Good tips.... Since you have some spares (it sounds like) did you try the
2 nuts back to back using the top one as a lock nut or jam nut to hold the
lower one down.
Its sounds like new brassies is the way to go. Think I will double check
mine tomorrow,
good luck on your adventure.
Mark
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Spidell" <bspidell@comcast.net>
To: "healeylist" <healeys@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, June 14, 2008 10:06 PM
Subject: [Healeys] Possibly Helpful Tip
> I've gotten so many helpful replies to my requests today I thought I'd
> pass along an observation I made before my last road trip.
>
> I've had trouble getting a good, persistent seal on my exhaust
> manifold-to-downpipe flanges. The flanges are flat, and I've tried both
> the copper- and steel-faced gaskets; neither lasts for long. The brass
> stud nuts keep loosening, and I've gotten into the habit of tightening
> them frequently. When going through the car prior to the trip, I was
> tightening the nuts (again), and one of them stripped (moment of panic:
> is it the nut, or the stud that's stripped???!!!). Anyway, I replaced
> the nut with one of the many spares I keep and headed out on the trip
> (3,600 miles in 9 days). Most days, I would lay on my back and tighten
> the nuts with a ratchet, two extensions and a deep socket before
> starting the day's driving.
>
> What I noticed: the nut that was replaced stayed tight, while the other
> 5 were always various degrees of loose at the start of the day. I
> surmised that the threads on the soft brass nuts either erode or
> distort, making it impossible to keep good torque/stretch on the studs.
> It could be that brass nuts should not be re-used--the
> new-when-installed, never tightened brass nuts on my head-to-exhaust
> manifold studs have been fine for many miles--but I've never heard that
> anywhere.
>
> My recommendation is to not re-use brass nuts on exhaust studs, they
> aren't cheap nor are they particularly expensive, but they don't seem to
> be reusable. Alternatively, you could use steel nuts with anti-seize,
> but I don't know if this is a good idea (anyone?).
>
>
> bs
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