Bloody heatshields...

All the bolts have rusted away meaning I can't undo any of them. Having to get a little "creative (destructive) with them - bending and peeling the heatshields back.

I've got all of the bolts out except the very last one on the driver's side. The one closest to the firewall, under the manifold pipes.

I can't get any tools on it at all with the heatshield in place and bent as far as it will go. It's hitting the steering shaft and I'd really, really like to avoid removing that if possible. I don't think removing that will improve matters anyway as the heatshield will still be in place.

I've seen that it can be accessed through the wheel arch but presumably only with the heatshield removed? If I can get to it through the wheel arch with the heatshield on and the steering shaft in place I'll go that route but access is tight for a jack where I'm parked. Don't really want to add work for myself if it's not going to work.

Any other bright ideas on how to get at this bolt?

Got the damned heat shield off using a centre punch as a chisel attached to two long 1/2" extension bars and a big hammer.

Now on to the final bolt - is it possible with the steering shaft in place?

Yes but you need something short on the socket, a ratchet is usually too fat. I ground the threaded bit of a 17mm headed bolt down to a square so effectively I had a 17mm hex on the back of the socket and could use a ratchet ring spanner on it.

Of course the other way is to undo the manifold to downpipe studs (which should come off easily as you changed the exhaust recently) and take the head off with the manifold still attached. With the heatshield off you can get to all the head bolts easily enough..

I managed to smash my way through the rest of the heatshield and got it off :)

Then I discovered the screws holding the mudflap on were so corroded the hole in the top was unidentifiable. No idea what they were made of but tried 5 or 6 drill bits of different sizes but nothing would drill them. So out came the angle grinder. Need a new mudflap now :P

The last manifold bolt came out pretty easily then. Used a 12mm 3/8 socket with a 3/8 U/J thing, a 3/8 to 1/2 adapter, two long extensions and a breaker bar.

1/2 socket and U/J wouldn't clear the manifold :(

I tried taking the passenger side manifold off with the head but I couldn't make it work. The sockets wouldn't clear the end of the manifold to sit straight on the head bolts at the end near the bulkhead. It was just rounding off as it was sitting crooked and not engaging properly. I'd have been done hours ago if that had worked!

Bugger me....new heatshields are pricey! £290ish from Island 4x4 - cheapest I can find for new parts. Some of them seem to be genuine LR parts only. From experience, Island 4x4's delivery leaves a lot to be desired and I need them rather sharpish!

There's a full set on eBay for £100 posted but they won't be here until Thursday at the earliest, which is a little bit late.

I'm assuming running without them is a very, very silly thing to do

Anyone had any experience of using exhaust wrap instead of the shields?

I ran without the drivers side one for about 2 years with no ill effects. Mainly because once the manifold is bolted to the head you can't actually get them in place, you have to sit them in place before fitting the manifold. Passenger side can probably be fitted with the manifold in place. Mine only have about 4 of the original 150 or so tiny bolts holding them on and they don't rattle so maybe you can un-mangle yours and refit them?

That's what I've spent my afternoon doing.

Craddocks can do them next day (Tuesday) but are over £400.

The prices seem a bit nuts for some pieces of pressed steel. I can't remember which right now but two of the pieces are about 3x the price of the other two!

eBay can get me some for £100 on Thursday but I've been told very firmly that that's too late.

So out came several sets of mole grips, an angle grinder and a ball pein hammer.

Cut the bolts off, clamped the halves together and using a combination of hammering and bending with more molegrips to get them back in shape. They're not a million miles off but they're certainly not ready to fit at the moment.

Will have to assemble them around the manifolds and finalise the shape once they come back from the machine shop that's skimming the heads. I gave him the manifolds to drill out and tidy up the threaded hole that the heat shield brass rod bits go in. Three of them snapped off in the manifold :(

I'll also have to drill new holes for new nuts and bolts to hold them together.

Not sure what I'm going to do about replacing the snapped brass bits at the moment. Might have to call the local dealer and see if they have them on the shelf but it's highly unlikely.

Craddocks have them and their next day delivery should have them with me on Tuesday which wouldn't be the end of the world. I'm not getting the heads back until late Monday anyway.

My SE has had the brass stand offs for the heatshields replaced with M8 threaded rod. One nut against the manifold to lock the rod in place and another threaded onto it to act as a stop for the heatshield to sit against. Heatshield holes enlarged so the M8 stud can pass through and another M8 nut with washer on the outside to hold it in place.

I did have that idea but Fiona's father seemed really against it for some reason.

I think that's what I'm going to do anyway. By far the cheapest and easiest solution.

Not sure why, it holds the heatshield in place and is actually less likely to seize in like the tiny little bolts on the original set up. Takes a bit of fiddling to get the nut behind the shield in the right place but you can use the original brass studs as a guide for length.

Heat-shields and the securing bolts always corrode/seize on every model of vehicle... If worst came to worst I definitely wouldn't pay £200+ or mess about drilling/tapping holes trying to fit original spec shields. Wrap's a good idea where possible but failing that I'd just cobble something up from sheet steel.

Heat shields are a PIA to be honest, when I do heads think I’ve only once managed to get them all out, as long as you’ve got the main 2 ( brass studs) it won’t rattle, get ready for a fight with the right hand one anyway,,,
Easier if someone is in the car and able to turn the steering when needed.
I haven’t fitted mine back on yet, since engine swap a year ago, there all clean and shiny, sitting in a box in the garage.
I normally have some floating about, but handed them out to people last year when I had a clear out.

Hammered them back in to rough shape now and some of the captive nuts are intact. They've been tapped to clean them up.

Replacements for the brass spacers have been made using threaded rod and nuts.

I'll fit a couple of rivnuts to the bigger sections of the mating faces and it should do nicely.