I understand the Banks header kit was the best exhaust mod offered for these trucks. But it must be understood that the setup is no longer available, making it irrelevant (sadly). Therefore, I continue to compile information for exhaust mods currently on the market. That being said, I found a thread posted by FordCamping with some great information. I am going to summarize everything below (as I understand it). Please feel free to chime in and correct any errors I might have made -


This is the most comprehensive thread addressing the exhaust stud issue I can find on here - it should be noted that this is on an F-series 3 valve V10:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...bon-steel.html

The discussion boils down to the use of the Ford part numbers pictured here (mentioned in post #25):


These are carbon steel nuts, stainless studs, and stainless washers. Stainless nuts should not be used as they will likely gall to the studs. Also, the stainless washers are required to allow some thermal expansion of the iron manifolds and prevent the nuts from rusting to the manifold. It was also recommended to use hi-temp nickel anti-seize on the washer surfaces, but not recommended on the threads. Here is the science behind it: The original nuts would corrode and "stick" to the surface of the manifold. Then, the expansion & contraction of the manifold would tug at the stud longitudinally and laterally, eventually fatiguing the stud to the point of failure. Note: It was pointed out that this issue with broken studs is less common with headers. this is likely due to the different metals used to make them, and the fact that the exhaust ports have individual pipes (contributing to less thermal expansion). So, in addition to adding a little bit of power, installing headers should reduce the likelihood of broken studs in the future (justification? ). The use of the aforementioned hardware, (carbon steel nuts, stainless studs, and stainless washers) seems to be the correct/best way to address the exhaust stud issue on the modular engines (at least as of 2020 when the thread was created). Hopefully these part numbers are still available through Ford. If confirmed this is the quote "best" way to address the exhaust studs, I will contact my local Ford dealer and report back regarding availability. Again, the thread pertains to the later 3 valve V10 engines... so the questions are as follows:

Correctness - Did I get an A+ on my report?
Options - Can anyone confirm this seems to be the best reasonable fix for the exhaust stud issue?
Longevity - Has anyone put any miles on an engine with this stud setup?
Compatibility - Does this mod work for the 2 valve engine in our Excursions?

 

Are you now looking to keep your factory exhaust manifolds and redo the studs or are still moving towards a set of headers?

 

Headers for sure. Gibson seems the best current choice from what I can see. My previous post is specific to finding the best solution to mount said headers (and to help others reading this as an added benefit to the thread). I believe the stud solution should work for both stock manifolds and headers alike. Perhaps that is not the case? I am skeptical of using the included hardware that comes with the headers as the manufacturer is probably just throwing some bolts in with them... god knows what grade, quality, or material

P.S. - I know the Banks came with good hardware, but they had a reputation of quality with many users. No one seems to have info on the Gibson stuff. Hence my [perpetual] skepticism

 

At 90K miles and 8 years old when I removed them my factory studs had 2 broken off and the rest needed a socket hammered onto the corroded nuts to remove them.
Now with 72K miles and 12 years in service the metric class 10.9 black oxide bolts that came with my headers are all still healthy and only show minimal surface rust.
If the headers you buy come with no or questionable hardware I would suggest looking into similar class 10.9 bolts, no dealing with threaded stud length vs flange thickness and corrosion prone nuts. And likely much cheaper than the hardware from .



The surface of the headers shows the typical “fuzz” of rust that 410 stainless gets in this application, they got to this point in about a year and have been the same since. You can see that the bolt heads still retain fairly crisp hex corners with just a slight layer of rust. Pic taken today, don’t mind the spider web, we haven’t driven the wagon more than 20 miles since last March when we bought the new truck.

 

Dang, those flanges are thick. I so wish Banks still offered them. I appreciate the feedback though. I'm not opposed to using bolts in lieu of the studs. Anyone know the thread pitch and approximate depth of the holes inside the head? I know I can figure it out after removing one of the studs, but I'm just hopeful I can procure the hardware ahead of time

 

Sorry for kind of hijacking this thread, but does anyone know if 3v v10 manifolds would work on a 2v v10? Headers are pricey, and the 3v manifolds look like they flow better than the 2v logs.. Similar to the old 289 hipo manifold. Might be a direct swap. Anyone try this?

 

I would look at the gaskets for both manifolds.

if they overlay each other, without any gaps, go for the cheaper manifold.

 

Good idea... Might have to go to the parts store and report back later.

 

If I recall correctly, they do not cross match. It’s a shame as the 3V ones look like cast iron shorties headers.

 

Bummer... I'll still double check.

 

If I recall correctly the 3V exhaust manifolds will not fit on the 2V heads. The heads are different, therefore the exhaust manifolds are different... anyone feel free to oppose this