What a pain in the anus...exhaust repairs

[diesel4me]

I can't believe what a pain in the a$$ it is, trying to accomplish anything in my area,as far as auto repair--we have every parts store you can name within a 5 mile radius,and many more not that much farther away,but it seems like you cant buy a dam thing,even if you have the money.."we dont stock that--might be able to get it tomorrow,etc"..

I've spent 2 days in 90 degree heat and humidity lying on my aching back,trying to fix the front right exhaust pipe on my '82 GMC 6.2..it rotted off right at the flange and couldn't be fudge patched once more,and I've had sheet metal from aresol cans and hose clamps wrapped around it for a good year (and they still look like the day I put them on too!)--but wanting to do things right,I decided I had no choice but to be brave,and try getting the nuts off the manifold studs --the manifolds look like they sat on the bottom of the atlantic for about 75 years..

With the aid of my torch,I was able to get the nuts off,one was so whittled away I had to use a 1/2" 6 point socket to grab it..was lucky it came off fairly easy..the studs someone used were the type with only 1" of threads ,the rest smooth,intended for the "springs",which it doesn't really need..

One manifold stud hole ,the inner most nearest the engine,was a blind hole,which had a bolt in it,rather than a stud..I lucked out and it came right out--I think I actually put it there 12 years ago when I got the truck,and used never seize on it..

Now the dilema is the threads on the studs,one out of the 3 in particular,have rusted away where the old nut sat--so a new nut wont tighten..but there are threads further up that are intact..
I'm using 1/2" nuts for spacers to take up the "threadless" area on the studs,where the springs would have went....

I would just replace all 3 studs,but I am certain attempting to heat the manifolds up and get them out will result in disaster--the manifolds are very thin where they go in,and if I muck them up,I will have to pull the engine out in order to get the manifolds off,the bolts are now rivets,and I sincerely doubt they would come out of the cylinder heads even if I cut the bolt heads off and pry the manifolds off (which cant be done with the engine installed--they are practically touching the frame rails..)

I think I can get by with the existing studs, if I use those longer nuts,like ones used to join threaded rods together,or the brass ones used on exhaust often..

The next dilema is I'd like to buy a new exhaust pipe flange--the original could be re-used,but its kinds crappy,so are all the other 3 bolt ones I saved off 350 exhaust pipes that will fit perfect..

I've called no less than a half dozen stores including NAPA (the triple the price of usual parts stores place,but they usually HAVE the things no one else does)--no dice..no one has the flanges I need "in stock"...and I'm not 100% sure the ones I look up online are an exact match to what I have--it'd be nice if I could walk in and match one up,you know ?...no,that would be too easy..so I'd have to "special order" them and wait a day or more,then have to eat them if they wont work--here stores policy is "no refunds on special orders"...which bites..

You used to be able to get a pipe that had the flared "donut" gasket end with a 3 bolt flange on it and a 6" "stub" to bolt right to the manifold at every parts store around here for under 15 bucks....now all those seem to have gone the way of the dinosour..I dont even see them online !..

I need one of those 45 degree elbows to make the front pipe up with--thankfully those are still available...

The worst part is now I have the truck apart,its my only means of transportation,so I'll have to walk or beg someone for a ride,and I'm sure the closest parts store wont have all I need ,and I hate to have a neighbor haul me all over the county to find the stuff I need..

I should have headed right to the junkyard before I took the truck apart..
I bet there, I could have just grabbed a pipe & flange off a truck with no engine in it,or found one in their pile of cut off exhaust pipes....
I was stupid to start this job without having all I needed already..

I'm tempted to attach my plates to one of my other vehicles,to get to the store or boneyard,but with them being in worse shape than the truck is,and with no current inspection sticker, I'd likely get pulled over as soon as I pull out of my driveway...

I hate having only one registered vehicle..I'm used to having a least two,and have had as many as 4 of them at my disposal..wishing now I at least had a motorcycle or bicycle...
I may have to pull a George Jones and use my riding mower !..a taxi would cost more than all the parts and labor to fix the truck would too,so thats not an option..

