It's been a while since I've posted, but I've managed to get quite a lot of work done on my 1998 EB over the last few months.
Today in particular, I was able to finally get the passenger side stock exhaust manifold removed with the help of a friend. The drivers side was quite a bit easier and a few months ago the new header was installed. The passenger side required some rather unconventional ingenuity. After getting 4 of the 8 nuts off the traditional way a few weeks ago, the last 4 nuts required a combination of cutoff wheel, grinding wheel, 2 different dremel tools and a 12mm grip-tite shallow socket connected to a special conversion so that a large breaker bar could be used. The last one in particular was quite satisfying since it did not require quite so much patience and came off, or rather broke off quite suddenly. Now that the manifold is off, it is my next job to remove the 6 broken manifold posts/bolts in the cylinder head. Plenty of Kroil is being applied to each one and will be daily for the next week or so until I can get back to them.
The other job I was able to get done a few weeks ago is one that may seem quite regular and simple to some, but gave me quite a bit of problem since I first purchased the truck over 18 months ago. The #8 spark plug refused to come out until a very strange method for removing it was applied. After dropping a small endoscope camera into the spark plug well, I found nothing of an unusual nature, but was still unable to get any of a variety of spark plug sockets or standard deep well sockets to fit over the spark plug. My friend suggested something very unusual that I did not have much faith in, but happily it worked perfectly. He suggested that I grind down the outside of a spark plug socket on a wheel grinder. After a few passes on the wheel I was surprised to find out that I was able to get the socket over the plug and with very little effort I turned the plug out. It looked terrible and I am happy to know that a new set of clean plugs will be going back in.
The biggest project of all is that after pulling the entire stick exhaust system out a few months ago, a friend of mine and I started mocking up a new true dual exhaust system from the heads back. New custom chrome headers and 2.5" pipes have been tacked up or connected via exhaust clamps and only require some bung holes cut in and bungs welded in, then finish welding the system up and adding the two Magnaflow mufflers. Combined with the new cold air intake system that I bought a few months ago, I should get a few more HP out of the old girl and make a heck of a grumble at the same time. I suspect that a custom tune might also be helpful, but it's not in the budget at the moment.
The transfer case was swapped out a few months ago, torsion bars re torqued into the appropriate position and now I need to fill it up. The last thing I will be doing is performing a transmission flush.
I also hope to add larger wheels and tires, but that may have to wait until early 2017.
Any suggestions on removing broken header post bolts is welcome. I have some ideas, but more is always better.