How To Remove LS Exhaust Manifold Bolts without Breaking Them | Vortec

In this video I go over how to remove LS/VORTEC 4.8 | 5.3 | 6.0 exhaust manifold bolts with the best chance of success to not break them! These two tricks will hopefully help you avoid the time consuming pain in the rear of removing broken bolts from your heads. That way you can spend your time after removing your exhaust manifolds, installing headers, or replacing manifold gaskets (let's be real, it should be installing headers)!
The old LS / VORTEC exhaust manifold bolts are NOTORIOUS for breaking and snapping when you go to remove them. DO NOT get the impact or torque wrench out, try my two tricks and you will have a much better chance of getting that manifold off without serious issues. This should be applicable to most 4.8 , 5.3, and 6.0 LS based motors.
Thank you for watching, if this video helps you out, please consider liking or hitting subscribe, it really helps a car guy out here, and I do appreciate the support. Get out there and get wrenching if your able my friends.
DISCLAIMER: I take no liability for your build, your actions, your ride, your motor, etc. I do these jobs for myself and share what works for me. It should be treated as more of a guide of one way to achieve a goal, no guarantees of success. Use your brain and good luck!!
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[@larrytemen4789]

I’m not sure why this video popped up in my suggestions. But having done at least 30-35 header swaps on LS motors, I can remove them all without snapping any in about 15 min. (Engine out of vehicle) Step one, spray with some kind of penetrating oil. Let sit for a day. Step 2, air hammer with a pointed bit and hit straight in the center of stud or bolt for about 2-3 sec ea. Step 3, tighten ea bolt about 1/8 of a turn. Step 4, 1/4” air ratchet and loosen all the way out. The air hammer shocks the bolt and any rust buildup inside the heads. Tightening the bolts stretches them slightly and prevents pulling threads out of aluminum heads. Learned this trick from a machine shop.

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Very cool, thanks for the info!

[@joefudd]

Liquid Wrench has those instructions on their cans and has for decades. Tap the bolt with a hammer and the vibration helps the penetrating oil to work itself in and dissolve the rust. I always start by tightening frozen bolts a bit first before backing them out. It works. Always spray more penetrating oil in with each in and out torquing to help flush out the dissolved rust in the threads which wedges the bolt stuck.

[@davidbennett288]

Good info, thank you

[@Ballen1182]

Exactly what i came to mention lol, they aren't torqued very tight. I can remove em with a 1/4" ratchet too

[@MrC9Oh3]

Penetrating oil doesn't help at all, that's a myth. I heat them with a torch til they are glowing red and remove them with a crescent wrench. The crescent wrench allows me to get a good bite because it's adjustable.

[@aaronmcdonald8423]

Very good ideas! I've got a pair of 5.3s, one in my 83 Camaro and one in my 04 Tahoe. When I did the engine for my 83 Camaro it had 2 broken ones that I got out w/my welder. The other ones I did it this exact way using both of your methods. When I re-install everything I like to use the longer size stainless studs from eBay (can't remember length but I think it was the longest ones I could find) and a ton of anti-seize on the stud. Works like a charm for removal!

[@IceRhino44]

An old fella told me that loosen and tighten trick, haven't snapped any bolts since!

[@joefudd]

When backing the bolts out a bit, keep spraying more PB blaster under the bolt heads to help flush out the rust and loc tite before tightening them back in. each time back and forth it will pull out more rust and free up the bolts. Also using compressed air with a blow gun also helps displace the rust from between the threads, then apply more penetrating oil.

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

That definitely sounds like it would help, I will give it a try next time, I always enjoy learning new ways to tackle things. Thanks for the advice and thanks for watching!!

[@gregorysampson8759]

Real good advice. I knew these things but wasn't really thinking about this. Thanks guy!

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Thank you for watching!! Glad it helped.

[@smokyblackjacket7215]

Oh thank you gm for making our lives so much easier lots of love 😐

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

I complete agree lol!

[@bigtimegoblin]

@@CLASSICSAREBETTERmy dad has been a gm mechanic for 40 years and he always sais “general motors stupid comes standard” lol

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

@@bigtimegoblin Haha I haven't heard that one before, but I like it!

