Typically i will put two studs in the head and hang the gasket on them, then get header up and hang it on the studs while im starting bolts.... Hell of a lot easier than trying to line up a gasket, header(or manifold) and a hole with a bolt...... The 8x1.25 studs you can get from any parts or hardware store i have a couple old exhaust studs from an engine i put in an expedition a while back.... I think they sell full sets in the help section for $6-7

 

Well, I finally got the headers in. They were flo-techs. The drivers side went in easily after disconnecting the steering column. The passenger side would not fit even with a new motor mount. So, I beat the crap out of the outer tube to clear the frame rail. I also drilled a new hole in the transmission cross member and biased it about an inch to the drivers side. I think it was just stack up of the factory tolerances + the header flange angle may have been off a degree or two. The truck sounds bad as$ now.

 

I had a rough time with my flowtechs also. Drivers side was easy after unbolting the steering colum, but the driverside... Had to jack the truck up extremely high and slide the head flange almost vertically straight up and down to get it in between the trans and the body. Then i found that they welded the head flange onto the primarys at the wrong angle. The primarys would hit the frame before the header flange sat flush on the head. Had to chop some frame.

They did flow really well with no cats and the 3.5 inch collector. Now i have kooks with cats and it slowed down a bit.

 

So you had no broken studs taking the stock manifolds off?!! HOW?!

 

No. In fact, the truck had 205k miles on it and they came out with a 3/8 ratchet, no problems.

 

My 5.3 had no broken bolts, as a matter of fact there were onlysomething like 3 bolts holding the manifolds on the rest had backed out at some point... On their own....