Hey guys, I have a 1992 ford f150 5.0 302 and it needs new exhaust manifolds. deffenatly the drivers side is needed, but I might as well do them both now. Where can I get these cheapest? Annnnd im a little nervous about doing them myself, as I do NOT want one of those studs breaking on me. Whats your thoughts? Better to pay someone, or are they easier than I am thinking?

 

May try JCWhitney, lmctruck.com, or rockauto.com. Keep in mind that shipping won't be cheap, so your local parts store may be able to compete on price. Ford is pretty doggone proud of these, so that would be the last resort.

Replaced mine, never had an issue. Soaked the studs in penetrating oil for a day or so (don't forget the headpipe clamp bolts too), beat on the bolts/nuts with a hammer (watch out for the threads!), then gradually applied torque with a wrench in efforts to avoid snap-offs. Not really tough, just tedious and time-consuming. 1/2" drive breaker bar is good to have to get things started.

If a garage or whatever breaks a stud off, they're going to charge you for the time to remove it anyways, so not a lot to lose by giving it a crack yourself.

Be sure to follow the tightening sequence with proper torque. Also good to chase the threads with a tap and die set to make sure everything's clean and you get good torque re-applied as designed. My vintage did not have a gasket - it was metal-to-metal, so I suggest the tightening approach is critical.

Personally, I would hold off on the passenger side until you're sure it needs it. There's no feeling like doing something, not because it needs it, but that it just 'feels right' to do it - and then ending up worse off than before. AARRRRGHHH!

 

Wow, thanks, that will deffenatly get me started! I will make sure those threads are good and clean. Would I use something like wd-40, or something more penetrating? And if a stud does break, how bad is that? It has to be a fairly common thing to happen I'd think??

 

on my fuel filter mount i broke 1 of mine off and its hanging on by 1 right now.. it holds fine. not sure that is the same as yours but good luck.

 

I had to replace both sides on my 92 5.0. I was suprised at how easy it went. Definitely soak things up with penetrating oil. I had no problem with studs. Some came out of the head, rather than the nut coming off. I got a stud kit at Advance Auto that had all the studs for a side and it did great.

I got mine at a junkyard for about $20 each. A lot of other Ford vehicles will fit. One of mine came from about an 81 Bronco. The other was lying around loose and may have come from an LTD. The only problem I had was broken studs where the exhaust flange mounts. I took them to a local engine shop and had heli-coils put in. The guy there told me I would have been ok to drill them out and put bolts through. I really did not want to do that.

By the way, watch about spraying your engine off while it is hot. I have been told that will cause the manifolds to crack. When I bought my truck, the engine was extremely clean for 147k. I think that is what happened to mine.

 

I suggest to get a true 'penetrating oil'. Not sure what the difference is between it and WD-40 - the oil smells different, seems to be a bit more aggressive.

A broken stud is a real 'bite in the shorts' to deal with. One may be able to get a satisfactory seal at first by not dealing with it - but there is always the increased chance that things will warp and leak later.

It is important to be as careful as possible to avoid snapping a stud off. Having to drill or EZ-out is no fun. Give the penetrating oil plenty of time to work, and take it easy with the wrenching. May try to progressively work the stud loose, with increasing loosening and tightening motions - trying to get it to break free, not break off.

 

It cost me about $120 to do my pass side on my 93. That includes new studs. It came apart easy considering that the A/C airbox is in the way. I soaked the studs with PB Blaster the night before. I have to do the Driver side next it is getting bad.

 

Okay, does brand matter to much? I found a set on ebay for 130 shipped. On top of that, ill probably buy a gasket set, anything else that I will need? I cant imagine brand varying to much...

 

PB Blaster works much better than WD40, it was the "mechanic's secret" until it seems a year or so ago it got suddenly popular. It's a slightly magnetic fluid so it pulls itself into cracks better. Plus the can shoots in a straight stream instead of a mist, so there's no annoying red straws to lose.

Don't be impatient with the bolts, just admit to yourself they are going to take at least at day of spraying, working, more spraying, ect to get off. It won't be a quick squirt of PB and off they come. A good tip is to soak the bolts down the night before you plan to start work on the headers. Never use a hammer or other impact tool to "break them loose", you'll break them off instead.

Avoid the "freeze off" sprays for these bolts, they can brittle already weak, rusty studs, and plus, I've never found they worked all that well.

LMC Truck is a good source, and prices tend to be pretty competitive on most items. JCWhitney actually isn't that great on prices, so I'd check there only as a last resort.

A note about ebay: Be absolutely, positively sure that you're buying the right thing. Not every seller even knows what they are selling. The "we sell your crap on ebay" businesses are known for mis-labeling application-specific items, namely, car parts. See if the seller is a reputable auto parts seller first.

 

x2 on RaWarrior's comments.

I should've been a bit more clear with the use of a hammer in my previous post. Don't use it to ping or knock the wrench in its twisting motion.

I use the hammer to tap the bolt head-on, essentially driving the bolt in an inward direction, not sideward. It's not a hard blow, the object in my warped mind is to try to break-up any metal-to-metal seizing or rust. Don't know for sure if this helps, but if being careful, I figure it can't hurt.

 

Okay, just throwing it out there. Once I can get them off, would you guys suggest putting headers on? I really have no experience with this, so please give me your .02. As of now, the rest of my exhaust is 3.5" hi-flow cats, then straight pipe from there. Would headers make it louder, and if so, to loud to drive on the road? If I got to fix things, I might as well make them better...

 

Can't imagine why headers would make things louder than what you already have.

Headers help the engine breathe, increasing performance. However, if you put headers on, then the headpipe will likely need some modification, depending on header design.

If your running cats only, geez, that's already a loud bugger.

Depends on what you're after - headers generally don't have the lifespan of the original exhaust manifolds, but then again, the Ford manifolds from that era have a problem with cracking. May make the vehicle a little more difficult to resell - headers are 'always' a sign to the potential buyer that the vehicle has been hot-rodded. :-(

No red-flags either way, all depends on your preferences.

 

I guess it depends what modifications Ill have to do to install the headers. Id probably go pacesetter, because they are pretty proven from what it sounds like. Anyone done this???

 

agreed. probably the best method i've found to avoid breakage. Sometimes tightening a stuck fastener a fraction of a turn first makes all the difference.

I've got a 94 5.8L and will probably go with some Hooker long tubes when i decide what i'm doing for the rest of the exhaust. Anybody have and full dual setups on dual fuel tank trucks? If you get shorty headers you should have to do little or no work to replace your manifolds.

 

i have so/do on mine and i dont think its stock its really freaking loud i have dual tanks. its really cool! also my passenger side manifold is cracked...its a hairpin crack but its still there think i should replace? if i do im going full out and doing the whole exhaust