Used as a local delivery vehicle by a nearby florist, this 1989 Nissan S Cargo was the perfect little run-around. Due to its novel shape, it was an attention grabber. The little Nissan 1.5 is often called the Snail, due not only to its name, but also its shape.

Because of it’s unique shape, it is an ideal delivery van. However, the owner was getting concerned, as the attention it was drawing was not due to its looks, but also its sound. The growing volume of the exhaust leak from the front of the engine was starting to be a little distracting.

Having a look, I could see a gap between the exhaust manifold and engine was allowing the gasses to escape. My biggest concern was the rusty condition of the manifold studs. I knew that this was going to be the trickiest part of the job.

Fortunately, there was quite a decent amount of access at the front of these vehicles, so at least this was one problem I didn’t have to contend with. I started by soaking the nuts and studs with penetrating fluid before starting the job. I was quite pleased when a few of the studs came out with the corroded nuts.

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