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Cracked Manifold


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Today I’m doing some misc. maintenance on my truck in preparation for my trip to Chattanooga, TN in a few weeks. While putsing around under the hood I noticed that the carb mounting nuts were loose. As I was retightening them, and checking all of the manifold nuts, I noticed a crack in the exhaust manifold. ? 

I don’t see any soot accumulation so it doesn’t appear to be leaking exhaust through it, but I guess the hunt is on now for a replacement. This isn’t a job I really want to tackle right now. Depending on how soon I find a rear dump manifold it may have to wait until after the trip. Hopefully it’ll hold up for another couple thousand miles. 

 

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Merle, I understand you not wanting to tear into that at this time, but I would grind a small “V” in the crack and have it welded on the truck. Hoping to stop it from getting worse until you have more time.

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11 hours ago, Merle Coggins said:

Today I’m doing some misc. maintenance on my truck in preparation for my trip to Chattanooga, TN in a few weeks. While putsing around under the hood I noticed that the carb mounting nuts were loose. As I was retightening them, and checking all of the manifold nuts, I noticed a crack in the exhaust manifold. ? 

I don’t see any soot accumulation so it doesn’t appear to be leaking exhaust through it, but I guess the hunt is on now for a replacement. This isn’t a job I really want to tackle right now. Depending on how soon I find a rear dump manifold it may have to wait until after the trip. Hopefully it’ll hold up for another couple thousand miles.

 

You are right, the kind of this crack is a slow growing one and maybe it still will hold for a while. But someday it will break. Mostly something like that happens when you are far away from home ...

If it cracks through, think about that these are very hot gases which are entering the engine compartment !

 

You have a few weeks until it starts and wan`t to enjoy the trip without thinking does it hold or not ?

At least maybe you could use the time to look for a solution ? You have to do it sooner or later anyway ...

A replacement, if you get one in time -> Todd B ?

Or as Mike36 suggested weld it. Give it to someone who can weld exhausts, if you do not have the equipment yourself.

 

Hmm, where does it come from ? The appearance of the crack let assume me, that this not only a TM- / HC- / LC- Fatique  (-> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_(material)

I would also check, if the flange surfaces of the manifold are straight. Seems to me there was a tension due to a uneven flange face which is forced to the even block.

This may explain, why the nuts became loose.

 

Just my thoughts ... anyway wish you much fun on the trip !

Edited by PT81Jan
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If Todd doesn't set you up Merle, I'll send one out pronto. I owe more than that to you, so it's a start....lol

 

Tim aka 48Dodger

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Common area for a crack.  I noticed my "special" nuts were loose day of Back to the 50s....another thing to check every so often.

 

Welding on the exhaust manifolds is tough...pretty brittle

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9 minutes ago, ggdad1951 said:

Common area for a crack.  I noticed my "special" nuts were loose day of Back to the 50s....another thing to check every so often.

 

Welding on the exhaust manifolds is tough...pretty brittle

 

I saw an Argentinian guy do it once in Brazil.  His dad was a black smith, and had taught him how to do it.  He got it just about cherry red hot in a home-made forge, then quick stick welded it while it was still red hot.  (Obviously had to take it off to do that, and if he had been able to find another, probably wouldn't have done it.)

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15 hours ago, Todd B said:

What size motor will work 

 

Has to be a 23" motor. 218 or 230. Basically anything from a 1/2 ton - 1 ton.

I'll shoot you a text this week to set up a time to come up there, if you have one.

 

I ordered up gaskets, and other things, from DCM Classics yesterday. Should have them this week. This coming weekend is my only free weekend before the trip. Hoping it will all fall into place relatively pain free, otherwise there may be some late nights in the garage trying to wrap it up before we head out. I don't like doing mechanical repairs just before a trip without some time for a shake-down run, or two.

Edited by Merle Coggins
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12 minutes ago, greg g said:

Hope you get that sorted.  Just checked the mileage to Chat from here,says 998 miles and 14 hours.  Probably need to two or three day it, especially if it stays hot.  Just a trip on I 81 for me.   

