Exhaust manifold

There is not much in the way of aftermarket for those but it's pretty common on these cars.
They used a flex hose behind the motor, then essentially made it solid again with the thick bolted on heatshield.

It can be welded, if the person is experienced welding cast materials. I have had one of mine welded over 10 years ago and it's held up.
I installed hardware on the heatshield that would allow it to float and not tie the two sides together solidly.

Yeah my uncle suggested to get it welded. But if there was a good set for sale I would've been up for that
thanks for the info karma!

Hey Quis - I know it has been awhile since your post but wanted to help out if you still need.

I have a set of original manifolds I took off my 87 non-turbo. They have no cracks and are in great shape. But would need to be smoothed to remove any sort of warping.

Let me know if you need them!

Ty

I'm also planning to weld mine. I've researched this over the last year, and have found all OEM and all aftermarket caste iron manifolds cracking. Even new motor mounts didn't help. Plus, the Dorman brand and all that available junk out there don't build their product to fit correctly. Some people (on Xterra and Frontier) are having to grind off corners to get them to clear accessories on installation. Also, the aftermarket heat shields suck. Poor fitment. I'd say weld the OEM. Best fit for sure and possibly stronger (not tested yet). I would also be careful about the surface mounting to the heads. If the average Joe machine shop attempts to shave these for flatness, don't let them do it without a geometrical reference point to keeping the new flat surface in alignment with the rest of the system. This will certainly cause them to crack again.

My Z's driver side manifold was cracked in the same spot. Had a professional weld it up. Takes some pretty good skills and and time as the part has to be heated before welding. It had been 5 years since being welded up and still holding up just fine.

Sweet!! Thanks for the confirmation. I will see if I can find a knowledgeable welder who has experience on cast iron.