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I just redid my hot section for the second time and have a few things to add that could help others. Also have some questions from problems I ran into.
Things I did right the 2nd time
1) I struggled for a long time to reuse the exhaust flange for the first rebuild. The second time I decided to just buy a new one. I didn't waste all that time trying to remove the nipple from the flange, and I was confident the face was flat and would seal properly. I was able to re used the water injection nipple. It came out of the old Iron elbow without much fuss.
2) The second time I ordered the Black iron Schedule 40 pipe from McMaster Carr. I found this pipe to be of much higher quality than the pipe I got from Home depot the first time. Cleaner, the threads married up easier, and its made in the US. I would have done SS pipe, but couldn't justify the cost after just spending a lot to buy a new manifold.
3) The second time I used exhaust wrap from Moyer. It was much nicer than the stuff I got the first time. I also used the High Temp paint they sell. It helped a lot from a looks standpoint. But also should help with not getting shards of fiberglass anytime i'm working around the exhaust. Plan for 2 days to install it. You're supposed to wet it and then let it dry before painting it.
4) Definitely switch to the Manifold Flange Studs if you can. Not only do you get the benefit of a stud over a bolt, but it makes it much easier to get the hot section on because you just have to slide it onto the studs. Easily done in comparison to having to hold the exhaust in place with one hand and getting the bolts to line up and thread with the other.
Lessons Learned
1) Don't wrap the pipe until you've installed and tested it. I needed to change the alignment of the pipes slightly to fit in place.
2) If you need to adjust the alignment of the pipe, don't loosen it. Find a way to tighten it to get it right. I loosened one fitting about 1/3rd of a turn. It caused a leak. I had to remove the whole thing, and tighten it back past the original point, and then keep going about another 3rd of a turn to get the pipes to fit. 2 Large pipe wrenches were a must for me.
3) The nuts on the exhaust flange studs are really hard to get to with my setup. The next time I remake the exhaust, I'll just a longer nipple at the start. That'll keep the first elbow further from the flange and allow me to get a socket wrench in there for proper torquing.
4) Keep you're old exhaust setup, it would have been nice to have that at home for reference so I could build the new one without pulling the current hot section.
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