Exhaust manifold Bolts

What is the best method to use to get the exhaust manifold nuts loose from the studs without twisting off the studs on a 1961 D17?

And use brass nuts when you put the manifold back on the tractor.

Heat them cherry red and then toss water on them.

They don't corrode so thus easier to remove down the road.

Jim,
Sounds like good plans listed above. Don't be surprised if you don't have to get new studs. I replaced all of the studs on both the WD's (of course 8-10 years older than your 17). But when I did get the manifold off several had broken, several were rusted very thin. At least one broke at the head and needed drilled out.
If you think you might have to replace them anyway, then it might be better / easier to cut/grind the old nuts off and remove the manifold. Then you might be able to back the studs out of the block with vise grips, heat and blaster soak. I was very pleased to get the new set of studs in place. I did use brass nuts also.
Regards,
 Chris


Edited by Sugarmaker - 28 Apr 2016 at 3:09pm

I grind old rusty ones down to the threads and they will normally turn off. If not I grind the opposite side.  

Take a bees wax candle, and apply to the heated nut, at the stud, let the wax wick in.  Then I normally use a 1/4 inch snap on impact gun, just tapping the trigger forward, then backward. Once it moves just a little, I generally switch to a hand breaker bar, and some Kroil, to lube for removal.  Sometimes you have to use the next smaller size socket, either in metric, or a salvage socket that you hammer on, if the rust has eaten away too much of a steel nut, or a nut that has been rounded...

For exhaust nuts and studs, which anti-seize should be used on a cast iron head? Did the factory use anything at all?
Has anyone been using anti-seize (which type) long enough to confirm it works in the long run?

Never use stainless steel hardware, right?

In most cases since I've been working in the Automotive field, any type of manifold that has studs/nuts holding it on for loooong periods of time, are just waiting for you to mess wit' em', and its "watch me break off" time. Sometimes, you can get lucky by heating them cherry red and slowly cranking the nuts off. Some that are out in the open and have a little more room around them so you can get a cutting wheel on the nut, you can slice the nut and get the nut off. The problem that seems to exsist in most cases, is once you pain staking take the time to do all of this, once the manifold is slid off, the studs are rotted out or hour glass shaped anyway and they're pretty much wasted for reusing. The good part of that is in most cases, if you snap a Vise Grips on the stud close the cylinder head, the stud will come out. Sometimes a little heat is needed for the stubborn ones, but they do eventually come out okay. Chase the threads with a tap, and yer' good ta' go. We sell a stud kit also with brass nuts and load washers for a little more "push" once the manifold is re-installed. I always use the silver Antiseize on the stud portion that goes in the head, install the manifold and then snug things up.

You don't need to get it to cherry red, just a little heat, from a propane torch, to get it to about 300ºF, then do the beeswax trick.  Don't know how many times I have had observers say "That'll never work".  How come I still get the job done, when other's fail?