Exhaust Manifold resurface/Machine

[Zack1978]

Hi everyone,
I will be in the process of having the manifold(s) changed on my 87 FJ60 and the general feeling is that before you install it, the manifolds should be resurfaced with both intake/exhaust bolted together. Well today I called six shops, and not one will do it, nor do they any advice as to where to go. One guy I spoke to claimed he once did one for a Chevy inline 6 and he swore he would never ever touch a manifold like that again and he had to charge they guy almost $300.00. Another shop told me that they should remain bolted together, however it is nearly impossible to machine as a pair hence a catch 22. Where did everyone else go to get this job done?


Thanks,
Zack

 

[FJ40Jim]

Where are you located?

 

[Zack1978]

Where are you located?

New Jersey.

I so wish that I could get my 60 to Jim in OH to do the desmog. I would love to open the hood and only see a few vacc hoses!

Zack

 

[Heartworm]

I had a machine shop in Helena, MT attempt it but he could not get it flat so I had to buy a new set. Cruiser Dan, American Toyota, $561 plus ride.

 

[ntsqd]

Check the port flanges with a straight edge. If each flange is flat, and then they are fairly flat from port flange to port flange within each manifold there really is no need to surface them.

If you want to clean them up a bit a body shop 'long board' with 60 or 80 grit work pretty good. Be golly gosh darned sure to get all of the grit & metal out of them.

There are two ways that they could be surfaced. One of the somehow clamp them into the block & cyl head decking machine. The other is to use one of the big (BIG!!!) belt sander type surfacing machines. The first option is the best, but $300 would hardly buy the set-up guy's time to get them in place. The second option can easily result in less than flat surfaces if the operator isn't skilled.

 

[Zack1978]

So basically having this job done "might" be a lost cause?


Zack

 

[ksollinger]

I had my intake and header machined for $100 at a shop in seattle. The dont need to be bolted together is what I was told. They just need to machine down the surfaces of both so they are the same thickness. My intake was warped and the header was straight so they just machined down different ammounts off the intake and header to get it to match. Worked great for me, no complaints.
Good Luck

 

[Spike Strip]

They DO NEED to be bolted together when surfaced. It's not the thickness, it the straightness of the surface that is going to mate to the head.

I had it done here in So. Cal. for $100. And I know the guy would accept the manifolds by mail and do yours, but you're closer to Jim C. so you may want to consider sending it to him if getting it done locally is questionable.

You can buy a new I/E setup for about $450, btw. from Toyota

 

[Pighead]

That's different. A header and intake manifold don't have anything to do with each other once they leave the head. The stock setup, as you know, has the two manifolds mated together. Therefore, to do the job correctly the two manifolds should be bolted together before the surfaces that mate with the head are machined.
Or, perhaps you could machine both manifolds separately and then just worry about the exhaust leak that's gonna happen between the two manifolds.
Or, just forget about the machining and use lots of gaskets.
Or, maybe find a really flat section of concrete in your garage, throw down a few handfuls of sand, and rub the manifolds (bolted together, of course) around in a circular fashion for a few hours...

I had my intake and header machined for $100 at a shop in seattle. The dont need to be bolted together is what I was told. They just need to machine down the surfaces of both so they are the same thickness. My intake was warped and the header was straight so they just machined down different ammounts off the intake and header to get it to match. Worked great for me, no complaints.
Good Luck

 

[Butt Ugly Chuck]

I paid $35 a few months ago to have mine surfaced at a local machine shop. Bolt them together for the job!!!

Butt

 

[grant5127]

I paid $35 a few months ago to have mine surfaced at a local machine shop. Bolt them together for the job!!!

Butt

by the looks of yours.... its on its last go around...........

 

[Butt Ugly Chuck]

by the looks of yours.... its on its last go around...........

I don't doubt you there with 261,009 on the clock and god knows how many more the PO put on it with a broken speedo cable! But it's running good for now and I can get 14 mpg around town.

Butt

 

[FJ40Jim]

I will be in the process of having the manifold(s) changed on my 87 FJ60 and the general feeling is that before you install it, the manifolds should be resurfaced with both intake/exhaust bolted together. Well today I called six shops, and not one will do it, nor do they any advice as to where to go. One guy I spoke to claimed he once did one for a Chevy inline 6 and he swore he would never ever touch a manifold like that again and he had to charge they guy almost $300.00. Another shop told me that they should remain bolted together, however it is nearly impossible to machine as a pair hence a catch 22. Where did everyone else go to get this job done?

You can mail them to me, if there's nobody local to do the work.

Before resorting to extreme measures, call the parts department at the local Toy dealer(s) and ask them for the name of a machine shop they would use for this job. The parts dept is the people in charge of outside work, so they should know.

 

[valdezhilander]

I haven't had it done, but a local machinist, (300 miles away) said to just put a couple tack welds on the exhaust manifold where the pieces come together, do this while there both still bolted on to the head and then any decent machine shop should be able to do the job. Once bolted back on the head cut the welds. Seems resonable.

 

[lehiguy]

I've read so many posts on this same topic and I'm still wondering what the deal is. It's an inline six, the manifolds are long and weird and they flex, expand and contract all over the place, get used to it. I ran headers on both my 2fs and NEVER machined anything. I used F gaskets and shims where needed and I never had a problem. And no, I didn't use sealant.

 

[Zack1978]

I've read so many posts on this same topic and I'm still wondering what the deal is. It's an inline six, the manifolds are long and weird and they flex, expand and contract all over the place, get used to it. I ran headers on both my 2fs and NEVER machined anything. I used F gaskets and shims where needed and I never had a problem. And no, I didn't use sealant.

Why would you use an F engine gasket with a 2F engine?


Zack

 

[lehiguy]

Why would you use an F engine gasket with a 2F engine?


Zack

The 2F gasket has one large port for each pair of exhaust ports on the head, no separation in between which makes it very difficult to get a header to seal because the header has a machined down weld that serves as a sealing area where it mates to the head, and they don't join together. The F gasket has two individual ports, each separated from the other with a fire ring around each. Makes for an easy seal. Kudos to Roger at Larry H. Miller Toyota parts dept. for pointing that out to me 20 years ago.

 

[JLH911]

Please make sure you get it machined the proper way which most on here say it'd be as one piece.

This is what I told my machinist to do and he turned around and "handed" it off to another place and I don't think he stressed that requirement.

Needless to say it was uneven, but I thought it'd straighten out once I bolted it back on to the head.

I too was doing this job and got it all back together. I guess you know where this is going......EXHAUST LEAK!

I just took off the carb and carb heat shield a little while ago and I'm pretty sure I see signs of exhust leaks in two areas.


I'll keep you posted as to what I found.

 

[silicon_toad2000]

Looking at these parts on the engine I would think that it's not just the flatness that you need, you also need the flanges to be the same thickness where they mate so that the bolts exert the same pressure on both manifolds where the two are held by the same bolt.
I would imagine that if the flanges at this point were different thicknesses, the bolt would put more pressure on one than the other causing a leak in the manifold with the thinner flange.

 

[JLH911]

Looking at these parts on the engine I would think that it's not just the flatness that you need, you also need the flanges to be the same thickness where they mate so that the bolts exert the same pressure on both manifolds where the two are held by the same bolt.
I would imagine that if the flanges at this point were different thicknesses, the bolt would put more pressure on one than the other causing a leak in the manifold with the thinner flange.

Good point...that may be what I'm suffering from...a new setup is looking like more the solution now.