroying the ability to use the stock exhaust system because it would be less work doesn't sit well with me.

[DMC5180]

"I don't want to unnecessarily destroy things or potentially make like a lot harder down the line," is a good enough reason for me, at least.

If I do decide, for example, to pick up Hervey's headers, I wouldn't be able to use them if I had just snapped the studs off willy-nilly. I've tried really hard to not make any changes that cannot be reversed to put the car back to stock, and simply destroying the ability to use the stock exhaust system because it would be less work doesn't sit well with me.

Agreed, But the likelihood of returning to stock exhaust is slim to none. You can however, pickup used manifolds for next to nothing because so many systems have been converted to headers. As for head studs, try not to snap those off. It cold make replacing them a PITA. Some will say, just put new studs in the empty locations in the head and don't bother with fixing the old ones. You know and I know that's a half-assed way to do something. Although their are those rare times when something like that is unavoidable. Always try to do a job properly before se coming it'll do repairs.

[David T]

When trying to disassemble exhaust hardware the only way to do it without breaking or cutting everything is to use an acetylene torch. It is the way all professional shops do it.You heat the nuts up to cherry red and let them cool a little. Heat up again to cherry and then turn them off easily without destroying threads. The nuts are expendable, you try to save the studs. The only real draw-back is the danger of fire and heat damage. With the proper precautions they can be controlled and/or minimized.
David Teitelbaum

[SamHill]

the less torturous way for sure.

And if you do wind up drilling, they make great trophies for your cubicle at work.

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