so i was going through and painting a little under the hood with high-temp and tried to take the heat shield off my exhaust manifold (still no header). i started on the right removing bolts no problem until i got to the one on the left which wouldnt budge. got out the metric ratchets and tried again, this time it turned maybe a quarter turn and the whole thing moved and made some crackling, like rust only it moved. im afraid to just rip it off because isnt it attatched the the exhaust itself? and also, do i even need the damn thing?

 

Try some wd40 or stronger penetrating lubricant. No it's not connected to the exhaust manifold other than by those bolts. You don't need it other than it reminds you not to touch the manifold because it will severely burn you.

 

I just let the car run for a few seconds and the bolt came right off.

 

PB BLASTER!!!

 

PB Blaster... great stuff!

 

Not like it weighs anything, might as well leave it on.

 

You should be able to take it off using any of the above methods. And if you didnt already plan on it, buy some headers! SSA or OBX or whatever name they go by will be fine. Check out ebay