just bought an 87 LS with a 5.0 305 V8. it drives almost satisfyingly well but the cat. converter was blown which was the only problem. we suspect it wasn't getting much exhaust from the converter to the O2 sensor(lil pipe running from cat. converter to O2 sensor to somewhere on carb) cuz it was running a little sluggish so we tried to take the converter off.(first tried to stuff the holes on the converter with a converter patch kit after laying the material over them and it just blowing off) we got the muffler half off it first but broke one of the clamp bolts. the bolt was on the converter and its use less now. then we tried the other clamp so just the converter would pop out and broke the whole clamp, got a new one but then figured out the converter pipe was stuck on the manifold half (tried beating it, screw drivers and beating it but it is stuck). we finally decided to just take the split pipe that went to both manifolds off them since the converter wern't comin off the other end and broke 3 of the 4 clamp bolts that held the split pipe to the manifolds. we tried spraying the clamp bolts on the converter with WD40 and figured that wasnt working so we tried liquid wrench on the bolts & nuts on the manifold pipe clamps but that didn't work either. i just want to know if using the impact gun on the manifold end clamp bolts just quickened their snapping or what and how i should go about taking the manifolds off at all cuz im afraid of breaking anymore bolts, especially these ones cuz they lead into the block. i cant find new oem manifolds anywhere and neither can parts plus or checker(cant find any kind of header for my year of monte carlo at all. whats up with that??) so i guess i have maybe two options... start tapping bolts out of the manifold pipe ends or risk taking the manifolds off and replacing them with headers that parts plus found pretty easily. if i should go for the headers which is the option i like best, i also want to know how i can help keep more bolt from snapping and since i gotta put O2 reducers on the headers what do i do with the lil metal hose that leads to the O2 sensor and what do i do with the O2 sensor?? we were thinking about punching a hole in the pipe off the header and welding the lil guy on it. please help

 

I thought headers came with the O2 bungs on them?

 

you can buy headers that are direct bolt in with the air pump tubes too, or you could just delete the computer and do away with the 02, smog pump and all that fun stuff, all you really need is a vacume advance dist base and non comp controller q-jet carb unless of course you live in a emissions testing state, then your best bet is the smog header but they will run you some $$$ as i think edlebrock is one of the few who makes them