Does anyone know of a garage or mechanic that specializes in removing exhaust headers in the Hamilton Ontario area? I tried myself and am not have any luck and it seems every mechanic I approach doesn't seem to be confident in doing the job.

 

Not many people like the challenge of exhaust manifold work, sometimes you get really lucky and everything comes apart easily but I've seldom had that kind of luck on an old engine. There's usually very little room to work & it really depends on when the last time was that the bolts/nuts were removed and what condition they're in. I always try to be prepared for the possibility of a broken bolt or stud & do the preparation to minimize this & have the tools handy that I'd need to remove anything broken.

You said you weren't having any luck, what's wrong with what you have?

Although many mechanics aren't crazy about doing this type of job, they will because it's work & the garage likes to have their mechanics time filled with a customers job rather than sweeping the shop floor. Check out 2 or 3 garages, get some quotes and do some on-line research to see what their reputation is, then at least you have some data to make a decision with.

 

I used to subscribe to the jeepkings.ca site, and if you register there, you can find a lot of good info on mechanics and garages in the hamilton area.

 

I snapped one stud on the front bolt and sort of rounded two others.

 

lol
My buddy (who runs a garage) has a sign:
Rate: $25, if you watch, $50, if you worked on it yourself, $75 an hour.

Since you damaged your vehicle by rounding the bolts and busting one off, they should charge more, not just say no to the work. It's a free country and we're coming out of a recession. Find the local small town guy. They will typically treat you right and do a good job. They just may not always be as fast due to not having the same amount of staff.

 

That will certainly add to the challenge. In your position, I'd be looking for someone that has experience in removing seized bolts from blocks and it's not those that would recommend a drill-out (you never get the new hole straight or on-center). I use MIG to weld a washer & nut on each screwed up bolt/stud and the heat will loosen the remaining piece enough to be able to remove it without damaging the original hole. The situation that you have now is that you have little choice - you MUST remove the manifold to get at the broken bolts, so if you or your mechanic ends up breaking more, that's just a bit more welding. Don't start this until you have it in a place where it can be done and with someone that knows what they're doing because once you start it, you can't move it until it's done.

The general rule for welding on a vehicle is to disconnect the battery so that you don't fry the computer - in addition to this, I also disconnect the computer just as a precaution. Replacing a computer with todays security systems involved is a lot more than just removing one and bolting in another. It's a costly process.

When I was "jeeping", I knew a few independent mechanics around hamilton that could have done that job for you at reasonable rates. See if Jeepman (that's his handle on the jeepkings site) is still around and fly by his shop, I used to buy parts from him and we traded a few stories - I liked his work, he never cut any corners and gave you no bs.

 

I sent the Jeepman an email & will get back to you with his response.

 

For those that are interested in the methods of removing broken bolts with a welder, there are numerous videos on-line showing the method of using a nut only to weld to the broken bolt shank. I find this method sort of "hit & miss" - often you don't get enough of the top of the bolt shank to weld to, and then the nut just breaks off when you attempt to unscrew it. In addition, there's a tendency to burn off the top thread(s) in the hole. I modified this approach and get very good results - almost 100%. First, I take a washer that has a hole the size of the broken bolt (or a bit smaller) and lay this overtop the shank (usually, I hold it in place with a magnet so it's aligned properly). I weld this onto the broken bolt & because the washer is a lot thinner than a nut, I can see the center really well and can get a good bond to the bolt. Next, I use a nut that has an outside diameter that's smaller than the outside diameter of the washer and lay this on top of the washer I just welded on (I go for the largest nut size to give myself ample room to weld inside the nut effectively - the smaller the threaded hole in the nut, the harder it is to get much of a weld from it to the bolt), and again, I hold it in place with a magnet. Now I tack it into place, either through the center hole to the bolt/washer, or on the outside to the washer & then I remove the magnet to give myself as much room as possible to finish the weld. Now, I finish the connection by welding through the center hole to the bolt/washer and finally I weld along the bottom of the nut to bond it onto the washer. I've had very few of these joints break and the thermal expansion has often broken the bond between the seized bolt and whatever it was seized onto - usually to the extent that I don't need a great effort to unscrew the broken piece. Then you move onto the next..., and the next..., etc.

When all this is done, I recommend running a tap through ALL the holes to clean out the baked on/rusted on layers - this gives you an opportunity to pull the new bolts and studs tight to the right torque specs. I often use the copper based anti-seize compound when I go through this process in case I need to take the bolts off.

Here's a link to someone's pictures that has used a method similar to mine. You can see the washer welded to the broken bolt and then you can see that the nut is welded onto the outside of the washer, but he doesn't weld through the center hole in the nut. I also use a washer that's wider so that I don't burn the actual component surface with the weld when I'm welding the bottom of the nut to the washer.

Good luck, it's a lot of effort, but it works well (for me anyway). To get to the exhaust manifold more easily, I'd recommend removing the inner fender to expose the manifold & give yourself some "elbow room".

 

Thanks. I registered but can't seem to find him. Do you remember where his garage is?

 

Apparently he has expanded the after-market off-road accessories sales side of his business and no longer has a garage. He has this website and can be reached through it and if you wanted to email him that way, he could probably recommend someone near you - he's a straight shooter. Since you're registered on Jeepkings, introduce yourself there and ask the members for a recommendation, there were quite a few mechanics participating on that site the last time I was active there & they deal with all sorts of trucks (it's more than just a jeep site). There were also quite a few other trades there as well, including people who knew how to design & fabricate, so even these would be able to help you. Unless you have a super serious problem, I think you should be able to get your manifold issue resolved in a day or two without really pushing it. You're going to need to do some procurement and probably a bit of your own work to speed things up and to keep your costs down. If I was doing it, I'd want you to bring along the gaskets and NEW bolts and associated hardware (most manifolds I've worked on also had a couple of studs (bolts without a head and threads on each end) on each manifold, so if you're picking things up from a dealership, make sure you get the whole set for each side). Then I'd also recommend that you remove the inner fender (both, if you were going to attack the other side as well). This work and parts pickup takes quite a bit of time to accomplish and the guy doing it will be a lot further ahead if he only needs to address the bolt problem. If your toolset is so poor that you rounded the bolts, then while you're in the buying mode, buy yourself a good basic socket set with at least 3/8 and 1/2" drive components (there's a Princess Auto somewhere in Hamilton, check there, they're more cost effective for a beginner (something like harbor freight). They have both junk & some reasonable tools & if you aren't in the know, take someone with you that does.

If you have difficulty getting recommendations, let me know & I'll see what I can find you. My problem is that I would only be able to be a conduit & pass on whatever I found - I know very few people in Hamilton personally or by reputation.

When you're buying bolts, do not buy generic bolts from a hardware store. They absolutely won't last. Each manufacturer has a proprietary design for their engine parts, so go to a dealership and get the bolt and gasket kits for each side - it won't be cheap, but it will last.