re: Dealing with rusty exhaust

[Joe Elliott <jee@domain.elided>]

At 9:07 PM -0400 4/18/02, alfa-digest wrote:
>Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 09:49:50 -0400
>From: Mark Denovich <mark@domain.elided>
>Subject: Dealing with rusty exhaust
>
>So I need to drop the exhaust on my Milano Verde soon.   I've dealt with
>everything from the cat back, but the manifold/downpipes connection
>looks like it's going to be a bear.
>
>The manifold studs are rusted to the point that they no longer appear to
>even be threaded.   I know there's no way I'm going to be able to back
>those nuts off... which has prompted me to formulate plan B.
>
>I'm planning on using a cut-off tool or angle grinder, what ever I can
>fit up there, and clip the studs clean off.  That should allow the
>downpipes/cat to come free.  After remvoing the downpipes I should be
>able to drill out the old studs and replace them with bolts.
>
>Does this sound like a decent plan?
>
>	--Mark

I would go ahead and try to back the nuts off--in my experience 
they'll back off (fall off) those seemingly-threadless studs.  Then, 
rather than doing as the DPO of my car did, take the manifolds to a 
machine shop and have new threads put in (is that what you call a 
helicoil?) and put new factory studs in.  But whatever you do, don't 
convince yourself that the threads on any of those studs are good, 
because there's nothing worse than replacing three of four studs to 
save $.95 and putting it all back together only to discover that the 
remaining original stud doesn't have enough thread left to hold the 
downpipe on--ask me how I know.

Just my forty lira,
Joe Elliott
'82 GTV6
(most recently did that job on friend's '87 Milano)

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