68 intake removal

the intake manifold seems very tight on the studs…is this normal, any tips for getting ti off the rest of the way… I have 24 nuts and washers off ??hoses disconnected also ??

Soak in wd40
Good luck
gtjoey1314

Given the nut count I assume you are removing the manifold from the head and not necessarily separating the halves of the manifold.

If the manifold won’t move perhaps someone has used a sealant on the gasket with strong adhesive properties. Quite unnecessary but not unknown.

If it has moved away from the head a bit then something like PBlaster may help. Those studs are only about an inch long as I recall.

Make ONE HUNDRED per cent sure all nuts are off: some on the bottom are sneaky!

When sure, gently tap the manifold with a rubber mallet, NEVER a metal one.

You might want to check the archives, as I recall several threads on this issue. Here’s one, for example:

There are 18 studs holding the main manifold to the head, and 8 holding the secondary manifold to the main one (though you don’t need to separate the two parts to remove it), so I wonder where your figure of 24 comes from. Make sure you haven’t missed any under the main manifold.

Good catch, I completely failed to do the math.

That photo shows the 8, and here’s the 18:

The intakes often stick. As others have suggested a liberal helping of PB Blaster and gentle persuasion with a rubber mallet will help, after you are positive all the nuts are off. Besides a mallet you can grab the manifold near the carbs and try to move it up and down. Again, gentle force is the key

When you put it back on use a cometic gasket.

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I’m fighting this exact same battle on my 68 FHC. For the last 24 hours I’ve been hitting it with PB Blaster. Tomorrow I’ll bring out the dead blow hammer.

Gentle, GENTLE taps!

Once I got a gap big enough to slide some wooden shims in, I tapped on the shims on top and bottom to work it off.

same technique to separate the primary and secondary from each other.

I just reread it…I thought one of the nuts were still on.
Take everyones advice.
I tap all round with a rubber mallet, then wedge slowly side to side. and up and down.
Theres crud on the long threads which holds it all up.
A wedge helps as well.
good luck
GTJOEY1314

Ive cleaned the top lip of the manifold where it meets the head, to remove any gunk that has built up. And I’ve put a wire brush on the rotary tool to clean where the bolts project through the manifold, again to remove any build up.

I don’t see how the angle between the manifold and the head allows for getting a wedge in… it almost has to make a 90 degree bend to get something in there.

Would taking the cam cover off help?

No, that’ll just lead to a “I can’t get the cam cover off” thread. :wink:

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Lol! Yes I’m afraid you’re probably right…:flushed:

Rubber mallet little by little it will come
Wiggle and wiggle

So I’ve been working on it for another couple of hours with no apparent movement. ITried using a high temperature heat gun that I have. Then I tried a propane torch. Giving it solid whacks with a dead blow hammer as I moved the torch up and down the manifold. I tried using some of the black plastic wedges that people suggested and they don’t seem to do anything but break as the angle is all wrong.

I would happily destroy this Intake manifold just to get the damn thing off as I will never use it again and I cannot imagine anyone in the future would want to switch back to that terrible 68 contraption of emission control.

Just to be certain I use my cell phone and took a video of the underside of the manifold to be certain there were no nuts left. There are several washers but I would be surprised if they were creating an issue

I’m starting to have a serious grudge against this particular manifold and I’m tempted to throw it in the San Francisco Bay when I get it off. :rage:

Also there have been liberal doses of WD-40 and PB blaster

Careful Moonbeam will put you in jail for polluting the great water you have…
So your going to triples? GOOD MAN!
Cut the damn thing off…to me its junk anyways.
Just helping you get out the frustrations…
GTJOEY1314 IT WILL COME
Hold on young man as I reread your last post, you sure no WATER PIPES WITH THE FLANGES ARE ON THE THREADS?
They loop over two of the same bottom threads and will hang up the unit.
I hope you understand that if the end hoses aren’t removed the entire pipe blocks you from pulling away…

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Thanks for clarifying but the flanges holding the water pipe have been pulled off the stud. And all the water lines front and rear are removed…

I have probably checked it five or six times to make sure there’s nothing still attached to the intake manifold.

I’ve had advice about “walking/ wiggling “ the manifold and it seems the only place I can try to do anything is the top horizontal surface by whacking it with the dead blow. I can’t get an angle on it to try to move it up, or any side to side. I even put a piece of hardwood along the head, just below the cam covers. I then tried to pry it with a 12” bar, and nothing. No even hint of the gap between the manifold and the head.