Have a question for you knowledgeable gentleman. An 88 gt v6 I am looking at has a crack in the front manifold. How big of a job is it to remove said manifold to get it welded ie how long time wise. My other option would be to purchase another and swap over once the car gets here, I understand it is a common problem so is there another model of manifold that is better ?
Many thanks
Hoddy

You might want to perform a search on this topic. The job is a pain and if a bolt breaks, then it is even more trouble. I ended up pulling the heads because of the number of broken bolts. Now, you could get lucky and everything works out fine. As for the manifold. I would just have someone weld it, as it shouldn't take them long.

Make sure to tell them it's stainless, so they use a stainless rod for welding.

This is a very low mileage car. Looks like it was driven in the winter a few times but probably not too many times. Bolts should come out. Should. Soak them with penetrating oil for several days or more beforehand.

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quote Originally posted by hoddy: I understand it is a common problem so is there another model of manifold that is better ?

Fiero 2.8 had it's own manifold....no other car had it. The good news: All four years are the same, and it is weldable.

Hey,

This seems to be quite a common problem. Mine cracked as well, had a buddy that works hvac weld them for me.

When removing the manifold, the bolts that hold manifold to the cross pipe are gonna snap. The manifold are stainless, the flanges are not and rust. Be prepared to just replace the bolts. its an easy job to do, just remove your decklid and you should be able to get to everything you need.

When removing rusted exhaust bolts heat, penetration oil and lots of patience help. On one truck put penetration oil (Kriol) every morning before going to work and when I got home. I did that for a week before I tried to remove the exhaust bolts. When removed the bolts I warmed the truck up before I tried removed the bolts. I was able to break the bolts loose when the engine was warm. I let it cool to finish the work. Obviously you need to be careful when working on a hot engine, but the heat helps. I have not done a Fiero, so I don't know how practical it is to get to the bolts when they are hot.

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I would also say to heat it. If I were you I would run the car to operating temperature to get everything nice and hot then wait for it to cool down enough to touch it