Intake manifold bolt removal help

[drewbert41]

Hey guys,

I am getting ready to pull my intake. I have everything off and I was able to break all of the bolts loose besides the ones under the carb. I have the carb off and I read that you cannot remove these with a ratchet.

I used an open end 9\16 wrench and the bolts seem too fat for me to turn the wrench. Cant get the box end side on all the way. Don't want to round these off. I have a 1974 350 in it with the emissions crap and there is not a lot of room to turn it.

I have scraped around the bolts to clean it up and vacuumed debris.

Searched the web can't find much. I hear people silicone these in place.

Am I using the right tool for the job? Should I buy an offset box end 9\16 wrench?

Is heat or penetrating oil a no-no?

[mr.mud1]

Originally Posted by drewbert41

Hey guys,

I am getting ready to pull my intake. I have everything off and I was able to break all of the bolts loose besides the ones under the carb. I have the carb off and I read that you cannot remove these with a ratchet.

I used an open end 9\16 wrench and the bolts seem too fat for me to turn the wrench. Cant get the box end side on all the way. Don't want to round these off. I have a 1974 350 in it with the emissions crap and there is not a lot of room to turn it.

I have scraped around the bolts to clean it up and vacuumed debris.

Searched the web can't find much. I hear people silicone these in place.

Am I using the right tool for the job? Should I buy an offset box end 9\16 wrench?

Is heat or penetrating oil a no-no?

those bolts can be a mess.they are by the heat riser passages that go from head to head through the intake.the swell up with rust.they are,as you say in a tight spot,not much room to swing a wrench.penetrating oil and a little heat won't hurt but if the engine is still in the truck,you have to be careful with fire around fuel lines and such and you don't want to go overboard on heating the head.sometimes when i get a tough one like that,i use a 6 point wrench box end wrench,not a 12 point,althought there's times you gotta do what you gotta do and a 12 point will work but more apt to round the head off.an open end wrench will never work on something tight like this.take a box end and grind the end a little smaller if you have to. sometimes when the head of the bolt doesn't fit a 9/16's like it should,see if a metric wrench will fit.if you have to hammer it on to get it started then so be it.put new bolts back and i use a little never-seize on just about everything like that.i've never had one not come out but some will make you work for it.you got this.take care.Greg

[Ironangel]

I use a 9/16 box end wrench with the box end ground down thin enough to get on the bolts. A 3/8 drive thin wall socket is helpful too. Dont be afraid to modify a cheapie tool to make it work. Use Felpro MS 90314-2 intake gaskets when you replace the intake. I use a razor blade to remove the old gasket material and silicon left on the heads. A small wire brush helps and it dont hurt to lay a towel down in the lifter valley to collect the debris. Those heads need to be cleaned well and wiped with brake clean on a rag. Same with the intake mating surfaces. You need a tube of silicon, the Ultra Black or Ultra Gray work well. You also need a small tube of Permatex Thread Sealant, the white stuff with Teflon in it to seal all the bolts! And might as well buy a set of new "Intake Bolts" because they have small 7/16" heads on them that allow easy access with a wrench and a ratchet. Good luck!

[drewbert41]

Got them all out. Wired brushed and scraped around them with a pick. Vacuumed again and pulled the valve covers for better access.

I dunno who thought this spot was a good idea.



Thanks for the advice.

[kwmech]

Nothing a 6 point swivel socket won't remove. By the way, that intake is prone to cracking in the heat cross over. It also know for caking up oil under the sheet metal plate protecting the cross over underneath. Take a small flat chisel and lightly tap the edge of the rivets out, then remove the plate for cleaning and check for cracks at the same time. Reinstalling the plate you can either thread the holes and use some small screw with loc-tite or jb the rivets back in.. Also check for a check where the large secondary holes are, sometimes a crack will manifest itself all the way to the top

[Warrens69GMC]

1/4 inch drive standard height, swivel, and ratchet gets them