89 tioga arrow ford exhaust leak

If you can move all the bolts, every one, then try to find a shop that can resurface an exhaust manifold. A cylinder head machine usually can't do it since the crossover pipe connection interferes with the gasket surface reaching the machine's cutting surface. That's why the "Belt Sander."

If bolts'll move, try to use a non-ratchet tool and rock them both ways, spraying a lubricant down the threads best as you can.

If you decide to go this way, let us know and we can help look up the gasket. The fiber-looking ones don't work well for this. Try for stamped steel.

it's coming from the manifold where it bolts the the head air comes out around the manifold on the passenger side the manifold is warped just trying to find a replacement header that is ca smog legal witch i can't seem to find

Cracked manifold? Or broken ear on head?
Can you use a piece of tubing up to your ear to identify where the exhaust leak is?

no bolts are not broken they were loose and I tightens them make it better but still a very bad exhaust leak

Gene in NE wrote:
Don't forget to try PB Blaster to penetrate rust, if any, between the bolt and the block or burr and the stud.

On the Driver Side, I sprayed "Yield" (a Blaster equivalent) every couple days for a week. When it came apart, I didn't see much evidence that the Yield got down the bolt threads and into the threads in the head. Fortunately they still came out, so the chemical might've done some good.

When I did Driver Side, it had a bad leak at the rear of the manifold. Passenger Side was still quiet. Then Passenger Side started to leak, just a "Click" sound.

Passenger Side, tried the rear bolt. Had to bang a socket onto it as mentioned before. Then it seemed loose. I can't remember if I sprayed the Passenger Side bolts, or only pounded the socket onto them. But they did in fact come out.

I called them Bolts, Gene called them Studs. They were actually mixed. Mostly bolts but a couple/few Studs.

The other quote about not being able to reach plugs... Our 460 (in an '83 chassis) had a "heat stove" around the passenger side manifold. It was rusted mostly away, so I destroyed the rest of it taking plugs out and then manifold off. Otherwise it would have really been miserable. Plug changes help us lose weight. Mostly off the backs of our hands.

j-d wrote:
I was able to get all the bolts out of both sides on a 460. The original manifolds had warped and the gaskets had rusted through. An auto machine shop was able to re-surface using a machine called "belt sander" that actually does a precision job. On driver side, I was able to wrench them loose with a flex ratchet, all eight. Reassembled with new stamped steel gaskets, anti-seize compound both sides, and new bolts. Did passenger side a few years later and found the bolt heads were rusted enough to be no longer 9/16. I found I could mount a 13mm socket on a long extension that fit in the space between frame and fender liner. Pounded them onto the bolt heads. I found all 8 came out easily. I think it was due to the pounding to get the socket jammed on. Again, re-surfaced. Re-attached original crossover pipe and connected to a new Flowmaster 3" cat-back exhaust. I ran it another several years and no further problems. I'd made up my mind, though, that if a manifold broke, I'd install headers.

Don't forget to try PB Blaster to penetrate rust, if any, between the bolt and the block or burr and the stud.

I was able to get all the bolts out of both sides on a 460. The original manifolds had warped and the gaskets had rusted through. An auto machine shop was able to re-surface using a machine called "belt sander" that actually does a precision job. On driver side, I was able to wrench them loose with a flex ratchet, all eight. Reassembled with new stamped steel gaskets, anti-seize compound both sides, and new bolts. Did passenger side a few years later and found the bolt heads were rusted enough to be no longer 9/16. I found I could mount a 13mm socket on a long extension that fit in the space between frame and fender liner. Pounded them onto the bolt heads. I found all 8 came out easily. I think it was due to the pounding to get the socket jammed on. Again, re-surfaced. Re-attached original crossover pipe and connected to a new Flowmaster 3" cat-back exhaust. I ran it another several years and no further problems. I'd made up my mind, though, that if a manifold broke, I'd install headers.

I thought about pulling the passenger fender to reach the broken stud, but it's #1 on the passenger side. That puts it RIGHT behind the whole spring perch/shock mount. Removing wouldn't help with access. I put the headers on with a thick gasket and hi-temp silicone. It seems to seal well for now. If it leaks, I might have to consider something else. Maybe with the short back on my TIG torch I can squeeze in and weld a nut to the flush surface of the bolt still sticking out.

Jose

DaHose wrote:
On some of them it is impossible to reach.

Jose

Well there's the quote of the day. :) I can't even get to one of the spark plugs on the passenger side. Has anybody here taken the fenders off to make this job less frustrating? I sure thought about it.

I purchased a set of Hooker headers from Amazon for about $275 and they work great. As long as you don't have air injection into the exhaust manifold (I believe on yours it is in the heads themselves - like mine) then they are Ca. legal.

You absolutely need to get something like Thermo-Tec heat shield (the thick fiber matting with aluminum backing) and wrap the headers BEFORE you install them. You MUST add heat shielding as the headers radiate WAY more heat than the stock manifold. If you have any seized bolts, then grind off the heads. I had to learn that lesson the hard way. I also had to chop up my stock manifold to grind off a couple that were seized, but that's ok. I wasn't re-using the manifolds and I had a long neck die grinder with 3.5" cutting wheels to do the work. Do not shear those bolts and try to drill out later. On some of them it is impossible to reach.

Jose