[@joefudd]

This happens with all aluminum heads that have cast iron flanged headers. Not just GM.

[@shadowopsairman1583]

​@@bigtimegoblinyeah and fords still break plugs

[@papergatorzfedducca7998]

New subscriber!!🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Thank you for watching! I got some new videos in the works!

[@chemicalspore]

I just took my LS apart and posted it on my Instagram. About how I didn't break any exhaust bolts, and then there's this video that popped up in my feed. Today

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

How wild, the youtube algorithm is in control lol. Hope that your project goes well!

[@chemicalspore]

@@CLASSICSAREBETTER chewed cam and lifters

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

@@chemicalspore well that is no fun at all, sry man. At least it's an opportunity to put in a hotter cam and reward yourself for the hassle lol.

[@chemicalspore]

@CLASSICS ARE BETTER nah, same cam. 222. 226. I don't want to go through tuning again.

[@ericm493]

Tighten and then loosen. Breaks the rust

[@daviddaniels6469]

Great advice .

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Thank you, im trying to help people, taking your time the first time is much better than dealing with broken ones!!

[@jamesguralski5156]

Easy job when motors out! Ill do them in the truck! Looking to grab an induction heater for the bolts! Thanks for sharing. Great vid

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Lol definitely easier with the motor out! Induction heater would be a lot safer than a torch with all the hoses and wiring all around. What kinda truck you wrenching on? I hope that your project works out great for you, thank you for watching!

[@jamesguralski5156]

@@CLASSICSAREBETTER gm. 5.3 2009 silverado and a 2009 6.2 cadillac escalade ext truck

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

@@jamesguralski5156 very cool

[@cnrails]

You can build them up with a mig welder if they break down inside the hole, then after building the weld flush with the surface you can weld a nut to it and wrench it out. Not really a huge issue, but obviously better to get the stud out in one piece.

[@andyklang7871]

Thank you

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Hope it helps you out! Thanks for watching.

[@Didewro]

Great video....but what is the recommended best arp bolt to replace with?

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Thank you for watching, I should say that I am no expert on the various ARP bolts, but I lean toward these myself ... amzn.to/3mar8ka I believe ARP offers them in chrome as well. Always double check that the ones you decide on fit your motor before you order, best of luck with your project!

[@paybo3573]

Hammer and punch works great also

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

I haven't tried that way, im curious, how do you get them out with a hammer and punch without breaking them?

[@diversedad7954]

I'm still a long ways away from this part but I may just go out and start pulling mine off just to make sure I can get all the bolts out when the time comes. Inspector is coming to hopefully green light my new shop location then we can start excavation! Dream shoo first then the 66 project can really get under way!

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Hopefully I will have my running in the next couple weeks. Luckily I will have a parts list of what worked for me I can send your way to make a little easier for you bro. Awesome news on the shop. You will love it!!!

[@diversedad7954]

@@CLASSICSAREBETTER thats really my plan. Let you do the homework for me so I don't have to 😅 What route are you going for engine management/wiring harness? Holley EFI like I'd talked to you about?

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

@@diversedad7954 I actually found a full wire harness complete with fuse box, all plugs, everything & with awesome reviews for $160 on ebay and I am having a neighbor reflash my factory computer. Worked for his Nova LS swap, hopefully works for me. Fall back plan is pony up for Holley stuff.

[@diversedad7954]

@@CLASSICSAREBETTER Holy crap dude that's insane! Please update me how it goes!

[@jamesguralski5156]

Have you tried the heat induction tool? And have you also tried just putting wax in there some of the old guys think eating it up and putting wax and it helps too

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

I haven't tried a heat induction tool, I wish I had one! They look pretty handy. I have seen the wax thing on youtube videos before, looks cool, but I have never tried it myself.

[@oserratos]

Hello. And to reinstall it's always recommended to use new ones correct? And torque them to spec?

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Thank you for watching, I would definitely use new bolts if possible, the old ones have been heat soaked so many times it's worth it to start fresh.

