Exhaust and intake manifold misaligned bolt holes (1 Viewer)

[tc01]

I took off the intake and exhaust manifolds because of a crack on the intake. I got the crack welded, the flapper mechanism removed from the exhaust manifold, and installed a block off plate in its place. After putting the two manifolds together I just took it to a machine shop to have the surface milled, and as I’ve read is common, they didn’t want to deal with the exhaust manifold ears. I also noticed that the bolt holes on the left side are not aligned, which could be a problem. The gap between the exhaust and intake surfaces is also pretty significant but I think the machine shop would have been willing to work with that if it wasn’t for the ears.

What is the best course of action I can take here? I’m planning on looking for another machine shop that will work with the ears.

 

[tc01]

Now that I think about this more, I realize that maybe that's why this guide on manifold rebuilds says to put the manifolds together without tightening the bolts, put it on the block loosely, and then tighten the bolts between the two manifolds. Is that a sure-fire way or does the misalignment signify a bigger problem?

 

[spotcruiser]

Also, not shown in your photos, the gasketing between intake and exhaust for heat riser has an effect on vertical alignment.

 

[tc01]

Right, I assumed so. I placed a block-off plate, with a gasket on each side of the block-off plate. The two gaskets and block-off plate are definitely thicker than the original 1 gasket that was there.

 

[tc01]

I was able to put this thing on the block today. I found a machine shop in Miami called Alex Motor Heads that has a horizontal belt sander and knew exactly what to do. $60 bucks, which is just a tad cheaper than the $495 that another machine shop wanted to mill the surfaces.

I should also add that the procedure outlined here was useful (Putting it on the block first with the bolts between the manifolds just hand tight and then tightening the bolts, taking it off): Manifold Rebuild Procedure - Land Cruiser Tech from IH8MUD.com - https://www.ih8mud.com/tech/manifold.php

That last bolt by the firewall made me want to sell the truck for a moment.