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Steve,
Listen to James. Like me he is rebuilding an M96. Nothing like the time,pain and cost of an M96 to focus the mind(& wallet) on prudent maintenance and timely repairs !
James mentions thread stripping. I think this is a silent problem with the M96. There are so many shallow threaded blind holes for steel MEC M6 bolts that get torqued and retorqued into soft aluminum alloy. The threaded holes get choked with dirt/oil in some areas ,corrosion in others. But there are few confessions of accidental stripping ,nor the tedium of helicoiling/timserts. Why?
One alternative to the bolts is to use custom length s/s M6 threaded rod .I use red loctite to secure the thread in the blind hole. And green on the s/s nut.Use a flange nut or at least a s/s washer+nut. But first I chase the threads and clean with brake cleaner+compressed air.This will not work conveniently in some very cramped areas but it is a simple solution/precaution that may help you and others I hope.
Anyone who has had to deal with rusty exhaust manifold studs will immediately understand the merit of this suggestion..
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