Exhaust Manifold Blues

[RedMntMonty]

Well. Crap. Pulled the EGR and heat shield in prep for the Weber install and noticed a big ole crack in the manifold. I’ve read that an ‘87 and up is the manifold to run, but they seem to be hen’s teeth at the moment. Am a too ambitious to take on building a shorty header??? I’ve got an 1&1/2” pre bent kit from Speedway. I’ve got a pipe cutter, a grinder and a welder. How hard could it be???
(Unless someone has a line on an OEM manifold… I’m also a creature of convenience )
Tried to upload a photo from my phone but I wasn’t successful. Any tips and tricks for that???

[xboxrox]

Might only be a surface crack & not leaking gases... Are there telltale black exhaust gas marks..? Castings can be prone to surface cracks; my exh manifold has one but not leaking anything... Soapy water sprayed on a cold engine at startup can help detect leaks as well... No black smoke marks = no leak...

Hope you get a good test result...