Manifold is finally off. I bought a torch for the one in particular that was bothering me. Torched it flush, was able to get a combination of extensions and swivels on the 2nd from front bottom side and it came out. Pried like hell and snapped the metal puddle off the third from front bottom side.

Broke one stud off below flush with head, noticed the one that was broken off before I started is broken below head as well. So off to welding nuts on after lunch.

Also I was able to get on the bottom side nuts between manifold and (frame piece conveniently in the way?) with a deep wall 13mm socket, then the universal swivel, then a 5 or 6" extension to break them loose then hit with air impact. The one I torched would've needed much more extensions possibly second swivel and may have been extremely unstable to crank on. But if the nut wasn't rusted to hell it would've been possible.

So advice from me, buy extensions and swivels before expensive things to get the studs out. Unless your nuts are too rusted to grab and you can't get a vice on them, then try cutting the nuts off and crank them out with a vice grip. Milwaukee has a torque lock vice grip that was easily 2 inches smaller in length than my smallest one and helped a lot for removing studs.

 

Also, if you can pay to have this done for $500-750 just pay for it.

 

I read about doing that and saw it in a video or two but in my situation it wouldn't have been required if the nut was fine. Plus it would've been another $120+ as I dont have a floor jack to lift under the oil pan and would've needed another stand. Didn't want to try lifting with a bottle jack really. But more room on that one would've been a serious help.

 

All that's let left is to pull the cut off studs from exhaust flange on manifold but I cannot get them to move whatsoever. I started soaking them when I first started the project, and it doesn't seem to have helped. I think I'm going to drill them out to 1/2" and replace with either 5/16 or 3/8 grade 8 bolts washers and nuts.

 

Well the project is done. I incorrectly diagnosed what was wrong with my truck, got the manifold back on and strapped to the y pipe, started it up... sounded awful just like before. I have a small leak at the y flange connection. But that shouldn't matter. The truck sounds like air is popping quite loudly and can be heard probably multiple city blocks away. When I started I thought it sounded like it was coming from the top side of the engine, but also the passenger side. I knew I had broken studs on passenger side so I just started with the manifold.

on top of that my serpentine belt broke.

If anyone had had any idea what my real issue could be, shoot me a pm, post here, anything. Thanks guys. Hope everyone's having a good weekend. I've got two uncles who are mechanics and will probably have them look at it but now that I'm without a serpentine belt, it is where it is unless I have it towed.

 

Show us pics of the completed project.

 

Posting a video of the truck running so we can hear what it's doing would be helpful.