I also have a problem with the right exhaust manifold....

Besides the steering problem the car also has an exhaust leak on the right side of the engine. I thought it might be coming from where the exhaust pipe bolts to the manifold because one of the nuts was not as high up on the stud bolt as the other one. I sprayed some WD-40 on it and tried to tighten it up but I couldn't get enough leverage on the wrench to turn it so I used a pry bar to tighten it a click or two at a time. After a few turns it got easier to turn which I thought was weird so I checked and the nut hadn't moved up the stud at all. Next I tried loosening it to see what happened and the nut turned easily so after a few turns I checked and it was still in the same place. You guessed it-I somehow managed to strip the nut so it turns on the stud without going anywhere. So what does that mean-I need a new manifold? This is why I don't like working on my cars myself because I usually manage to make the problem worse instead of better. So now what should I do-take it to a muffler shop? I found a used exhaust manifold on eBay for $350 plus $75 for shipping which seems a little pricey. Any suggestions? ou: ou: ou:

 

If the stud is still there a shop should be able to remove it. Heat is usually the big equalizer. They can also weld a nut on to it to help in the removal. I'd go that way rather than replacing the whole manifold as it's not unusual for the manifold bolts to break off in the head. Should you need a manifold place a wanted here on the board. A lot cheaper than $350 on Evilbay.

 

Manifolds are hard to come by and the price is high...

They can be had on Ebay

(Just curious; is yours dual exhaust? '56 was the first year for duals. Different manifold on the left for duals)

 

It might be warped. I've heard of planing a manifold.

Mine was cracked at the bolt hole. I got one off Ebay ($$$)

 

It has dual exhaust but that may have happened when the car was restored in 1996. Are there two different manifolds for the right side? If so, how can I tell them apart?

 

The right side is the same for '56 (dual and single)

The left side for '56 has two different manifolds (dual or single)

If, I recall correctly:
For factory duals at the head pipe connection; the left side manifold outlet points to the rear..

For factory single at the crossover connection; the left side points manifold outlet points to the front...(as mine does)


From MASTER PARTS BOOK;

 

OK Leb: I don't know if this helps or not. I do the 1960 Buick. I understand the 61 is different!!! The right side exhaust manifold is the same for factory single and dual exhaust systems. The driver's side is different. The dual exhaust system empties to the rear, the single exhaust manifold empties to the front. This is to accommodate the crossover (aka "Y") pipe.

Through the years many cars were converted from a single to a dual system. It's anybody's guess how it was done. Some did change that left exhaust manifold to the dual style and some had the muffler shop do a retro deal with their tube bender to accommodate the left side.

In your case I would remove the manifold and have a competent shop remove the stud (with heat usually) and install a new stud. If the nut spins a cutoff wheel might be the answer. i have used these in the past with great results. Hope this helps, Mitch

 

Mitch that is confirming what I remembered seeing on a '56 with dual:grin:

 

I found a machine shop a mile from my house and the guy there said he would resurface the exhaust manifold for $25 to $50 depending on how long it took. I then went out and sprayed some WD-40 on the 8 exhaust manifold bolts and started trying to loosen them. Of the six I tried I loosened three and stripped the heads on the other three. What's the best way to remove the three stripped ones? I don't think I can get my vice grips in there. Now what?

 

OK Leb: Just a theory now....you may have used a cheap socket to remove the bolts. I don't know if a 56 has keepers or not (a semi circle band that goes half way around outside port serving as a sort of a lock washer where the bolts go through). Another suggestion, perhaps a quality 12 point 9/16 socket might work. I'm not a mechanic but I believe there are a few methods that wouldn't be too hard you could use.

As far as re surfacing the manifolds, once you remove them you will be able to take a straight edge and determine if they are in fact warped. I've rarely seen that. A machinist with experience with these engines would know. I do know that it has been advised not to use the gaskets in between the manifold and head. Mitch

 

I have Craftsman tools that I've had for 20+ years. I stripped the first one with a socket and the other two with a box wrench. There are no keepers on them....

 

Heat is always good to try. Either run the engine until good and warm or just use a torch. Maybe grind bolt heads down to next smallest size. Also sometimes a metric socket of similar size will be tighter fitting. HTH

 

I bought a set of sockets that are made for use on stripped bolts and got two of the three stripped ones off. On the third one I broke the head off the bolt. I removed the other five with no problems and pried the manifold off the engine. A small piece of the manifold broke off of it so my guess is that I need a new manifold. See photos below. My next problem is removing the exhaust pipe from the manifold. I have already stripped one of the studs where the exhaust pipe meets the manifold so how do I remove the stripped nut? Can I break it off or is there some type of small circular saw that I can rent that will cut through the bolt?

 

I just ordered an exhaust manifold from Russ at his Nailhead Buick shop out in California. I asked him if he had any discounts for veterans since tomorrow is Veterans Day and he said how about free shipping which I thought was pretty cool. Also, my buddy suggested using a Dremel tool to get the nut off the stud so I'm going to try that tomorrow. I don't have the little saw blade thing but I do have a grinding wheel so I'll just grind it off. I have a week to do it since UPS Ground takes about a week from California to Kentucky.... :TU:

 

I'm glad you found one.
I was thinking Dremel would do it

 

It took a couple of hours but I managed to grind down that nut enough to get it loose so I could remove the manifold. While I'm waiting for the new manifold to get here I'm going to get everything else that I need like 8 new bolts. Somebody said to get some hardened ones or something like that. Should I use lock washers with them? Am I supposed to put some kind of sealer on the bolts before I put them on the car? Do I need a new donut gasket on the exhaust pipe? Is there anything else I should do? Thanks in advance....

 

The exhaust manifold arrived today and I installed it on the engine. When I started it up there was still a lot of exhaust coming from the right manifold area and it's still pretty loud. What should I do next? Also, there was a piece that goes from the exhaust manifold to the back of the carb that I couldn't put back on. Is it really necessary?

 

Take it to a machine shop to obtain a flat surface again. Sometimes those things warp to fit the head they were on originally. I use a thin bead of high temp RTV on the mating surface. If the mating surface on the head is pitted from gasket use in the past, you may have to go back to gaskets.
The "piece that goes from the exhaust manifold to the back of the carb" is absolutely necessary if you still have an automatic choke.

 

Thanks for responding. I have a manual choke so is it still necessary? My back is killing me from 5 hours of bending over the fender so I'll probably wait until Spring to take the manifold off and take it to a machine shop. Thanks again....

 

The small tube from the manifold to the carb is the stovepipe for the auto choke.

A manual choke won't need it