Dear List,

Yesterday, as my kind mechanic and I were replacing the broken bolts on the
alternator bracket of my 83.5 (marvelling that the thing had not flown off
before I noticed it was loose, cursing the design that made it virtually
impossible to reach the bolts to tighten) we noticed that the bolts were
loose (1) or missing (1) where exhaust pipe attaches to the block. It
turned out that the threads in the block are stripped. The mechanic said
the only way to repair it properly is to drill the hole, tap it, install a
helicoil and then replace the bolts. To get a straight shot at th hole with
a drill, he fears he will have to disassemble part of the cooling system
and take off the manifold. A long and expensive job.

Has any one ever faced this before? Any tricks or tips?

Thanks,

Woody