So I got a Tri-Pacer in for it's annual inspection yesterday afternoon. 3rd annual I have done on this particular airplane. Check compression and drained the oil before going home last night. I had noticed that it had new spark plugs but when I pulled the lower plug on #3 first thing this morning I noticed this.
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I looked at the exhaust flange and saw this.
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I inserted a new stud and when I started tightening the exhaust nut it was obvious I was pulling the stud out of the cylinder head. I started removing the exhaust pipe for #3 and #4 which is a bear to get out of the muffler because the coss-over pipe hits the steering horn on the nose gear when you rotate it down enough for the flanges to clear the cylinders. It was easier to remove the exhaust pipe to #1 and #2 and get clearance to get everything out. Since I had both pipes off it was easy to inspect the muffler. HeliCoiled the exhaust stud hole that had the missing stud. Get everything back on and the muffler clamps to pipes torqued prior to tightening the exhaust flanges to the cylinders when the front exhaust stud on the same cylinder started pulling so pull everything back off and HeliCoiled it. Got the whole system back on again and noticed I had one new exhaust gasket and three old ones. My helper put the old one on $4 when he was helping me get the pipes on the studs. Was able to loosen that pipe and get the new gasket on but when I started tightening the outside exhaust nut I could feel it starting to pull so I stopped and was able to double nut it and get the stud out with the pipe still installed. Then I was able to get an over sized stud in and the nut torqued without pulling the pipe back off. It felt like a Monday and reminded me why I hate the exhaust AD on the these airplanes.

I documented the whole exhaust stud fiasco in pictures and comments in this Google Photo Album if anyone is interested.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/F871mY9pPeFP1RHu6