I may not even be able to finish this job now,my back is wasted from lying under that p-o-s for the past 2 days.....

 

[Greg Ducato]

Could you "borrow" the part you need off the Suburban then repair it later as time and money allow?

 

[dyeager535]

I suppose in reality, good exhaust needs to be replaced what, every 20 years or so? So it's not like improving the setup from stock is really necessary in terms of repair difficulty.

I cobbled the exhaust together on mine quite a few times while I was trying to figure out why I was backfiring and blowing mufflers out, and it was no fun. But I will say one thing. As much of a hassle as headers are for leaks, they are infinitely easier to deal with on vehicle than those studs on the back of the manifolds.

I don't know how hot you have to get cast iron to melt, but using oxy-acetylene and little experience, I've never done so. I'm sure I could if I tried hard, but getting it glowing red to extract studs never seemed to be an issue. The thinner it is, the less heat you'll have to dump into it to free the studs.

 

[kennyw]

Dorian, out east, the road salt and rust will eat the exhaust pipes off in 5 years flat. 3 years if you are driving a lot. We are spoiled out here on how long things last.

 

[dyeager535]

You are probably correct.

Probably not much you can do but go stainless, and that's pricey.

 

[sweetk30]

if you have a way to get them . . . .

I have a set of pipes off a 2wd I parted . southern truck .

might work for ya ? ? ? still got gm original mufflers . factory duel system manifolds back . std cab long bed .

I don't know if he wants to part with them . but richz28 ( if I recall ) got the 2 6.2 engines from me and got nice manifolds with them . if I recall he is in mass some place .

 

[diesel4me]

I made zero progress today...was too sore to go outside till after noon,after some pain meds kicked in..(not helping much--more my frustration than anything else made me go out there again, and at least try--was 90 again today with high humidity too)..

You guys cant imagine the aggravation I put myself thru the past 3 days..

I had a front pipe off a truck I scrapped,but it turned out to be the drivers side..I need the passenger side..and its kind of thin,so it'd last only a year or two anyway..not even worth keeping or using really..
(plus the drivers side is a cake walk to make a pipe for--one of those 90 degree pipes and its done..manifold outlet faces straight down,couldn't be easier to access.)..

The right side sucks royally to get at,and needs a 45 degree angled pipe and its a hoar to try and line the pipe up to it going to the muffler,thanks to that t-case strut rod being RIGHT in the way..especially when your dealing with pipes you made,not ones bent right intended for the truck..but I've done this enough times,I should be good at it..

Yesterday I spent all morning making a front pipe,getting the flange on it,and hand forging the part where the donut gasket sits,I "flared" it with a ball pein hammer and some heat from the torch..came out quite good too..

Then after I spent an hour welding and brazing a curved outlet piece onto it--it "almost" fit,I just needed to bend it a LITTLE more,and when I put it between 2 trees and leaned on a long pipe hoping to tweak it a bit--the thing snapped right off at the welds....It's about 300 feet in the woods somewhere now....

Today I made another one..also found a nice flange in my rubble pile in the garage,so at least I dont have to hunt one of those down..

I tried bolting the pipe on with some long coupler nuts I found,but they are 5/8" hex ,not 9/16..too close to the pipe to fit a socket on them....

If I try using "regular" nuts I'm sure they either wont tighten,or will strip out whats left of the threads..so I'll have to hit up Home Depot or Lowes for some that are 9/16" hex..

I almost got brave enough to try heating the manifolds up and remove the 2 studs,but you cant really get even a small vise grips on them--and the manifolds are so thin where they screw in they will be likely to just tear or break off..you cant get a drill in there either...if I fail at that,I'm forked..

And the engine will have to come out,or at least be hoisted up several inches to take the manifolds off--IF the bolts dont snap in the heads,which they are most likely to do..(I'm in no condition to try pulling the motor either--hell,I cant even bolt on a pipe after 3 days of cussing and bleeding--)..

