Zen...you are the man with the answer.  Moose came over today with his welder and zapped a nut onto the broken stud.  After it cooled a little, and after a little filing to get a socket over the nut, the stud backed on out like it should have to start with.

So, I got a little squirrely and took all the other exhaust studs out.  I only had a problem on one other stud.  When I got it almost all the way out, it started turning different.  It got tight and then moved at an angle.  When it came out, I looked up in the hole and saw that the threads were stripped from about 1/4 inch from the bottom of the hole to the top of the hole.  There is still about 1/4 inch of thread at the bottom of the hole.  I think it was alread stripped.  Ret. Bugtech...What was that thing you mentioned about the spark plug hole?  A K-D bushing?  Would that work for this stripped exhaust hole?  Local auto parts store have it?

I almost jumped for joy when the broken stud came out of the head.   =D>

Ok.  Maybe it was just a trick of the shadows and light from the shop light I was using.  When I put the light up closer to the head, I could see thread all the way up in there.  So, I put copper anti-sieze on the threads (mmm, tasty!) and it went on in just like it should have.  It went in all the way to bottoming out, just like the others did.  If there had been some stripping of the threads going on, I couldn't tell.  Hopefully my eyes didn't deceive me this time...I know that my wrenching wrist didn't.  We'll see if it holds.

Going to get my new CV joints from Joe on Tuesday.  $60 each!?  :shock: You got to be kidding!  Nope, but it's got to be done.
Going to put my pushrod tubes in with new seals (no silicone) tonight hopefully.  

Anthony:  What is this exhaust paste you speak of?  The triangular flanges at the ends of my exhaust manifolds are a little warped...possibly from being tightened down too hard.  Will this paste help "fill" in where the flat part of the elbow connects to the warped flange of the manifold, along with the gasket?  It took the manifolds to Maxi Muffler to see if they could straighten them out or at least file them flat again.  They said there was nothing they could do, but referred me to Race Engine Design on Lafayette Hwy...wherever that is.  Never heard of them, but they are supposed to be able to fix them.

Yeah, the paste is good to help seal everything up in the same way RTV is used for gaskets-It helps insure a good seal, but I don't think it is designed to cure warped surfaces. It's at Pep Boys in the exhaust section and isn't very expensive. I imagine the race place could fabricate a new flange...that's what they're best at...improvising solutions and one-of-a-kind parts.

I still say the sharpening stone and elbow grease would work if they're just a little warped. Just rub tilll everything's shiny. It worked on my exhaust!

I'm glad I called before going all the way down to Rossville Blvd.  Race Engine Design said they couldn't help me, but to try a machine shop.  I called Hamilton Automotive and the guy said to "bring it on in and we'll fix it".  
I'm on my way there now!

Anthony:That EGR filter ended up not being the same one as a '78.  The connection that hooks up to the muffler is laying horizontal and the connection on the muffler is vertical.  Oh, well.

I have the entire exhaust system back together...finished it today.  I used a little of that exhaust paste to help seal the seams.  I did take a file to the warped ends of the manifolds.  I filed quite a bit off, but not to exactly flush.  Good enough, though.  With the engine running, Oscar is as quiet as I have ever heard him.  Although that aftermarket muffler is a bit throaty.  There are the slightest "puffs" of air at the joints of the elbows to heater boxes...like an ant sneezing on your wrist.  I'll live with it.

Tomorrow, I'm off to get Oscar's tags renewed (hopefully) after the emissions test.  I think I'll go by Maxi Muffler for their "free" emissions test before I go do the real one.  

Wish me luck.

In reference to the CV boots, when I bought Jack he had a book that the last owner kept on him. While thumbing through this book I noticed that every so often there would be an entry where he "Cleaned and put new silicone on the CV boots". I have been meaning to try to get a hold of this man to find out what brand he was using, but haven't been able to do that yet.       My point to all of this is that this might be a solution to combat the frfequent change of your boots?

:thumbs-up:

Excellent news!!! I know you are one happy camper right now!!