Hey guys, removing my manifold atm to put my shortys on. On the passenger side, i got all the studs and nuts but 2 out. The one on the very very back has 2 tabs on it (just like the one on the alternator bracket). The second to last one is the problem child. Does it have a tab? I cant feel any, yet it wont come out, and the 14mm dosnt fit it, the 15 is to sloppy on it, and when i crank on it with something, the plug heatshield gets bent, as if it's attatched to the stud :x help!

as i recall on the last ones i did they have the locking tabs . the bolts are 9/16" not 14mm . the engines are pre-assembled before installation in our cars . it's a bitch but it can be done . good luck .

This can be reached from underneath more easily than over-head. Spray the bolt with some PB as well. It may be slightly seized.

When replacing the bolts go with these
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/STG-8951/?image=large

Be sure to use anti-seize on the stainless steel bolts to prevent galling, no such thing as to much either, dip the bolt in anti-seize and bolt it in, and wipe away all access.

Also look into coating your shorties for extra protection and keep from future problems
www.jet-hot.com

The rear bolt on the manifold does have the tab around the bolt, you have to bend the tab away from the bolt before you can remove it, I got the best results from using a very long (2-3 foot long) flathead screw driver and placing it in between the small area where the tab is hugging the bolt, and using a rubber mallet to hammer it out of the way, it worked for the most part, it took forever but got the job done. But after that it is fairly difficult to fit anything down there to remove the bolt, I could not get a socket around the bolt because of the small amount of room, you might have more luck if you remove the starter. I used an open end wrench to remove it, 14 millimeters. It's a difficult and time consuming job, especially if you have big arms/hands.

You might have more luck if you remove your A/C canister.

Good luck.

Oh and another comment, I did the whole job (removing old manifolds, installing new headers) from the top, everything except installing the new y-pipe which obviously must be done from the bottom to fasten the bolts.

hey kking how is it going?

did you get special locking nuts for the new headers? did they work well and would you recommend their use?

thanks - and have a good one.

tony

Hey tony, things are alright, sure is hot though.

I bought the stage 8 locking header bolts
http://www.jegs.com/i/Stage+8/868/8911/10002/-1

They work great, before getting them I never understood the way they worked, just because of a lack of explanation, but there is the header bolt, and it has a grove in it, you torque the bolt down to it's specification, then you place a locating ring over the bolt and it is shaped so that it will come in contact with something solid (the header pipe in this case) and physically not move past that contact point, then you slip a locking tab into the grove (this proved to be very difficult for the rear bolt closest to the firewall because it requires quite a bit of force to insert the tab into the grove and there isn't much surface area to use because of the small area) and this locks the locating ring in place.

So it's theoretically impossible for the bolt to come loose unless either the header pipe or the locating ring bends or is distorted, or if the locking tab is somehow dislodged from the groove.

Hope this helps.