I have a 92 RS 306 TBI swapping to Vortec heads and GM performance TBI intake. Cannot get the passengers side rear most exhaust manifold bolt out. No room between manifold and A/C box. Two days wasted on this with anyone helping saying just pull the engine. Any help or tricks? Sunday is the last day I have to get the car running before surgery. Will be laid up for 12 weeks with a car down for another year if not done Sunday.

 

Pop the AC eva housing off. It's like 7 little screws. Takes less than 5 minutes. Comes RIGHT OUT.

 

We had looked at that and thought it was another can of worms so dismissed it. If you say it is easy I will take your word for it. This is the last thing to getting it back on the road since it was parked by previous owner in 09. Thanks for the help, anyone else free today?

Dave

 

Tried pulling the AC cover and broke the thing into many pieces. SO Fu**in tired of the GM design crap. So now I need a cover and still ready to dump this POS THIRD GEN CRAP.

 

How much you selling it for?
Welcome to our world, the technicians world. Ain't so easy as the black and white says it is, is it?...

CRAP? You ain't seen crap! Try working on a SAAB, or any other recently produced EURO-trash. But Asian coming-'round, GM been there. Try a tune up on 4th Gen Camaro, lol... So...

You ready to sell yet?

 

I don't recall having difficulties with removing the manifold bolts when I installed headers. Then again, this was 27 years ago.

You should be able to find a replacement HVAC box easy enough.

 

Try undoing your trans crossmember with a jack under it... and then try raising or lowering the engine/trans a bit until you can get a shot at the bolt/stud.

 

After many years of working on cars, I've found the easiest way to do this: Grind the head off the bolt, get the manifold off and out of the way and then you have the stub to work with. Heat it with a torch and clamp on some vice grips. Try it twice. If it doesn't come out, cut your loses. Cut the whole exposed bolt off and use an easy-out. I know this sounds extreme, but you wont waste days on it. Worst case (getting all the way to needing the easy out) it is a 1 day operation (8 hours).


EDIT: You're swapping heads? Why are you even bothering with the stuck bolt in the old heads? Grind that thing off and move on! Don't try to save bolts.

 

I think he's having clearance issues, so getting a grinder in there is probably not an option. But you are correct. Unbolt the Y pipe from the manifold and pull the head and manifold out together.

 

Head cam swap stuff is best done with motor out of the car.

You gotta thoroughly clean block deck and china walls anyway. I used a brass wire wheel on a drill. Brake kleen and acetone after its clear of old gasket material and crap

This way you can easily torque the heads in and intake manifold bolts. Cam swap is easy too

But that said, i got the exhaust manifolds off a 87 iroc ac car just fine. Most of the bolts i found easier to get at from under neath car. Starter off