New Exhaust Manifold Arrived

Well my new exhaust manifold for my slant six arrived today. So I will be tackling that soon. Unfortunately the box was ripped and the little baggy holding the nuts and bolts was opened and some of the nuts and bolts fell out in route. It was the worst packing of any shipped item I have ever seen. The manifold was in a box, no packing at all. Bought it from CarParts.com. I also ordered the exhaust gasket set from them and it was well packed and seemed to be in good condition. SO I called the seller and they are sending replacements. Another week of waiting for the new parts. Sure wanted to get it done this weekend. This will be my first exhaust manifold replacement EVER. So any advice from any of you experienced people for this job is welcome.