help! impossible driver's side header bolt

U joints, wobble extensions, and regular extensions with a fresh start may get it. You wouldn't have to put the u joint right at the socket unless there's stuff above it I can't see.

A video of what you're trying may help to see possible solutions too!

 

Have you tried going through the wheel well in some fashion? Hard to see in the picture, it looks like it's the top right stud/bolt for the manifold? When I did turbo headers the top three were the easy ones. Not sure what your experience level is with these types of mods but having to reposition a wrench every time to make an eighth turn progress is moving in the right direction! On several of the lower bolts in my case I had to alternate 2 different wrenches 1/16th of a turn each time.

 

Could have saved myself a ton of pain if I welded all of the nuts from the beginning

 

Yeah, going though the wheel well will allow room to put the stuff by crescent on it but due to space limits you can't turn it.

 

The angles are really hard to see but the cross over tube is 1.25-1.20" in away and rises above (where ground is the bottom) the bolt head by .5" or so. Any extensions hit the crossover and keep the socket from sitting square. I really wish I had a GoPro or small camera to shove in there to show what's going on better

 

Do you have a flexible extension like this ?

 

How about one of these "crow's foot" wrenches?? There was a bolt on an old Isuzu engine that required one of these. Haven't needed it since, but still in the tool box!

 

Hmmm that might work too

 

I don't, I have actually never seen one

 

This might allow you to fit a smaller 12-point closed end wrench in there to turn it, and give you enough angle to turn it.

 

you can buy "angle wrenches" with angles other than what regular combination wrenches have, 15 and 45 degrees is what comes to mind. It just might take a few different style of wrenches to get it done.

 

unbolt header on that side and other side of crossover. youl be able to slide header out a couple inches then. crossover shouldn't shift with other 2 bolts tight.

 

I had done that originally but then couldn't get it lined up on the other side...I undid the drivers side to have to get crossover to line up on the passenger side

 

what about a ratchet wrench

 

I only use wobbles exactly for running into all kinds of crap like this. Long enough to get some room for the ratchet to turn.

 

already mentioned

 

What size bolts are in there ??

Better yet was size is the ID of the holes ??

Back in the old days Mr. Gasket made those 3/8" bolts just for headers

 

I lost one of the nuts (easy to drop trying to get the thread started in that tiny window) and I think o determined that they were 3/8diax20 about 2" long. I didn't realize there were header specific bolts but maybe I should go pick up a set and use them all around.


edit: they may have been 1", the flages are 10mm (.39") thick. Advance has a set of the Mr. Gasket 1" ones in stock so I'll have to swing by and take a gander

 

as far as i know and could tell these are pretty much an exact copy of the jba headers

 

Where you located in Denver broheem