It's no secret around here that my WRX is for sale. In the course of cleaning it, I noticed that the rumble was a little more aggressive than normal. I discovered that the downpipe was cracked at the catalytic converter.
I don't think someone should have to immediately repair something they just bought, so I have a replacement on the way. That's just the kind of guy I am.
Anyway, I can't separate the two pieces and I only need to replace the lower section. I've removed three out of four bolts. Actually, two broke, which was fine, one came right off.
I'm left with one stripped nut on a stud (insert joke here). I soaked it with PB Blaster for a couple of days first, but the box end wrench slipped and stripped it. I tried heating it with the torch. I tried drilling out the stud, but broke three bits before deciding that it is either hardened or stainless. I tried double nutting it to remove the stud. I tried turning the nut with a chisel. I made a pie shaped cut in the nut with a dremel ( I need to save the flange). The damn thing won't budge. I'm not sure if a cutting torch is a good idea because I don't have great access and I would be laying under it, plus I can't damage the flange. I don't think that the angle grinder will fit in there, and I'm afraid to try to remove the upper section from the turbo because there are five bolts up there and I just don't feel that lucky.
Any suggestions?
