Seeking downpipe install tips to avoid stripping turbo/DP studs

[matts67]

Planning to install my downpipe next weekend and I’m looking for any tips/advice to avoid stripping the downpipe studs. I’m planning to remove the heat shield a few days prior so I can start soaking the studs with penetrating oil. I’ve had great luck with Justice Bros JB80 but wondering if I should go with an acetone/ATF mixture. Any thoughts, and should I also torch the nuts prior to breaking them loose?

Thanks in advance

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[bigfx]

I obsessed about this install when I did it on my fl5, I ended up selling the downpipe when I got my de5. TBH it’s the luck of the draw, some say run the engine and warm up the studs which in theory would help but there is a caveat that you could in theory increase the chance of a friction weld or binding. The other theory is to wait til it’s cold and that could technically reduce the chance of friction weld etc but metal can be more brittle so it’s a pick your poison. The bolts aren’t the issue it’s the nuts that seem to bite into the studs and/or removing the studs to replace with other hardware and the studs get stuck. This should in all honesty be a really super easy job and it was for me when I literally sprayed kroil oil every night for a week and then drove the car (it will smoke a lot lol) and then did the install cold but used a heat gun to warm up the metal a little surrounding the bolts and directly on the nuts. Everything came of like butter but I think it’s just luck, technique is important to press into the removed bolt or nut to reduce sheer forces and spraying lubricants like crazy one you get started loosing them. Either way take your time and have a machine shop close by or one you know of and have the knowledge to take the whole turbo off, good luck.

 

[Tw1stedlog1k]

Second the vote for Kroil. I just finished my last drop from the 1 gallon can I bought 15 years ago. I plan to re-up but I remembered how expensive the stuff was. Still going to buy though.

 

[chopsuey34]

If you aren't going to use the car for a while, you might try the technique I used to replace a rusty DP/exhaust on my other car:

1) PB Blaster spray and soak (1-2 hour)
2) 1/4 turn
3) PB Blaster spray and soak (1-2 hour)
4) 1/4 turn
5) PB Blaster spray and soak (overnight)
6) Wait until next day
7) Repeat

This is very slow and requires a lot of time, but I powered through 4 rusty bolts with patience.

 

[creaturemachine]

Don't replace the studs unless you have to. A new car in Florida shouldn't have rust or any other reason to need new studs.

Just removing the nuts and bolts should be ok with some oil. I might've made it that far dry, I don't remember, but removing the studs is where shit tends to go sideways.

Don't soak in penetrating oil if you are still driving it or you could start a fire. If you need to switch to heat clean the oil off with brake clean.

 

[SocalDE5]

Two of the nuts are not meant to come off. They are "crimped" from the factory which is why there are more horror stories than success of easy peasy

Get a nut breaker and break the two crimped nuts off is my suggestion.

 

[matts67]

^first I’ve heard of this, very helpful. Does anyone know the size/pitch of these nuts so I can have replacements handy in case I decide to go this route?

 

[Ktrw]

I used penetrating oil and heat, and the nuts still seized to the studs and snapped one off, and took the threads off the other. Pure luck IMO, as the car only had about 1500 miles on it or so. I ended up taking my exhaust housing off and had a machine shop drill out the trash studs for $350, which was a ton of fun.

If for some reason, I had to do it again, I would plan that the studs would need to be drilled out and have that lined up. As soon as I hit stud snapping resistance, I would just try to take the exhaust housing off and hand it to a machine shop, but that's just me. I love modding cars, but I absolutely hate dealing with stuff like snapped off studs, so I wouldn't waste the time I did trying to extract them myself again because it was pointless in my case. Even the machine shop had a hell of a time getting them out, and they told me it was awful regardless of what I did because the material selection was poor for the application.

Recently, I took my downpipe off after 9 months with the TSP titanium stud kit, and they could not have come off easier. It was easier than any other nut or bolt on the car to remove lol. Worth every penny for that kit so far.

 

[matts67]

I ended up using Justice Brothers JB80. Soaked multiple times Thursday afternoon and evening/night, as well as Friday morning, with the install planned for Saturday.

After soaking the nuts/bolts on Friday morning, I decided to throw a wrench on them to see what they felt like. I broke them loose relatively easily by tapping my fist against a box wrench. After a half turn, there wasn't enough resistance to use the ratcheting mechanism and they spun right off by hand, no torch/heat needed. I don't know if it's because I have a Florida car with no corrosion or if I just got lucky, but the install went very smoothly.

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