Welded Manifold for Steering Clearance-

MY 231 Modified Exhaust Manifold- Diverts the Exhaust

These are pics of my sinful welding modifications to the Drivers side manifold on a Buick V6 in my CJ6 project. I did this to gain quick and dirty clearance around the steering.

It is not the first time I have done this--
I have a another set of good manifolds as a back-up to change back to to standard way of doing a swap exhaust. But with the standard 231 firewall dump I have only 1/2 inch clearance between my steering u-joint and manifold--- that scares me!



This weld solution is nasty-- but it works.

It is unorthodox!!!

Look at the pics--

It is a 1975 Buick v6 manifold-- Driver's side.
A cast 2" pipe was inserted in to a 2-1/4 hole sawed hole. The 2" cast iron pipe was welded with great care with Nickel welding rod. The pipe was sawed to leave a 1 inch nipple protrusion to attach weld an exhaust extention which is a 14 ga piece of curved exhaust tubing. I tacked the exhaust with 1/16" dia 6013 rod (Stick weld) and Then Nickel welded (Stick) the pipe.

The Bottom Flange of the Exhaust manifold was cut off and a 1/4" mild steel plate welded in end as a stopper.


This clears the steering by about 4 inches-- and dumps the exhaust outside the frame.

Will it break? Maybe-- but I never had that happen. I have done this on about 5 conversions and it never has broken.

Does it restrict the exhaust? not until 5000 rpms.

Is it ugly? a little -- but who cares?

It is my desire to make a tube version eventually out of Header flanges--