Is it possible to fit them without doing the exhaust ones , i want to change them as there is a bit of a weep but the exhaust ones (which aren't leaking) look like the studs will immediately snap off .

Short answer, no.

To get the inlet gasket out you'll need to at least loosen the exhaust manifolds, I can't see that you'll make a satisfactory job of changing the inlets by trying to slip them in whilst bending the whole manifold out of the way.

Maybe some folk have done it, but I can't see it happening myself. Maybe time to replace the exhaust studs and keep them in good order for the future?

split the nuts on the exhaust?

Hapeth o' tar an all that

and loosen the head nuts so that the manifold pulls the heads into alignment and then you wont have leaky manifolds again

Yeh spose i shouldn't try to cut corners..i was just looking at it and thinking ..there's got to be an easy way of getting these in without disturbing those rusty lumps
Brass nuts o'clock on the exhaust studs i think

When you say weep do you mean there is a show of a black oily substance at the gasket,,,, its more of a problem if air gets sucked in.. when you squirt wd40 on the joint with the engine running does the engine run differently

brass nuts o'clock plus copper grease a plenty!

It's running fine and i didn't check like that but i'm giving it a good going over this time rather than just an oil change etc and spotted that so thought i ought to deal with it.

i've put the order in..i usually slap copper ease on everything ,well except the brake discs .. with plenty of plusgas those manifold nuts actually came off ok leaving the studs looking quite good

Ok maybe another numpty question that i should probably know better about .. i have got the manifold off and am cleaning it up, on both faces of the exhaust outlet (the face on the heads and on the manifold too) there is what looks like a kind of baked on chequer-plate pattern of residue from the previous gaskets and it is really hard to get off , basically i'm worried about doing damage to the faces .

What do you who've done it do, wire brush until the cows come home, dremel it, wire brush-in-a-drill it into submission ,or do they tend to be ok as the new gasket swallows up any slight anomalies?

or is that a stupid question

I use a stanley blade in one of those gasket scraper things.

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-28-500-Ra ... B00002X1ZX