[@beef8319]

Great. But how to remove the rear broken bolts while the engine is still in my 2000 gmc sierra 5.3?? I've got hardly any room and no way to drill straight into bolt... Right angle drill I don't think will fit either

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

The only one I have had to do inside an engine bay I used a right angle drill to drill it out. It is def not a fun job. If you can weld a nut on the bolt you may have better luck.

[@craiggerlach5548]

On an 02 that left rear bolt is hard to reach when working from up top. I had helper round off the bolt while I was in process of moving the front driveshaft out of the way. The ujoint was stuck in the yoke and I was in proces sof freeing up when he thought he could put a 12 sided wrench on it when I said only 6 sided and round it be.. now I can reach it and could have taken it out.. we do not need heads so about to cut that bolt off.. but will try some bolt extractors sockets I have 1st in morning.. this whole design is not mechanic friendly, having to pull pulley off PS pump to access bolts, putting that accumulator on the AC lines on top of compressor blocking bolts to bracket, and tucking motor under when it could have been forward a few inches allowing us to reach those ground cables and other electrical at rear of engine.. think will pull intake off before yank out as replacement motor had its manifold cracked by salvage yard and we cannot risk damaging in process... Older SBC were so much easier to work on...

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Dude you are preaching to the choir on placement, they should make some of these engineers wrench on this stuff so they see how ridiculous it is to spend 30min removing parts for a 3min job on something simple! I wish you luck on getting that bolt out, I have used a reverse drill bit with a 90 degree drill adapter to remove them before, it's a whole bunch of not fun!!

[@matthostetler5422]

Doing a light build on my old 04 escalade winter beater. The manifolds have never been touched. While doing a deep cleaning under the hood I noticed the head is missing on the driverside closet to the firewall. I made the responsible decision and ordered a set of long tubes and new ARP stainless hardware. Ive been soaking the hardware for a couple weeks now mainly procrastinating the job. Im hoping there is enough stud hanging out of the head to weld a nut on. Worse comes to worse it'll give me an excuse to pull the heads for some 243s, upgrade the rockers and slide in a very streetable cam.

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Hells ya man, when stuff breaks always wise to replace with something spicer if you can! Best of luck on your project. Those old Escalades are beasts.

[@zzaher91]

What all did u remove to get that much space to do the chizzling.? Just Seems like u had alot of room to do the chizzelen did u remove some hoses? Working on friends 02 accord and I can barely get my hands to fit to do anything then wrenching.

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

On this video I had the motor out of the truck, so that gave me a ton of space. Working on an accord your going to have zero space unfortunately, I would probably remove the radiator and some hoses if you need more space, if you have to start moving wires and hoses around, make sure to take a lot of "before pics" so it's easy to remember where everything goes if needed. Good luck!

[@zzaher91]

Yeah there's zero space for wrenching better off just chopping off the rusted bolts with Dremmel. Especially if u don't have access to a lift.

[@papergatorzfedducca7998]

Hey what about if I have it on a running truck? Do you think the heat from me driving it will help the bolts come out easier?

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

It may help a bit, but when you heat the whole motor the block expands with the bolts too. Best bet is to try the tighten loosen approach first if possible. Best of luck, be safe, working on hot exhaust is not super fun.

[@papergatorzfedducca7998]

@@CLASSICSAREBETTER ok thank you bro!!

[@DRo-ql8er]

What about letting the engine heat up then spray the bolts with pb blaster and try to break the loctite up?

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

i don't think that would hurt, but if your hitting the bolts for an extended period with a hand torch, it will heat up just fine.

[@traviswilson3251]

Do you know the torque specs and order they go back in? Or where I can find that info?

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Here are the torque specs that I followed... Tighten the bolts on the first pass to 15 N·m (11 lb ft). Tighten the bolts beginning with the center two bolts. Alternate from side-to-side, and work toward the outside bolts. Tighten the bolts on the final pass to 25 N·m(18 lb ft). Tighten the bolts beginning with the center two bolts. Alternate from side-to-side, and work toward the outside bolts.

[@traviswilson3251]

@@CLASSICSAREBETTER thank you!

