This weeks fun project, exhaust manifold

So I finally got around to fixing the blown exhaust manifold gasket on the M725 this week. It's been leaking for a while and has only been getting worse. So I finally made the time to get it swapped. I had a new gasket in stock in my parts stash so it was just getting it done.

https://i.imgur.com/25If477.jpg
Lucky for me all the studs came out without breaking off. I was trying to be careful to not break one since I didn't want to have to pull the head to drill and tap it. A couple gave me that feeling like they were going to break but I would just stop and work on another stud then come back to it and get it to move just a bit more. Doing that until it finally spun free.
https://i.imgur.com/43HOSuV.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/9ovkAI5.jpg
Once the manifold was out, I cleaned it and sprayed it with the ceramic header paint and then decked all the mounting surfaces on the big belt sander I have. After baking it to cure the paint, I installed all new studs and nuts before putting a light coat of high temp sealant on the gaskets and then torqued the studs.
https://i.imgur.com/bpZSvuz.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Fs8AIkP.jpg
Everything sealed up great and sounds great. All in all it was not that bad of a job, it was just finding the extra time during my busy summer to get it done.
https://i.imgur.com/Y2jVWzc.jpg

Looks pretty!

Looks pretty nice Dave:) Glad that all of the fasteners came out OK.

When I first read the title, I was thinking "Oh no, cracked manifold". Glad that it wasn't.

Nice work. Kind of neat to see a manifold without the “crack.” All of mine were cracked.

As loud as it was getting, I was beginning to wonder if it had a crack. Luckily I have a spare on another take out motor that is good as well. But found that #4 and #5 had completely blown out the bottom of the gasket. I was just lucky that in all the stuff I bought from Ron, that there was a spare exhaust manifold gasket and I didn't have to track one down. What's really funny is now that it's so quite, you can hear every rattle in the rear litter rack as you bump down the roads.

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Originally Posted by Beast

What's really funny is now that it's so quite, you can hear every rattle in the rear litter rack as you bump down the roads.

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LOL.
When I was having the exhaust put on mine after the 390FE swap the guy asked if I wanted to go loud or quiet. I said LOUD, I don't wanna hear the rest of the truck. I went quiet when I had the 350 in it and regretted it.

Your truck looks great. It even looks like it purrs.

Good job looks great! A+ job!

thanks for the great write up. my manifold is really rusty so I will be performing this operation pretty soon

Quote:

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Originally Posted by grymsr

thanks for the great write up. my manifold is really rusty so I will be performing this operation pretty soon

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I only cleaned and painted mine because I had to remove it to replace the manifold gasket. I don't know that I would risk breaking a stubborn stud just to pull it off to paint it. Plus having to chase down a new manifold gasket to put it back together.

Along similar lines, the manifold was cracked on my truck in Germany. The manifold is cracked in the same place on my truck here! I have another manifold but have been reluctant to attempt a change for the exact reasons above. Unlike some, the crack is visible but is not "leaking" exhaust gasses.

i guess i'd better look into finding a gasket before I do anything rash