Exhaust Stud Time

[mkiii222]

Like the title says, it's time to get the driftmotion exhaust stud kit and I'd just like some suggestions on anything else to do/check while I'm in there.

I'd been having to tighten one of the studs every few days, and it finally decided to strip completely. From the looks of it, the PO had already helicoiled it once, so it's time to upgrade to bigger studs.

I don't have a lift, so the engine will still be in the bay, and yes I've heard it's a pain to do it this way.

My list so far:

Exhaust studs (kit from dm)
Exhaust manifold gasket
CPS O-ring (just a precaution while I have everything else out of the way)
Lower IC pipe (speed-source, turbo side has a 1" split)
PS hoses (dm, pressure and non, requires a top off weekly, several drops on driveway daily)

And remember, this is a daily driver so I'm starting Friday night and need to have it back together before Monday to make it to work.


I've already done the Igniter ground (greatly smoothed idle), all 3 valve covers, and upgraded the IC clamps to T-Bolt.

 

[UberSupra]

It took me a couple of evenings to helicoil - it's not something you should rush. The stud next to the firewall will give you the most trouble. I had to cut my drill bit and use some 90 degree spherical-gear-thingy too. Take your time and back the tap out frequently. Do it right and nothing will pull those studs out.

 

[Poodles]

I had to do this fairly recently.

I used the stock size and they stripped back out when I went to torque em. So I had Aaron overnight the larger set.

I have a Drill Dr. so I just cut the drillbit (WEAR EYE PROTECTION, my glasses are polycarbonite and are classified as such and SAVED my eye) and resharpened it so I could do the hole as the back of the head.

Couple evenings? I had it done in a couple hours (but I've had the engine apart many times and know how to put it together very quickly).

Pic of cut drillbit:

 

[mkiii222]

How short does the bit need to be?
I'd started doing a little more research and decided I need to ask Aaron about getting the kit minus the bit anyway, but your bit looks extremely short. I think the shortest I found on a quick search was a 5 5/8" for a 3/8" chuck.
I plan on just going to the local hardware store and picking up a corded drill, bit, and 90 degree, then using the DM kit for the studs/nuts/hc/tap.

I've also decided to order the manifold -> turbo gasket since it will already be apart and I've got 180k on the motor. $25 is a small price to pay for piece of mind.

As far as time. I know I can get it done from Friday night to Sunday night. I changed my springs/shocks on a Tuesday night and drove it to work the next morning(6pm-midnight by myself with a couple of good breaks). I haven't taken a 7M apart this much yet, but it can't be any worse than my brother in laws FD rotary was, talk about a mass of vacuum hoses.

The other question I had though, was tools. I've got a floor jack with stands, torque wrench, various 3/8" and 1/2" sockets, and will be acquiring the corded drill and bit. Is there anything I'm leaving out?

BTW, since this is such a common problem, I'm going to go ahead and document the procedure so we can have a how-to unless someone can point out an existing one. The last how-to I did was a 8" sub in the front door install for 6gc.net when I had my Celica.

 

[rumptis]

I will being doing this while my engine is out for a rebuild.

I have a couple that have already been done but with stock studs. Are the Driftmotion studs big enough to be able to do it again for these studs without issues?

 

[mkiii222]

Are the Driftmotion studs big enough to be able to do it again for these studs without issues?

There was another thread on here about that where people said it worked. I hope so because the one that went on me was already helicoiled once, but maybe someone who's done it before will chime in.

 

[figgie]

The DriftMotion studs are 7/16, a bit bigger than the stock 10mm ones

I have this set in my car and it is held nice and tight at 20 lbs/ft (15 is OEM torque).

 

[staehlin180]

I installed the studs a couple weekends ago, one of my OEM studs was helicoiled, and it was a PITA to drill out, but after playing with it a little, i was able to pull it out, all my studs are in now. Also, it can't hurt to check your exhaust manifold and have it machined if need be

 

[suprarx7nut]

I would LOVE a good how-to write up. I failed miserably on the one stud i tried and I will eventually want to do the rest once I'm more confident.

Good Luck!!!

 

[bluepearl]

Get your manifold resurfaced if you can. If the machine shop will work with you, they can resurface while you are doing the studs= no time lost on the job. When I did my studs, the area between 5 and 6 was badly warped.

 

[Poodles]

Ona a side note, the cheap exhaust manifold gaskets suck and seal for crap compared to a true toyota gasket...

And yes, as I mentioned, the larger studs can be put in an already stock size helicoiled head.

The only other tool you'll want is a set of gear wrenches. Turns turbo removal into a 15 minute job vs an hour+ job...

 

[RyDeFly]

Ona a side note, the cheap exhaust manifold gaskets suck and seal for crap compared to a true toyota gasket...

I wonder why that is? Would a cheap gasket require a greater clamping force to seal, or is the gasket material itself simply inferior to the Toyota's?

 

[Poodles]

they're made differently...

 

[mkiii222]

The only other tool you'll want is a set of gear wrenches. Turns turbo removal into a 15 minute job vs an hour+ job...

I've been looking for a good reason to get these anyways.

 

[Frank Rizzo]

Just curious as to what torque value you plan on running?

Someone said OEM is 15ft/lbs which is wrong. It's 29ft/lbs.

 

[mkiii222]

Just curious as to what torque value you plan on running?

Someone said OEM is 15ft/lbs which is wrong. It's 29ft/lbs.

I've got an 88 TSRM sitting on the workbench that I was going to check. So if it says 29, then 29 it will be.

 

[selfinfliction]

those oem 10mm bolts/studs looked pretty rinky, i've got the machine shop rethreading mine for 7/16 course too

 

[staehlin180]

I was told by a few people that the felpro gaskets are better quality than oem toyota, about $30.00 cheaper too, something about handling the heat cycles better than the material that toyota uses

 

[mkiii222]

I was told by a few people that the felpro gaskets are better quality than oem toyota, about $30.00 cheaper too, something about handling the heat cycles better than the material that toyota uses

Unless someone's paying us to take them, there's no way they can be $30 cheaper. Jay Marks/Champion has them for $26.44.

 

[staehlin180]

Local toyota dealership here has them for about $48.00 I got a felpro for about $10.00