[RichardJ]

As '68Sunshine has just told you, I can not stress enough, how much easier you will make assembling the gasket and the three manifold pieces to the head after you have installed the threaded studs. It is very easy to have exhaust leaks if you over tighten any of an assortment of bolts and stud nuts. With eight studs and nuts, you can get more even tightening.

In the picture below there are eight studs, but not one bolt holding anything on the head. To duplicate that alignment with only the two original studs so that you can push a bolt through the manifold, through the gasket and into the head without cross threading anything, will leave you wishing you had two men and a boy helping you to hold everything up in place.

The studs are maybe a buck and a half at NAPA. A 2" stud may be too long in that first hole, but you may need it for a PS bracket or just put a couple extra washers on it. "68Sunshine mentioned using an old rocker arm half-ball so he could spread out the pressure under the nut. Good idea on thin flanges.