Broke exhuast manifold bolt
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Reagan
Broke exhuast manifold bolt Ok I am in the process of doing the clutch motor mounts and lt headers and I happened to break the rear most driverside exhuast manifold bolt off in the head there is nothing in there the grab on to 
Anybody got any ideas on how to get it out other than pulling the head head and drilling it out. Would I be ok not using that one bolt?
Man I hope no bolts break on the passengerside!
Anybody got any ideas on how to get it out other than pulling the head head and drilling it out. Would I be ok not using that one bolt? Man I hope no bolts break on the passengerside!
I know I'm new on this side but Im a mechanic by trade although new to the f-body world. There is no way that you could get this out with the head on the car IMO. And as to leaving it in and not worry about it, you are probably gonna leak a little exhaust at some point. The bolt is there for a reason to seal it and to prevent it from warping the header IMO. Good luck with this
Launching!
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 238
Likes: 0
From: Jacksonville, FL
Is it broken off flush with the head casting, or is it broken off flush with the part of the header that it seats on? If it sticks out past the surface of the head maybe you can get the header off and away from the broken stud sticking out, and grab on with vicegrips or something and twist it out.
If you have nothing to grab on to, head definitely needs to come off because there is no room back there. Hopefully you will be able to use a bit that backs out the bolt and not have to drill/tap/replace threads on your head. Its alota work but I wouldnt run without doing it
If you have nothing to grab on to, head definitely needs to come off because there is no room back there. Hopefully you will be able to use a bit that backs out the bolt and not have to drill/tap/replace threads on your head. Its alota work but I wouldnt run without doing it
same thing happened to me thanks to a previous owner. said f*ck it and installed headers anyway with lots of rtv sealant around that header primary/flange/gasket/head exhaust port and whatnot. no leak as far as i can tell and that was a year and a half ago. all comes down to if you really wanna pull the head?
make sure you SOAK the bolts for days with PB blaster before you take em off. **** works
make sure you SOAK the bolts for days with PB blaster before you take em off. **** works
Last time this happened to me I had about 1/8 inch or less sticking out of the head, I just welded a nut to what I could of the existing bolt, sprayed pb blaster on it while it was still hot, waited about an hour and it came right out.
The bolts are not usually hard to remove. They brake all the time in the trucks. Most often if you have part of the bolt sticking out you can easily get it out with vice grips.
If it is flush it is still fairly easy but you need a welder. Turn it up fairly hot and build the bolt up with a series of tack welds. Then once you get about 1/4" built up(5-8 tacks) then put a nut of proper size over the little nipple and weld them together. A quick hit with an impact preferably and out she comes. Now if you have room in the car I don't know. I have done this is plenty of trucks and you have plenty of room from the fender well. Good luck.
If it is flush it is still fairly easy but you need a welder. Turn it up fairly hot and build the bolt up with a series of tack welds. Then once you get about 1/4" built up(5-8 tacks) then put a nut of proper size over the little nipple and weld them together. A quick hit with an impact preferably and out she comes. Now if you have room in the car I don't know. I have done this is plenty of trucks and you have plenty of room from the fender well. Good luck.
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Reagan
The bolts are not usually hard to remove. They brake all the time in the trucks. Most often if you have part of the bolt sticking out you can easily get it out with vice grips.
If it is flush it is still fairly easy but you need a welder. Turn it up fairly hot and build the bolt up with a series of tack welds. Then once you get about 1/4" built up(5-8 tacks) then put a nut of proper size over the little nipple and weld them together. A quick hit with an impact preferably and out she comes. Now if you have room in the car I don't know. I have done this is plenty of trucks and you have plenty of room from the fender well. Good luck.
If it is flush it is still fairly easy but you need a welder. Turn it up fairly hot and build the bolt up with a series of tack welds. Then once you get about 1/4" built up(5-8 tacks) then put a nut of proper size over the little nipple and weld them together. A quick hit with an impact preferably and out she comes. Now if you have room in the car I don't know. I have done this is plenty of trucks and you have plenty of room from the fender well. Good luck.
If I end up pulling my heads im doin heads and cam help me get the hp numbers I want.
Now when I weld the tacks do I have to worry about the aluminum blowing out I only got a mig im not the best welder but Ive had good luck so far!
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo No I have had no issues with the aluminum. Just try to stay near the middle but I havn't burnt any aluminum out yet and I have done 5-7 on 3 differant trucks.
Like I said you have to turn your heat up a good bit because the aluminum sucks it up so fast.
Like I said you have to turn your heat up a good bit because the aluminum sucks it up so fast.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Reagan
Well I tried the welding method between my not so great welding skills and lack of room to work in I gonna have to pull my heads so its gonna be a while im gonna save up for heads and cam!
Launching!
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 238
Likes: 0
From: Jacksonville, FL
Sorry to hear that man, but good luck and have fun with the new setup. Post up when you get it fixed. That welding method sounded hard with the given diameter of the bolt not being very big to weld on. BUt i'm no welder either
Bench job... Took out 2 of them. Both had enuf material to slide a 3/8" nut over them.
I ground the end clean, used stainless nuts, so there was no weld contamination from the nut coating. I welded them w/ a tig and mild steel rod. While they were still hot, they screwed right out. No PB involved.
In the "FWIW" dept: When I install the bolts, they get a light touch of anti seize....Just like the plugs do.
I ground the end clean, used stainless nuts, so there was no weld contamination from the nut coating. I welded them w/ a tig and mild steel rod. While they were still hot, they screwed right out. No PB involved.
In the "FWIW" dept: When I install the bolts, they get a light touch of anti seize....Just like the plugs do.
