engine and drivetrain ordered tii exhaust manifold

[ryanOC]

so i ordered the tii exhaust manifold finally. i hope it goes well with my ansa center and rear muffler sections!

i also ordered the gasket between the manifold and the downpipe, and 4 gaskets where the manifold meets the head.

should i be buying new studs for the exhaust manifold?

also, i think the timing on my car (tii dist, temporarily) is a little retarded because the car will backfire slightly on engine braking. am i wrong or is this backfiring bad for the exhaust system? if so, i'll try to advance it a little bit, or put in my vaccuum dist that was borrowed from me.

thanks

[jgerry2002]

As an alternative you can order a '84 318i exhaust gasket with the built in heat shield. If you ever hope to get the manifold off again, don't forget to order 8 new copper factory 12mm nuts for the head and the 3 larger copper nuts for the downpipe section. I'd order new studs as well unless the exhaust has come off recently.

Backfire on exhaust is usually an air leak somewhere (or you are too lean overall). Timing is probably not the issue here. My bets are on an airleak, possibly at the base of the carb or at the intake gaskets.

[ryanOC]

part number for exhaust manifold gasket/shield ?

oops, think i found it: 11621723876 ?