I have a nice pair of spare exhaust manifolds on a '87 6.2 I have that has a busted crank.that used to run tits--got the oil pan off it too,that was a new GM one about 5 years ago,but someone plopped the engine on the ground and buckled in the bottom,I bashed the dents out with a wood block and hammer and painted it pretty--hope it wont end up having a crease in it leak, or crack after that..had that ready to install for 5 years now..and I'm still running on the porus one I've patched with J-B waterweld and fiberglass bondo hair..

Anyone else would just yank the engine out to fix the manifolds and oil pan--not me though..even though I have the hoist and tools,I just cant do that kind of labor any more..

I'm about ready to pull the plug on all my "projects" and give up..I need a decent truck I can drive 100 miles to visit my sister and brother and go where I want with no worries and trust,now both of them are rotted to the point they should probably be "yard trucks" only...to be truthful I'm scared to go more than a few miles in them--I took the pickup to a flea market 25 miles away last sunday,I think it was the farthest I've dared take it in the 12 years I've owned it..and it rode like a buckboard,thing sucks on bumpy back roads..

The suburban "had" almost new exhaust 5 years ago when I got it--pipes on it now look about the same as the ones that are (or were) on my truck--I'm not into stripping parts off it either,even if they are "good"..if I go to sell it,the more intact it is,the more I'll get for it..right now I think I'll be lucky to break even on what I gave for it..you guys might see both listed in the classifieds here if they keep pissing me off.....anyone else here who can still wrench could probably make both of them nice again in short order..

 

[dyeager535]

I hear you. I got a car that I don't need to work on because I got so sick of having to work on one just to get to work the next day. Yeah, it's a cheap POS car, but I spend no money on it other than gas and routine maintenance, which gives me all the time in the world to work on the other projects without pressure. At least ideally.

 

[diesel4me]

Well,another 8+ hours under it today--got the passenger side back together ,I drove it 3 miles with one open manifold to Advanced Auto yesterday,bought a 45 degree elbow and a straight section of 2-1/4 pipe 18" long...and 2 clamps..just those 3 things were almost 25 bucks....

The price of the pipes hasn't changed much--but the clamps I remember buying for 99 cents are now 3.50 each..
I know what I'll be looking for at swap meets and flea markets --those and hose clamps and tire valve stems--those items are insanely expensive at parts stores for no good reason..

I made a pipe to fit the flange ,I had some of those "house jacks" they use to prop up sagging beams hanging around for years,they were outside "forever" yet still looked brand new,and are nice thick gauge--smallest of the 3 telescopic sections with no holes for a pin was a perfect fit in the flange..the 45 elbow slid over it nice and tight,and the 18" straight section happened to slide over the existing pipe to the muffler nice and tight--I overlapped them a good foot..(that way it was past the transfer case and easier to get at the clamp)..by the way,that "strut rod" for the T-case is a hemmroid..right in the way of the pipes!....

I was able to "save" the two studs still there by using larger nuts as spacers to take up the shouldered area where those silly springs would have gone..used brass nuts that are longer than usual steel ones and I replaced the one stud where a bolt had been before..those 2 studs tightened up OK,but I still would have prefered to replace them..but they were meaty enough to outlive the manifold--maybe the rest of the truck too..

I felt relieved it was finally "done"..so I thought..

Soon as I got that side done and started it up,it was 90% quieter,but the drivers side was now leaking at the manifold...

I knew the pipe was a bit loose at the flange,and I cheated about 5 years ago when that pipe rotted off,I used a 90 degree elbow,and just brazed it onto the "stub" of the original pipe,so I'd not have to fool with the 3 bolts that held the flange on..

Well,today that pipe had holes right after the flange,and I could shake it around pretty good...I wanted to just say screw it--but I figured it would last until the first blizzard,then drop off--dont need to be fixing that in 20 degree cold!.....

