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Hello everyone, this is my first Post! I've recently purchased a 51 packard 200 Deluxe Touring Sedan and I'm in the process of fixing a few things. I have an exhaust leak from right above where the 2 manifolds join. See Pictures. It looks pretty bad. Can this be repaired? If so, How and with what? If not, How can I get those rusy old manifolds off of the block without breaking bolts? And, where would I get new / used ones?

Thanks for you help.

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G'day Gary,
to PackardInfo.

That manifold is NASTY! Suggest your best course of action is to find a mated and sealed intake/exhaust manifold pair and replace. Replacing only the exhaust manifold could be tricky trying to align both pieces especially if either one has been surfaced at some stage. The matter of whether things break probably goes into the category of luck because 60 years of heating and cooling doesn't help manifold studs at all. Someone may be able to suggest good penetrating or soaking solutions which could help.

On a lighter note, I invite you to include your '51 Packard in the Packard Owner's Registry here on PackardInfo!

Hi Gary, and welcome to packardinfo. Your intake manifold does look pretty nasty indeed. Soak the nuts holding the manifolds on the block for a day or two with your favorite penetrating oil before removing, but the studs and nuts are usually in good shape and won't break. (Hope you have good luck like I have had in the past)
There are 2 nuts near the center of the manifold that hold it to the block, they are a pain to reach, but the others are pretty easy to remove.
My intake manifold was also rotted similar to yours. 2bbl 327 or 288 intakes are cheap and plentiful. You might try ross or flackmaster for a good used example. Or post a wanted add in the forsale forum here.
IF the heat deflector in the ex manifold is stuck or also corroded, you might want to get both in/ex manifolds.

You then can take both (new) manifolds to a machine shop and have them mill the mating surfaces true so everything seals nicely afterwards.

Oh, the three bolts holding the two manifolds together may/will be worse for wear. Soak them liberally, and be prepared that they give you trouble. Removing the two manifolds as a unit is usually an easy job though.
Best regards, and glad to have you on the forum.
Mike

I had good luck with a 50/50 solution of Acetone and ATF, but let it soak in for a couple of days.

I've seen that kind of manifold damage before on engines that sat out in the weather unprotected and w/o an air filter or carburetor cover. Rain water collects in the intake manifold and a few freeze-thaw cycles completes the damage. I wonder if that's what happened in this case.

I second Randy's motion of a 50/50 acetone and ATF solution. If you can find one, buy a chemical resistant squirt bottle. It has worked very well for me.

Where in BC are you located?

I have a good used manifold for a 327 engine that will work on your 51.
$40 plus shipping.

Brian

Thanks everyone for your comments. I'll be working on putting new manifolds on over the next few months when I find the time. I'll post on the progress.