[@capoman1]

Another tip I've seen is to retighten the bolts, don't remove them, so the manifold stays flush while you do the remaining bolts

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Not a bad idea, thanks for watching man!

[@theguywhorarelylies5454]

Clearly you haven't experienced enough pain in the garage. Using a breaker bar is a great way to go ahead and snap them right off, this is a very surgical procedure.

[@Corfine]

Cool sunglasses great weather in America Ireland rain all time

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

We do ok here in TX, mild winters, fall, and spring, summer can just sneak up on you if your not used to the heat, 103 degree (39 C) afternoons lol. Very cool that your in Ireland, thank you for watching!!

[@Corfine]

The weather is shit in Ireland your video like helped treat you could not hire garage four hundred euro for anything

[@dirtabletv]

Is this usually happening on higher mileage trucks or can they break anytime?

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Most things I work on are a 100k + miles so I am not sure to be honest. I think a lot of it has to do with the number of heat cycles the motor goes through, regardless you always want to be careful with manifold bolts high or low miles, just because its so annoying to drill one out if it snaps.

[@dirtabletv]

Thank you!!!

[@oakcliffpride]

I like heating and spraying wd40 while smoking hot it seems to wick in penetration oil let it cool off then try to break loose .

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Seems like a solid idea, I will have to try that on my next motor. Thank you for watching!

[@capoman1]

Seems like a breaker var would be better than a ratchet so you don't have to change directiins repeatedly

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

It would work about the same, I just like the ratchet so I had a little more control. I have broken them before and it's a bucket of no fun lol.

[@davidbennett288]

CRC's Knock 'Er Loose works very well as a penetrating oil for this.

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

I have never tried that stuff before, I may have to pick up a can and give it a test. Thanks!

[@davidbennett288]

@@CLASSICSAREBETTER All CRC brand products are good quality, a tad pricey but you definitely get what you pay for.

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

@@davidbennett288 You know the older I get the more I realize you really to get what you pay for in a lot of things! Thanks for the recommendation.

[@shane462]

Has anyone tried letting the engine run till its warm in order to heat up the block?

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

You could try it...but that's not for me, working on a hot manifold/headers is no fun lol. You'd also be heating (expanding) the block and the stud bolts at the same time, I try and heat just the bolts so that they expand and contract to help break them loose a bit. Let me know if you try it though! I am always happy to learn something.

[@shane462]

@@CLASSICSAREBETTER do you really want just your bolt expanding? besides the aluminum expands at a different rate

[@shane462]

@@CLASSICSAREBETTER what's not fun is damaging the block. which i why i am always reluctant to put heat on the block.

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

@@shane462 That is a good point, mine isn't an aluminum block so I didn't think about that.

[@shane462]

@@CLASSICSAREBETTER I have a GMC 1500 not sure if that head is aluminum all my other cars that's why i assumed.

[@privatedata665]

I wanna update on the vehicle in the back

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

The C10 or my Camaro that is under the cover?

[@privatedata665]

The C10

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

@@privatedata665 Think the last video I have up for it is putting the bed and hood back on. Currently I am making a video on the c10 for a full 4.5/6in drop, 6 lug conversion, front disc brakes, and some new rims. Got into some shipping issues so it's taking forever.

[@mattblack133]

NO WD40.

[@AntiMaxer]

you can always just have a valve gasket leak and oil the manifold bolts daily with no effort!

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

That is true lol

[@mattcampbell4777]

As an EE and ME I do not see any use in that "loosen then tighten" thingy. If it turns while taking it out, it will turn all the way out without breaking. They break on the 1st turn when they do break..

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Good to know going fwd, thank you for watching!

[@phrenologisto]

First 30 seconds can be trimmed from the video and it would be better. This isnt TV, people didnt find this video by accident. Also, WD40 isnt a traditional penetrant.

[@CLASSICSAREBETTER]

Thanks for watching!

[@ronjohnstonaustralia2417]

Nope.... Its just fish oil buddy!

[@theoriginalBlue72]

Remove and replace with stainless studs by rogue fasteners 🧷