Aftermarket exhaust manifold WTF?

[Yeahbro]

So I just bought a new exhaust manifold for my 95 2.5L. First time I installed it the intake manifold would not line up due to the cross braces on the exhaust manifold blocking the intake from going on its locating pins. So I ground off a bit of material to gain the clearance I needed.

Next up I installed the intake and put the top two bolts in to hold it in place. That's when I noticed the flanges on the exhaust manifold are way thicker than the factory ones and makes the washers under the mounting bolts sit really caulk eyed. Obviously this is not going to distribute torque evenly between the two manifolds.

So should I Grind the flanges on the exhaust to match the intake? Just install it as is? Or return it and look for a better quality manifold?

 

[JohnX]

I got one like that once, but it came with stepped washers to make up the difference in thickness. Did you get a hardware kit with it?

 

[Yeahbro]

The only hardware it came with was for exhaust pipe joint. I just spent about two hours grinding on it to make it work. What a pain in the @$$. Oh well it's done now and running great.