I am digging into the motor and I have an exhaust manifold leak on the one side. Last year I had to replace a few broken bolts with the same issue. I think if I am going through the aggravation of this again I should use new manifolds instead of the old rusty ones. Also, I have Coated headers on my Impala and they look very nice. Has anyone coated manifolds so they look stock. I'd like to get a more than a few months of nice looking rust free manifolds before they start rusting up.

~HJ

As long as the manifolds are not cracked , they will be fine.. just sand blast then and paint them with some good manifold paint..if you find that the gasket is blown out and that is where all your noise is coming from...I would put it together without any gasket... If it is not flat and the gasket is not tight enough in spots it blows out... If you do not use a gasket it might leak a little , but it won't get worse from a gasket going... and it can even get quieter after it carbons up...

Assuming manifolds are not cracked, then have a machine shop resurface them. get a copy of Hemmings Motor News at Borders or Barnes and Noble. That magazine lists many suppliers of heat resistant coatings that you can brush or spray on. Brass nuts should be installed on the exh. manifold studs so they dont sieze and can be retightened. Most manifolds from the factory have no gaskets but gaskets are furnished with overhaul gasket kits because most manifolds warp slightly from age.