Homemade 2.5 Header

[coyote kid]

How hard would it be I have more than enough pipe and a bender what's the best way to get the stock manifold off ?

[FrankTheDog]

Best way to take a manifold off is with wrenches usually.

[coyote kid]

well duh... I'm just worried about snapping the studs

[onlyinajeep726]

Soak them in PB blaster a few days in advance and don't run the engine during that time as it will burn off the PB.  Then you just have to carefully remove it with a hand wrench.  Mine were fairly tight, I used a wrench and a rubber mallet and loosened all of them and then got it off the rest of the way by hand.

 

When I did my engine swap in my XJ, I used silicon-bronze hex bolts from Fastenal to replace them all.  The silicon-bronze bolts with actually get stronger over time due to the heating and cooling it experiences from the engine.  And, the best part, they won't seize into the head because they're made of different metals.

[JeepcoMJ]

Never seen one seize in a jeep. Matter of fact, half are usually missing on 4 bangers anyways

[Rockfrog]

I've never had a problem with the bolts, it's the two studs at the front and back that snap. Usually the one at the rear of the head is the main problem stud. Always seem to break flush and had to be drilled out and re-tapped to 7/16-14. Getting good at it now though.