Dan,
It's good to hear you repaired your old manifold yourself.?
I had the same problem with an exhaust casting (just one side for some reason) on our '76 F250 with the huge 460 engine.? The casting had warped markedly as apparently many do.? Of course, the life of an exhaust manifold contains more torture than can be suffered at the hands/mouths of relatives... and for a longer time in many cases!? I know what it's like repeatedly getting hot under the collar and cooling off...?
If you have to remove about 1/8" on the next example you encounter, what about using a belt sander first and finishing up "by hand" as you did.? It is becoming difficult to find shops that will take on this type of work at a reasonable price, or at all, especially if you live in a big city.
Pavel up North.
ps: talking about city auto shops... I needed to get the antifreeze/coolant replaced on our old Volvo and so took it to a Toyota dealership only 2 city blocks from where we live here in Vancouver.? Imo, this is not a difficult job.? Their sign boldly states "All Make Service".? The service manager said they couldn't do the job.? Looking at the car he said, "Why bring it here?? Why not take it to a BMW dealer?"? It was my fault of course, being lazy never pays and perhaps Toyota uses different coolant from Volvo - did the job myself and even got a hug from the Mrs.
