I just picked up a BD exhaust manifold and new GM gaskets to install when I do my gauges. Any tips, tricks, or instructions. Just to clear it up this is the driver's side manifold. I need all the help I can get. Thanks everyone. 
BD Exhaust Manifold
- Thread starter coldLBZ
- Start date
just disconect the intercooler pipe and the intermediate driveshaft and dont forget to start spraying penetrating lube on a day early the three back bolts are a pain in the a$$.
Good Luck
Good Luck
Drive it around and let it get warm, then take off the plastic shroud in the wheel well and try to spray all of the bolts with PB Blaster or whatever catalyst that you like to use to break bolts loose. When the bolts cool they should draw some of the catalyst inside the manifold a little bit to make your life easier. Take off the intercooler pipe, take off the steering column, and take off the manifold heat shield. Spray the manifold bolts again, and most importantly spray the 3 (you have probably only seen two at this point) bolts attatching the manifold to the up-pipe. All of the bolts on the manifold are a PITA, two of the bolts on the up pipe are a PITA.... but the one on the engine side of the pipe is just.... @)#($@*@#
Best of luck... very happy I did mine, and the piece of mind is worth all the trouble if nothing else IMHO.
Best of luck... very happy I did mine, and the piece of mind is worth all the trouble if nothing else IMHO.
It's pretty straight forward after the info you've been given, just some "massaging" to the heat shield to fit it on the new manifold. Mine was a PA truck and the bolts were pretty rusty but I still didn't break any. I installed 2 of them in one evening. Makes installing a pyro gauge much easier, no worries of cracking a manifold and the piece of mind that you motor has "balanced flow". It's kinda like a downpipe - they have been shown to have minimal performance gains but it's just one of those upgrades you want to do anyway.
What is it a 12mm wrench,make sure its a good one!
As the other guys have posted....ALL good advice!
It might be my bad luck,Vut when ever you take the steering shaft apart always secure the steering wheel with the seat belt...IMO it cost me 680 buck to replace the airbag sensor wire after greasing my steering shaft,because the wheel turned a couple to many times
Proabably my bad luck Dan,but i dont take chances!
Its a nice POM mod and nice that you have a pre drilled tap that wont crack
As the other guys have posted....ALL good advice!
It might be my bad luck,Vut when ever you take the steering shaft apart always secure the steering wheel with the seat belt...IMO it cost me 680 buck to replace the airbag sensor wire after greasing my steering shaft,because the wheel turned a couple to many times
Proabably my bad luck Dan,but i dont take chances!
Its a nice POM mod and nice that you have a pre drilled tap that wont crack
Yeah steering shaft, just bungee cord the steering wheel to something so it can't move. I think I did the pass side door handle so it was under tension. One other thing that nobody mentioned, but is typically understood for this installation... bring beer!
Wow. I thought I could add something here but it looks like everyones got you covered. Fun little project, shouldn't take but 2-3 hours. Have fun.
i did mine in 2 hrs. i forgot to mention earlier if you want to save some money go get a can of copper spray a gasket and clean the stock gaskets real well then spray them with the copper spray. i did mine and have about 20,000 on it and no issues with leaking.
for the steering wheel, just wrap some masking tape around the wheel and tape it to the dash once your bolts are out, but before you remove the shaft.
use anti-seize on the pyro tap, and make sure you re torque the bolts on the manifold after the test drive, you will have leaks the first time
Seatbelt works great for this
I never noticed a difference,but if you look at the stocker I think its a great mod
I would deffinantly use some anti-sieze on ALL the exhaust bolts and heatshield bolts, but not to much! I preffer the copper vs. alum. type. IMO
FYI, anti-sieze is a high temp lube, if you burn anti-sieze off! Wholly crap you got problems! I expose the stuff to an oxy/acetalyne flame all the time at work and you really gotta try to burn the stuff. The petroleum in it might burn off some but the metallic flakes will stay.
Bump, still not in. We will see how this week goes. Any more advice? Thanks guys for your patience.
We will see how this week goes. Any more advice? Thanks guys for your patience.