so after a very long time getting the stock ones out...new head gasket, heads back on and motor lifted up and still a load of work to get my hooker long tubes in i get everything where it should be and now there is no clearance for the stock bolts!!! i was able to get 2 driver side in and 1 passenger side. the bolts are too wide and hit the header pipe not allowing them to go in straight. I bought a set of new exhaust manifold studs and bolts but still the same thing. it there a different bolt that is supposed to be used??

 

your headers should have come with bolts. they are still a pain in the *** the get in but they are smaller.

 

Header bolts have smaller diameter heads. Even with that, some of the bolts can be hard to grab with a wrench. I prefer to use allen bolts, and cut the short end of the allen wrench down to make it a real shorty which gives more swinging room than the header bolts do.

 

if you go to AutoZone or NAPA you can get header bolts. that's where I got mine. yeah, your stock exhaust manifold bolts aren't gonna work.