Hey y'all,

I've brought this up countless of times. The driver-side manifold/flange studs are stripped in the middle, the downpipe is being held up (but not securely enough so it leaks) by nuts and washers. I've decided to bite the bullet and replace these.

1) Where can I find the parts? Are they even available?

2) How much of a PITA is it to replace these suckers, or even to get them out?

I think I read somewhere a guy just removed the studs and used his own bolts and nuts instead. So just removing these would be helpful.

Thanks.

the dealer has them and it's cheap .
the down side is that you need a set of torch to take them out or do any kind of work on manifold unless you live in a totaly rust free environment

^^^ This. x2.

Another route would be to soak 'em in some rust penetrant for a day or two, then use a cheaper propane torch for the heating job, and a couple of nuts to back them out with.

I have used a bolt and nut for a temporary fix, but it was for a very short period. I wouldn't have wanted to do that for much longer than a week or two...

I live in a primarily rust-free environment, however the car hasn't. It spent 12 years serving in an East Coast county, so rust is marginal.

How would I go about getting parts from a dealer? I haven't heard anyone do this before, let alone doing it myself.

Here ya go.

Tascaparts

I think I found it, here it is. I don't need the manifold studs.

EDIT: So it seems like what I need to do is use heat/PB Blaster and a wrench to get these suckers off.

Oh, THOSE studs...

We had a big selection in our "HELP" line at Advance Auto Parts, used to deliver them to garages, including the Ford Dealer. Just a place to look, computer catalog listed them by application.