Missing link - or a shorter one anyway

Okay...so the exhaust manifold on my 54' ford cracked a few weeks back. As always, i turned to the hamb in search for those with the much needed answers to get my cheap ass back on the road...quickly...

Well, thanks to said hambsters, i found an exhaust manifold for $20 then had it shipped to me, thanks courtesy of my jobs shipping account number... Of course, i'll dodge the shipping costs until the lovely accounting lady hunts me down looking for an explaination for the excitingly high cost of overnighting used auto parts (considering i work for a radio station, it probably won't go un-noticed - dammit!) --whatever

needless to say the dude (or dudes before him) that owned the engine this manifold was attached to, ground down the bolts that mount the linkage bracket and intake to the manifold. They are so short now, that i cannot use the original intake off my car...no matter, they left the other intake attached, and it's half an inch shorter in heigth where the center body seperates the carb and exhaust...great!

Oh, wait...i attach the carb and what's this? The linkage no longer lines up correctly...aaaarrgggh!!!!!

So, back to the web and my imaginary car buds, in search for some extra help...

Short of ordering new linkage to match the specs i may need to accomidate this clusterbomb of shit...any ideas from anyone that has faced this predicament..? For a guy with little or no heavy duty tools, is there a home depot/lowes/oreilly solution to this headache that won't rob me of every last penny in my change cup in my truck?


Please help. My wife is this close to stealing the title and offering my rod to the first shmuck that'll drop a couple bones in her lap... (it's punny---i know....bones in her lap!!!)

 

I'm lost.. how did an exhaust manifold change the intake?

 

me too....

 

There are two studs that extend from the top of the exhaust manifold, through the intake manifold to pull the two tightly together. The studs have been cut... Therefore, (because I cannot remove the studs to replace them) I am forced to use the intake that was sent with the exhaust...which is shorter in height than my original intake (which allowed enough play in the linkage to move the throttle on the carb. Now the base of the carb sits lower and the linkage is too long... Hope this helps....There are people showing up at my house already.

 

Can't you drill or burn out the drilled studs?

Or, fabricate a carb spacer for the new intake?

 

Unfortunately, specialty tools are limited...I know it technically makes me gay, but I don't even own a pair of vice grips. Everything I've done on this car, be it -- minimal by some/most on this site, is simple shade tree mechanics at its finest. Unfortunately I've not even had the opportunity to try and remove the old studs yet. With only a cooking/propane torch, I'm not completely sure I'll be able to fire it up anought to try and break loose the old studs...

So this is what it feels like, up shit creek....aw man...where'd I place that paddle?

 

SO...BS at the casa has held me up from getting BACK into the garage to figure out this tiny dilemma until last night...

And I'll openly admit....This is not the huge pain in the ass job I was honestly afraid it was going to be...A small propane cooking torch applied generously to the old manifold and a decent set of vice grips...and viola! Those original studs came right out...now all I have to do is remove the short studs from the other exhaust manifold and we're back on the road...