/6 170 exhaust manifold swap

[elvaliant66]

i got a 170 slant 6 in my 66 valiant. and have an exhaust manifold from a 73 duster. i just wanna make sure it will work fine with the 170 before i start the swap. and what gaskets are the best for this job. i seen a gasket kit for 25 bux. has all the gaskets i need, the brand is felpro. any good? and another concern i have is that the duster exhaust manifold has the bolts that go onto the exhaust pipe built on it already. the manifold i have on doesnt so it has 4 bolt heads 2 on top and 2 on the bottom. the 73 exhaust manifold i guess only has 2 on the bottom. ill try to post some pictures later on..im a newbie to this so bare with me:newb:.if u were gonna do this job how would you do it? i dont wanna do a half- assed job. thanks for your help

 

[cudamark]

The '73 manifold will fit the '66. You'll probably need to drill out the center hole on the intake manifold to allow the stud on the '73 exhaust to pass through. Felpro makes a good quality set. It's the one I use. There are other good ones too but there are some crummy ones out there also. I recommend you DON'T mill the manifold in any way. It seems to throw things out of whack. Just make sure you have all of the correct fasteners, know where they go, and how they're mounted. It's a procedure that needs to be followed to lessen the likelyhood of crack and leak problems. Run a search for other threads on this subject. It's been dealt with in detail many times.

 

[elvaliant66]

thanks alot! also should i sand down the exhaust manifold where it connects to the head? and should i use sealant or silicone besides the gaskets?

 

[cudamark]

If you're talking real light sanding....yes.....that's fine. Just enough to get a smooth, flat surface. I don't use any sealer on the head surface. The manifold is supposed to move and flex a bit when it heats and cools so you can't mount it rigid. I do use some CopperCoat or High Tack on the metal gasket between the manifolds though....and anti-seize compound on all the nuts, bolts, and studs.

 

[memike]

Pay very close attention where and how the washers go, there will be 2 brass washers that one will go in the front and one on the rear, the washers (triangle shape)have a bowl shape so be sure to put them back on the way they came off.