Well my day started with little exhaust leak and now bigger leak. I started just by trying to extract the 1st manifold bolt by the alternator, started to drill out no problem, now for the easy out started it in then snap smooth and clean with the broken bolt, well on to the next then got a few extra nuts grabbed the welder and tried to weld on a nut to the bolt no go there just couldnt get it to weld to the broken bolt even had my dad come over and try just couldnt get the weld to stick even had it cherry red and still no go.

Now for the better part of this story got my taxes back and just gonna replace the stock heads with something better and no broken manifold bolts.

For the questions

Could you get this done in a weekend?

What should I get for heads? (still have bone stock trannie and shorty headers)

Should I go with factory headgaskets and bolts or Diff gaskets and head studs?

This is my daily driver and not making crazy power just little more go, since will probably pull the head to get the bolt out, and there is no sense in puting a stock head back on when I had plans of getting a set of heads down the road. Thanks for any input guys

 

With engine in the truck id go with head stud or ARP head bolts, the stock torque to yield bolts are a pain in the **** to degree without the engine on a stand.

 

Yep will probably be done in truck, im gonna call the gm dealership to see if they might be able to extract it out, might as well bend over for 500 dollar fix

 

i would use gm stock head gaskets and arp head bolts
maybe pickup some used 243/799 heads and mill them .030

 

I did the head swap on mine while it was in the truck. The only pain in the *** is the lower rear bolt on the driver's side, passenger side seemed easier.

I held the bolt in the head about 1/3 of the way when I put the head back on so the bolt would clear the firewall.

 

I've been lookn at a set of 799s just want to get it fixed this week, tired of messin with it

 

Been there, my 140 hobart didnt have enough ***, finally pulled the inner fender and got a bigger welder ahold of it.

 

Thats what I was using was a 120v hobart welder, it is having problems pulling the wire from the spool

I went back and gave a shot again today got it better than after yesterday I double up the gaskets and used the exhaust sealant paste, looks like tar put a new crush gasket in and sealed ok till you put your foot in it deffinatly here the leak inside the cab