I reluctantly went about taking off the 3 long bolts that pass through the EPR valve,and I heated them all up at the manifold with my torch until it was white hot,just below the melting point..

ONE bolt came out,the "worst" one thats in a blind hole,closest to the fender..the other two felt like they were unscrewing,but they broke off--and the nice hot head of one dropped right onto my arm,so I suppose thats another battle scar that'll never dissapear--I have one a few inches away I got over 20 years ago torching off a part at the junkyard..
Both my eyes have enough rust,metal chips and grit in them to blind me probably too..

I spent no less than 4 hours trying to drill one bolt out--my drill bits suck,most are either junk china wood bits or good ones that have been broken--and once I try sharpening them,they dont cut for crap most of the time..the bolt was a grade 8 that was hard as a diamond..I heated it up several times and let it cool off slow,hoping it would soften up..

I had a 12" long 1/8" drill bit new I bought for this purpose ,it was the only one that drilled into it fairly easy..of course it snapped off in the hole just as
it was about to break out the other side......

Luckily I was able to coax it out with hammer blows and a long string of swear words...busted 3 others off too,I had to drill it in 5 stages,before I finally reached 5/16,and the remains of the bolt came out--re-tapped that hole,after seriously considering just using a 5/16" bolt with a nut (like MOPAR does!--why cant GM do this ?--would have saved me about two days hard labor!)..

The other bolt had snapped off leaving about 1/2" of threads showing--just enough to get a nut on,if I put the flange right to the manifold,which I did--no way could I drill out another bolt that was 1-1/4" long..my arms were DEAD..I said screw it,if a nut will hold I'm using it!..

..the EPR valve's new home will be in my garage in a pile of "deleted" 6.2 parts...

I brazed a pipe to the flange,and added another pipe that sticks up into the manifold slightly,I'm hoping that will be a good enough seal,because the EPR valve has the "flare" for the pipe made to it,and the manifold is just flat...

The passenger side,I just left the original donut there,it was so firmly imbedded I would just wreck it,and no one stocks one around here--I "flared" the pipe to fit against it by leaving about 3/8" sticking up out of the flange,and heating it up and peening it flat with my ball pein hammer..
I was nice and tight and no leaks,so I'm hoping the drivers side will turn out the same..(anything will be better than it was )..

I had to quit because it got dark at 7:30 and I was angry,I wanted badly to get this job over with--and not have to ruin more clothes and get filthy tomorrow again..one thing I did that screwed things up was I forgot to mark where to braze the flange on to the elbow,and after I got it all brazed--the dam pipe was pointing at the tranny pan,when I put it to the manifold !.....

--.so I had to cut of off about 3" from the flange so I could use a sleeve to join the 2 pieces together,and swivel the pipe to the muffler where it had to be---after that, I realized I HAD to do that anyway,because there wasn't enough room to slide the pipe into the one going to the muffler ,and be able to swing the elbow up into place,with the elbow and flange in one unit!..also if I ever need to replace the elbow again it'll be easy-un-clamp it and no hassles..

So,tomorrow I'm hoping to just put in two bolts,tighten a few clamps,and that will end my friggin exhaust woes for another year or two--truck will probably be "done" before the exhaust needs attention again..
I dont like many other things I saw under it either..

Needless to say,my ambition to do any more work on this truck--OR the Suburban,is well below zero...the more I think about having to lie under either of them,makes me wish they would fall off the jack stands and crush my bone head,for being such a glutton for punishment..
I'm no longer 30 years old,I cant do this any more..

If I had a lift it might not be so bad--but I'd still not feel up to fixing them much..I've reached the age where I'd rather pay someone else to fix them--but two places I asked about replacing the oil pan took one look at the truck,and said "about 500 bucks"...three other places said "we dont fix old rusty trucks--and told me to try the 2 places I just mentioned..
Nice amount of cash for about an hours work,if you have a lift....