 

Looks like about 793 miles (12+ hrs) for me. We were planning a stop in Indy to see my Mother (365 miles and about 6 hours), but now she's been staying with my Sister up in Grand Rapids, MI while she (sister) undergoes chemo treatments for breast cancer. So now the Indy stop in in question. But we are also planning a couple nights in Nashville on the way down too. I don't really want to push thru to Nashville in one day. That's 660 miles and 10+ hours. Maybe we'll keep the Indy stop anyway and just stay with my other sister there. That'll break up the trip better.  On the way home I'm planning an overnight near Matoon, IL to split up the drive.

 

Looking forward to meeting you there, Greg.

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Update:

Communicating with Todd, via text messages, this morning. It seems that he has a couple of options for me. I'm going to try to get up there this week and get one pulled (maybe tonight). Then, if the gaskets arrive this week, as planned, I can get things swapped out this weekend.

 

Thanks all for your moral support and advice. Jan's comments confirmed my own thoughts. If I was blissfully unaware of the crack it probably would have survived the trip just fine. Now that I know about it I will constantly worry throughout the trip. If I can get it swapped out this weekend, and make a couple of local cruises followed by a re-tightening of all fasteners, then I should be able to make the trip more worry free.

Edited by Merle Coggins
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I love my Pilot House friends!!!!

Todd hooked me up yesterday. But knowing that Tim was waiting in the wings to back him up was awesome.

I was expecting a little work, after work, to get a manifold off one of Todd's "yard art" trucks. But before I could even get out of work I got a text from Todd that he had it off already. ? So after supper I took a drive up by him (just under an hour from my house to his) to pick it up. We chatted for a while, and he showed me his newly acquired '67 Buick Skylark convertible. (Very Nice!) On the way home I stopped at Fleet Farm for a can of high temp paint (Aluminum color) and a couple other items. (can anyone in the upper Midwest go to Fleet Farm for just one item?)

My Mother is visiting this week, so I probably won't get much garage time until the weekend, but I'm hoping to at least clean it up and give it a coat of paint before the swap on Saturday.

 

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Edited by Merle Coggins
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Got a couple hours in the garage tonight as my wife and mother were out and about, leaving me home alone. All cleaned up and ready to mount... once the paint cures. 

 

220D03B9-A4B3-47A2-B3F9-BB7C1A416213_zps

 

Saturday morning I want to adjust the free play in the steering box. Between that and a new drag link I’m hoping to remove all of the free play in the steering wheel. Then I can get the front end back on the ground and tackle the manifold change. If all goes well I’ll be test driving it by noon. 

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Your flat rate book must be a lot different than mine.  Just took me 2 1/2 hours to change very rusted brake pieces parts on one rear side of my DD.  Started the other side so tomorrow morning I should be able to wrap up in a half hour or so. Hope your job shapes up quick.

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Nothing like a late night in the shop with a moment of success! Glad you got friends like mine to help get problems solved.

Look forward to meeting Todd someday soon. I might send you a part anyway so I can say I help build your truck...lol.

 

48D

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1 hour ago, 48Dodger said:

Nothing like a late night in the shop with a moment of success! Glad you got friends like mine to help get problems solved.

Look forward to meeting Todd someday soon. I might send you a part anyway so I can say I help build your truck...lol.

 

48D

 

help me build my truck...I'm looking for some fender extensions off a B1/2 3.5 ton truck...  

 

:P

 

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4 hours ago, ggdad1951 said:

 

help me build my truck...I'm looking for some fender extensions off a B1/2 3.5 ton truck...  

 

moderator, please post parts wanted in the "wanted" section! :P:lol: no, really :P 

 

 

(luv ya man!)

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5 hours ago, ggdad1951 said:

 

help me build my truck...I'm looking for some fender extensions off a B1/2 3.5 ton truck...  

 

:P

 

I have some off of a 1.5 ton truck. 

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52 minutes ago, Todd B said:

I have some off of a 1.5 ton truck

 

I do too...I'm just giving Tim grief because he promised me these of the one out in CA (they stand deeper off the fender) and he told me to bug him!  It's what friends are for!

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