header question.

[325i e36]

hi,
i was thinking of putting headers on my 95 e36 with the 2.5l engine. i have put headers on old cars, and know that the studs tend to break alot.
now putting these on my car i kind of plan these to break(atleast some of them). now my question is can i get a drill in there to drill out the old screw, and put new studs in? is there a better way to do this on these cars? any tips on how to keep these from breaking with be very helpful.
so any secret on how to get these broken studs out with some what of ease vs. the drill if i can even get a drill in there?

also can you buy the bmw exhaust studs? what other cars have the same ones. i ask because i have done alot of mitsubishi eclipses, and you cant buy those, but there are the same as the fords.
thanks

[pbonsalb]

They actually are not studs, but rather 7 mm headless bolts. I would buy a new set of 24 bolts and nuts. They don't tend to break, but use PB Blaster for a day ahead of time. And make sure you have the right assortment of 11mm wrenches, sockets, extensions, u-joints, flex head wrenches, wobble extensions, etc to get the nuts cleanly. I use 1/4 drive for the compactness. If they do break, space is tight and I am not sure you could get in there. Maybe with a compact right angle drill.

The ones that are more likely to break are the header to downpipe bolts.

[325i e36]

the bolts on the head arent likely to break, or is there just as much of a chance as on other cars?

[pbonsalb]

They don't tend to break, but your car is 14 years old and stuff is corroded. Many bolts will come off with the nuts on them, which technically means you should not reuse them and it is a challenge to get the nuts off without damaging the bolts. I spend the money on new ones, but people have reused them as if they are bolts or even bought regular 7mm bolts and used them.

[ross1]

The attatchment to the head is with studs which will likely back out when you try to remove the nuts. The nuts at the pipes are copper and if you heat them first, use some penetrating oil and patience will probably remove them without breaking.

[Adijax]

I removed them all without breaking them and didnt had any problems. Just remove the secondary air pump line and the valve first and u will have more space to work. Go under the car,sometimes it is easier to work on the headers under ur car.

[325i e36]

okay, thanks for all the help guys. thank you very much.