hfdff

Was wondering if I could get some advice on this. While doing a tune up this past week I found a broken exhaust manifold bolt and decided to fix it. The one I found I fixed with no problem by using an easy out.

While taking the exhaust manifold off I also found that I had another bolt that had broken. The bolt is the very aft bolt. Their wasn't much room to drill and I bought a angle drill that you put on your drill. I started drilling and thought I was centered but unfortunetly I wasn't and wound up drilling into the head a little bit.

I was wondering if I could drill out the bolt and put a Heli coil or will I be better off taking it to a shop and have them do it. Here are some pics.
Thanks for the replies,

kevinkpk

You might go ahead and drill/ezout the stud. If you cannot use that same size replacment stud, either overdrill it, and tap, or over drill/tap for a helicoil

oldchevy

If you plan on keeping it, do it right. Doesn't look that bad at this point so drilling it out and making it the original size is the way to go.

hfdff

Thanks for the replies looks like I'll be pulling the head so I don't screw it up more than what it is.

kevinkpk

Why? Pull the exhuast manifold

in2pro

From the pictures I think he has pulled the manifold off and wants to pull the head also so as to gain better access to the busted bolt. I would agree its probably easier to address the busted bolt while working it from a bench, however you do open up a new can of worms pulling the head off....

kevinkpk

Yes anything able to work on a bench is better. If you can get even a camera phone in this vicinity, I'd think a drill would work?

staggerlee

Get a good sharp center punch to tap the center before drilling.
Then have a second person looking from the side to help ensure that you are drilling it straight.
Lee

Camaro 69

Can of worms is right. Were you even getting any kind of an exhaust leak? Pulling the head is the last thing I would do. If you can't get the bolt out, you might want to consider trying Percy's Seal-4-Good compressible gaskets. They're made to compensate for surface irregularities, and work great. I'd give that a shot before yanking the head.

Jack Dorcic

Try to weld a nut onto the broken bolt, very hard to weld cast zip it on and turn it out