x2, IMO you have a better chance breaking them for sure, in half or the heads off with a ratchet. The impact vibrates them loose. I've always had tons more luck with a good impact and air compressor on tough rusted bolts then by hand. if I do get a big enough pipe the head gets ruined or it breaks. My dad swears by the impact, esp. on like manifold bolts, says you'll break them everytime with a ratchet but impact brings them off, however I've snapped several manifold(lower collector studs) with an impact, but never a head side bolt, and sometimes you have to use a ratchet, no room for the impact.
I do try alot of the time with hand tools when I don't feel like dragging out the compressor, but there's always one or two that won't come out until I break out the air tools, or I get some broke by hand that may have been saved by air tools, or it just simply takes longer.
I would consider myself lucky getting them loose by hand. the idiots who done mine had 2 broke bolts and one missing then I broke one.
Now here's a question for you guys...
do the body lift blocks have a big enough hole for a thicker dia. bolt? I replaced my broke bed bolts with thicker ones, and it works great for now, but if I body lift I'll need thicker bolts the same length as the ones in the kit, or I'll need to redo the bed and make the ones from the kit work, which means I'd need to cut open the seals and fix the missing or broke loose nuts.
