Drilled out exhaust manifold bolts on head..almost shit myself but no leaks.

[Rocket Man]

Not so sure why you guys think this is a major undertaking.
Did the 6.0 in my dads sierra in about 2 hours( first one i did)
Buddy 5.3 in his Silverado in about 1.5 hours. And our work truck in about 1.5 hours.
Maybe i was lucky idk

Depends on which ones. The rear ones don’t allow a straight on shot to drill them. There’s another which is difficult, don’t remember which one. I’m thinking AC compressor is in the way of one.

 

[rockola1971]

Depends on which ones. The rear ones don’t allow a straight on shot to drill them. There’s another which is difficult, don’t remember which one. I’m thinking AC compressor is in the way of one.

When I even think about pulling an exhaust manifold I go straight to the Mig welder and plug it in so it is ready for the atleast one bolt that is gonna break! I just weld a nut to the top of the broken bolt and put a socket on it and they come right out. The mig welding gets them hot enough so no need to even torch them to heat them up. Always try to tighten a little first before you even think about loosening the broken bolt. Works everytime.

The hassle is finding someone "smart enough" to hold the nut in place while Im welding it to the broken bolt stud.

 

[blueinkd]

For me, it was the following that made me go straight to the shop:
- the lack of a welder
- the location of my three broken bolts
- no air tools
- it was summer in NC and I hate the gnats and humidity
- no tools (to my knowledge at the time) to get me in a spot comfortable enough with the drill bits to be able to drill straight
- no second vehicle to drive around in the event that I messed something up
- the value of my free time
- a fiancée that, quote (in case she ever reads this post) “taught me the value of investing time in our wedding planning instead of working on a vehicle.”

Long story short, it all comes down to my inadequate tool selection to perform the job and my desire to have my free time that didn’t involve working on the tahoe for another weekend in a row (and end up on the couch lol). If I had access to a shop I wouldn’t have had much issue with doing the job but what can you do?

Couldn't agree more on most of these points!! I was ticked off after the dorman cheater clamps took 2-3 hours due to me trying to save a few bucks. I have plenty of tools except for the welder and honestly chilling on the couch with our kids is much more important these days.

Props to those doing it themselves but this repair not for me.