'72 exhaust manifolds (cracked)

[David Maksymetz]

[Jerry Clark]

Re: '72 exhaust manifolds (cracked)

Hi David:

Personally I would not replace it unless / until it becomes an apparent problem. If it starts making noise that was obvious I would deal with it then. The small block exhaust manifolds are easy enough to replace at any time.

jerry

[Joe L.]

Re: '72 exhaust manifolds (cracked)

David----

I agree with Jerry; I'd leave it alone and watch it. If it does, at some point, break it will not leave you stranded. The worst thing that would happen is that you would notice a slight exhaust leak and then you could replace the manifold, if that's what needed to be done.

On little tip, though: a crack like you describe will tend to "propagate" (become longer and more extensive) over time. If you could drill a very small hole immediately at the end of the current crack, you might be able to stem its "propagation".

[Patrick H.]

Re: '72 exhaust manifolds (cracked)

David,

In addition, I have used JB Weld putty to fix some similar exhaust cracks with good results. You may want to drill as Joe mentions, then use JB to fill it in. Just a thought.

Patrick Hulst

[Joe L.]

Re: '72 exhaust manifolds (cracked)

Patrick-----

Yes, a combination of the two is probably the best solution of all. I didn't realize, though, that J-B Weld would hold up to exhaust heat. If so, the "combination" repair is the way to go.

[Patrick H.]

Re: '72 exhaust manifolds (cracked)

Joe,

I can't remember which car of ours it is, but one of them had a small crack between the two "central" ports on the passenger's side (the 4/6 siamesed one). A little epoxy weld (actually not JB in this case, but same concept) and the crack is both gone and not reappearing to date. Much cheaper than a new or used manifold.

Patrick


Patrick Hulst