Thanks for the shop vac/soapy water trick.

 

They don't use those old "donuts" anymore, from what I've been told. I had the exact same issue and can confirm the absence of it, after replacing the manifold. Job was a PITA

 

Time for an update, now that I got my IWE's replaced.

I put some Permatex high-temperature copper gasket maker around the flanges with the bolts loosened, then tightened them up and let it sit for 24 hours to cure before starting the truck. The good news is that that leak is gone... bad news is the exhaust leak sound is still there, which means that the problem is somewhere in my manifold. Apparently the 5.4 Triton manifolds are known for cracking, especially on the passenger side for whatever reason, which is where my sound is coming from. A cracked manifold would probably explain the gap that formed, so it looks like I treated just a symptom but not the root source of the problem. The problem is with how tight that space is, it's hard to see anything on the underside of the manifolds. In fact, I'm only assuming my bolts and studs are still good only because I was able to feel around and find them by touch. Probably would be easier to do if I had my wheels removed at the time, but I wasn't ready for that kind of undertaking.

The way I see it, I have 2 choices: replace the stock manifolds directly, or throw a little extra at the repair and upgrade to headers. I've already upgraded my exhaust a couple of years ago, and I'm not too keen on paying to redo the job a second time, so I'm thinking I'll probably just install some shorty headers that will bolt right up to my existing exhaust instead of going the full route of long tubes and having my exhaust reworked to some extent. For the modest increase in power/performance headers will get, I figure I might as well just take advantage of the situation and upgrade instead of maintaining the status quo.

But for now that project is on the back burner until either warmer weather comes along, or until my dad finishes building his heated insulated shop so I can park the truck for a day or two and replace the manifolds. My garage isn't insulated or heated, plus the only way I have room to work around the front of the truck is with the back half hanging out the door (small garage), so it makes doing this at home a less than ideal winter project to say the least, lol. As irritating as it is to drive around with that obnoxious exhaust leak sound and the fact that there's definitely some power being lost, this is at least something I can live with until one of the two options above becomes possible.

I was looking at some of the options available on Summit Racing, and was thinking of the Gibson shorty headers. Price is reasonable, and they seem to have more favorable reviews over the cheaper options. I don't have the budget for the really high-end stuff, but I do want to buy something that's at least decent and better than factory without having to deal with manufacturing issues, poor fitment, sub-par materials, etc. So to that end, if anyone has recommendations for headers they've replaced their manifolds with, I'd love to hear more about what you chose and why.

I sure hope my truck's next owner appreciates all the work I'm putting into this vehicle for them...

 

Reasonable price? Geez man... $600 headers for this truck are NOT worth it. You'd be better off doing the entire exhaust system from the manifolds back, a cat delete and new o2's all around then dump it before the axel with a decent muffler - and you'd probably save money doing that v.s buying headers. Probably run cleaner too than just doing headers and sound just as good if not better. My exhaust is dumped and I spend maybe $60 on my muffler, people ask me all the time how much I have put into the engine because of how deep and growlish it sounds. Most trucks with headers and straight pipes sound the same and it's pretty boring. Make your truck sound like it belongs on a track, not just loud. Actually, my exhaust is not even that loud. Idle rumble is nice and deep though. Huge difference. Just my two cents.

 

I actually have had my entire exhaust redone all the way up to the headers. 3 inch dual exhaust, Glasspack on each pipe. Cat delete wasn't possible, no exhaust shop around here will touch that. I tried to find a shop to remove the ancient cat and put in a straight pipe on my '85 TransAm, most of the shops were polite about turning me away. One guy just told me he wouldn't do it and walked back into his shop, lol. Besides, I don't plan to own this truck forever, and like them or not, cats are required by law. If I knowingly sell a vehicle without a catalytic converter, the new owner would have grounds to come after me to pay for installing a cat after the fact. Easier just to be legal from the onset and not have to worry about it. (My TransAm is a different story, it's my project car and I don't plan to ever sell it)

The system sounds good, except for the sound of the exhaust leak. Literally the only factory original part in the system is the exhaust manifolds. But as my current situation stands, I'm looking at owning this truck for another few years, so anything that's at least a modest legal improvement on its performance is worth considering. We've had our differences at times, but at the end of the day, I need a truck and this is what I've got. It's gotten me where I've needed it to, pissed me off at other times, but I own it outright, which makes it cheaper to own than buying a new(er) one. Might as well make the most of it for the duration I own it.