Technical Stuck exhaust manifold bolt…

That manifold is most likely a mid '80's smogger piece... if it breaks, "oh well".

 

Since there is no exhaust pipe. Take the rocker cover off and the plugs out and try moving the manifold back and forth (circular).
Those are good street manifolds for some tight fits where performance is not cared about. Kinda like old Y-blocks.

 

At the city of San Jose where I used to work we had a sales woman,I think Christa,she was selling some stuff called yield,she asked me for a paper coffee cup and 2 flat pieces of metal. She sprayed a dime size area of one piece of metal at the bottom and put the two pieces of metal together and put them in the coffee wet side down.After 10 min I removed the pieces of metal and the fluid had found its way to the top of both pieces,she said there was a capillary action which made the oil rise on its own which why you could spray the bottom of a bolt and it would find it's way to the top. Good ****.

 

https://sydneytools.com.au/product/nch-11018633-400g-yield-penetrating-release-agent

Cheers,
Harv

 

'nuff said...

 

10 days and 3 pages of posts, just to get a ****ing bolt out. We need to do better, this is the Hamb. Cars have ben built in 3 pages of posts. Engines have been rebuilt and installed in cars in 3 pages of posts. Where did we go wrong?

 

Spin the manifold back and forth . If its loose on the manifold then its stuck in the head or vise a versa but he manifolds should move with all the other bolts out

 

Is it off yet?

 

Map Gas torch is just playing with it. As I mentioned earlier and others also. You need serious heat . Oxy Acetylene is the only way , Serious heat and a keep it red hot for a long time alowing the bolt to heat all the way.
Been there and done that many times.
Go borrow a set or take your vehicle where they can get some heat on it,
Vic

 

50:50 ATF/Acetone , beeswax, and an O/A flame will get any bolt out... Get it done I’m getting older!

 

If you don't get that bleepin' bolt out pretty soon, I'm afraid @BJR is gonna have a stroke.

And my *** is sore from being on the edge of my seat.

So if you could... LOL

 

Some guys have never had to play "go fish" with froze up hardware before. I worked with a lot of boats that saw salt water. Impact drivers would jar them loose at times. What we wanted to avoid was drilling and tapping a hole again. Some were in real bad spots. I have been using the impact hammer with lots of luck. I'm glad nobody was talking about easy-outs.

Once the bolt is out, coat the new threads with never-seize. I have taken out old exhaust bolts I treated with it, never had to fight one and there was a trace of it left on the threads. I used stainless steel grade-5 bolts and washers on my car, best $36 I have ever spent.

 

Ok, I keep thinkin, some more responses- He probably got it out... Right? No ... Sometimes I wonder if these threads are just started to see how far it will go... I'm out.....

 

Sorry guys, even as a retired old man I have a seriously busy schedule. Between my boats, and raising two boys 15 and 13 years old. The Olds is actually supposed to be a winter project. (I keep sneaking out and trying to get things done) I don’t know anyone close that has an acetylene torch, and taking the car someplace is not an option. I just received the new air hammer I ordered yesterday, and then came up positive on a Covid test. I thought we were finished with that ****!

 

Ahhh... don't be sorry.
I wasn't serious.
Take care of yourself.
Pick up where you left off when you're ready and able.

 

Here is the thing..........it is possible that you won't be able to get the bolt out without breaking it at the surface. Then it becomes more difficult to deal with. Using a Mapp torch is usually a waste of time. Proceed slowly with the air hammer or you may create a more difficult problem if you twist the bolt off flush with the head.
I'd still recommend slitting the head off the bolt, and if it doesn't come off, slit the manifold till you can break it away. Less risk to screwing the head up that way.

 

take the valve cover off and theplugs out and see if you can turn the manifold counter clockwise if it comes out a half turn you will be able to heat the bolt/ manifold easier.

 

If the bolt is actually corroded to the manifold, maybe take a 2/3lb hand sledge and tap on each end. Just to see if you can hear it loose.

 

Sneak up on it.

 

You can't rush this. You need to pick a good hour or so, no distractions and have a relaxed at***ude. Lay all the tools out first, maybe a day in advance. Jot down some methods, you need a plan of action. Having an extra set of hands around might be a good idea.

 

This is not rocket science. Using the EDGE of the cutoff wheel, grind the head off. Keep the wheel moving across the face of the head. You can easily access it this way.

 

The best thing that could happen would be to break the head of the bolt off where you could remove the manifold and still have something there to grab on to. The danger is in breaking the bolt off below the surface of the gasket. Theoretically you could remove the bolt with an O/A torch , maybe even MAPP, if there is enough of a nub to grab with a pipe wrench. But if it breaks below.... that head is coming off.

 

Sorry guys, I’m out with Covid right now and will try to get back to it soon…

 

Good luck with everything.

 

I've found that beer helps

 

Yes, when we suggest cutting it off, there are numerous ways of using a 3", 4-1/2" etc cutting wheels to cut it off.

 

...with both Covid and stuck bolts

Cheers,
Harv

 

Sorry man, Covid ****s along with stuck bolts!

 

A good solid hit with a hammer on the bolt head may help. The rust is brittle and will shatter if hit. This has worked for me.
Now don't laugh. Try wax. It is the best penitent. Heat it up as hot as you can get it and feed candle wax on to it. Also put some on the manifold head junction. Leave it alone overnight. It is amazing how the wax will creep in the tightest spots.