[COBALT]

I did just this same thing a couple of months ago. My advice to you is to let the machine shop handle it. They'll pull the rivets, clean the manifold, and reattach the plate with new rivets.

Get the yellow pages and look up a machine shop locally that does engine cleaning. Look for a place that offers two kinds: hot tanking and furnace firing. Avoid shot peaning, because those little beads are a ***** to get out once you get the manifold back (just my opinion).

I had mine furnace fired. It was a greasy oily intake off of a 327 that I got from LeRoy. It cost me $36 to have the old carb studs pulled, new ones put in, the oil shield removed and reattached (that's what that "plate" is -- keeps the oil from boiling in the lifter valley), fired and cleaned and ready to go. It looked brand new when I got it back, so it was worth every penny.