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Posted by D. Sherman on Saturday, December 22, 2007 at 13:07:49 :
I took a manifold off because it had a crack in it, and now I'm trying to decide if it's worth fixing. The problem, of course is that good 230 exhaust manifolds are as scarce has hen's teeth. VPW wants something like $350 for a "rebuilt" intake/exhaust assembly.
Here's the deal:
1) Cracked around the #6 exhaust outlet about 2/3 of the way around.
2) 1 lug of the tail pipe flange partly broken off.
3) crack about 2" long on the block side of the heat riser right across the heat riser flapper pivot.
4) All 4 intake to exhaust manifold bolts broken off flush with the intake manifold. Two had apparently fallen out long ago. One fell out on its own as I was jiggling the assembly loose from the block. The other broke off when I tried to unscrew it.
I'm not sure why all these cracks happened, since the manifold was held on with all the proper nuts and washers (the first rig I've seen that had it done right)
So far, I brazed up the broken lug so it's fine. I would grind out and braze up the two cracks to fix them, so no serious cash outlay there, just time and the possibility that the heat will crack them worse. Getting out the broken bolts is my least favorite job, and I'm sure it will be a b---h. Again, no cash, just time and the chance of ruining the casting.
I tend to fix everything, but there comes a point where it's just not worth it. What do you think? Is this manifold assembly beyond saving?
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