Pulled the Intake and Exhaust manifold last night. '84 Dodge D150, 225 SL6. The bottom center triangle washer bolt was a #$%#! to get to. I cannot imagine the cussing that will commence when I go to put it all back together.

Are there any tips or tricks to make this job easier.


Lesson learned: Drain coolant beforehand in case the whole stud comes out instead of just the nut. It avoids a big puddle of coolant on the garage floor!!!!!

No matter how you slice it, they are a PITA.

Get your quarter inch drive set out. Get yourself a nice long extension. 8" or perhaps a bit longer. Use a deep well socket. Stack two nuts in the socket. Start the first one, and then pull the second one out before tightening it down.

For the Triangle washers:

Put the end and center top nuts on loose. Stick your hand up behind and lift the manifold away from the block just enough to put the triangle washers on the middle ones.

For the others, install by sliding down a long skinny screwdriver with another screwdriver.

The 1/4" Rachet is your best friend. Get yourself a quarter inch drive torque wrench. 120 inch pounds or maybe just a skoshe more.

Don't forget to put a dab of RTV on the two studs that go into water.

Happy Wrenching!

CJ

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Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

Putting washers/nuts etc onto a long thin screwdriver and then butting that up to a stud worked for me for getting the parts on. Not first time, but it did work!

Also, this can be done with a 1/2" socket set, since I did it, but I reckon it would be a lot easier if you had a 1/4" or 3/8" set. I think you can also get 'slim' sockets that have less material around them, again, would have helped me but I didn't have one.

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1960 Plymouth Belvedere 4 door sedan
Stock 60 225
Push button 3 speed Torqueflite
Right Hooker

Great Tips there! Should hopefully save some frustration.

I originally used a 3/8" ratchet set, long extensions, u-joints where needed and a magnet to retrieve the triangle washers.

Just could not figure out for the life of me how I was going to get it back together.

I'll size down to 1/4" as suggested but may need to pick up a 3/8" to 1/4" reducer to use my torque wrench.


Of course this is still pending a successful repair of my cracked exhaust manifold and a successful extraction of the broken intake to exhaust manifold mounting bolt!

Another thing that works is stacking the nuts/washers together(in order of course) with a dab of 3M weatherstrip adhesive between each piece.I've also 'glued' the whole thing into the socket so everything stays together whilst fighting to get it lined up.The 3M stuff is sticky enough to hold and flexable enough to get the socket off when snugged down.Clean up of tools is easy with a bit of lacquer thinner and any glue on the parts will cook off quick when you fire the beasty up.

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83 B-150 slant 6,4 speed. 79 B-300 360 pathfinder 4x4. 74 W-300 318 4x4 git-r-done 80 B-100 sl6,4speed

Try these; http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsea ... extensions

Gives just enough of an angle that you can get your long extension back in behind the exhaust dump and get them spun on or off as needed. A little bit of black tape in the socket will also temporarily secure a nut in, too.

Roger

Just got the dreaded call from my fab shop that he was UNABLE to weld it up. Tried 4 different rods with the TIG and no-go.

Got a PM on another thread about a NOS one out of Florida. Doing a quick check of the local junkyards now.......

Wait until you try it with a hyper pak and headers.....
That will test your patience

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Richard (aka Fingers)

The Mopar Performance Header makes the bolts much easier to get back on. Not a piece of cake, but maybe a piece of pie!

Rick

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

I didn't know mopar performance masde a header for the slant

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Nothing beats a slant six
1987 D150

It is the old 6 into one that they marketed.Someone else built them I believe. I don't think it is available any more.

Rick

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

I personally have had excellent results with the washers and nuts using a magnetic pick-up tool. I would put the washer on the tool and put it on top of the bolt. Then slide the pick-up tool to the side and it would slip off the bolt and onto the washer. Then I would push the washer onto the bolt and slide the tool off the washer. Worked like butter for me.
As far as the nuts go I just put them into a socket and fished them on. I had bad results with the U-joint sockets as the damn joint would love to swivel JUST before I got to the bold and drop the nut to god knows where. Luckily I have a 65 D100 with nothing in the engine bay except an engine. Very bare bones... but nothing to get in my way of finding stuff when it falls.

-Marc

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1965 D100 225 slant 6, NP435 Utiline.

A helpful tip is to park where you can easily collect the dropped nuts and washers, or have some spares. When you are at the salvage yard and don't find anything that you came for, get some of the washers.

I second the use of wobble extensions. I find these almost essential. I also have an assortment of long extensions of various sizes: 1", 3", 6", 12" that I mix and match.

I am a weirdo as I always tighten to much more than 10 ft-lbs and have not had manifold cracks or leaks unless the manifold or header surfaces were not true. I always tighten in 3-4 steps from about 5 ft-lbs up and using a criss-cross pattern from the center of the motor out.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

I used 2@3" extensions with the universal in between the two. This allows you to keep the one closest to the nut straight on in alignment with the stud, while coming at things from off angle. This is especially helpful next to the exhaust drop. I don't have to contend with that anymore now that I have no heat stove below the Offy manifold. But I remember the pain and the curse words well.

Sam

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