Got my new headers installed, my dad is now convinced

[bucannon]

i won the bet!

no more exhaust leaks and a noticable increase in power.

what do yall think?

here is a link to a video i put on youtube:

YouTube - chevy truck badass exhaust after headers

and if you want you can hear it before the headers and before the dual exhaust in some other videos.

[N2TRUX]

Not sure exactly what the bet was, but I wouldn't spend the winnings just yet. When your headers start to leak in a few months, he may want some of his money back.

Seriously, headers are a good upgrade. Unfortunately they are prone to leaking too.

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Not sure exactly what the bet was, but I wouldn't spend the winnings just yet. When your headers start to leak in a few months, he may want some of his money back.

Seriously, headers are a good upgrade. Unfortunately they are prone to leaking too.

[nlped]

^^^ Yepper. I have had several sets on different vehicles and they all seem to end up leaking

[Cherub]

where did yalls leak. mine were always at the collector. Ive thought about using vbands. anyone have experiance with them?

[swb85]

Quality headers with good flanges don't leak. I daily drive mine, no leaks in over 25k miles. Red RTV on both sides of the gaskets and good bolts.

BTW bucannon....your valve seals are leaking.

[Damien]

I have Hookers on my blazer and the bolts would loosen up on the flange every couple months. The only header I've never had leak is the one on my Harley!

[68 TT]

Use a set of the header specific small diameter lock washers and the longest bolts into the heads you can make work. Use copper high temp RTV on both sides of the gaskets.

After a day of driving go back and tighten the bolts again after the engine cools down. Do this the first couple times after you drive the truck until they do not need further tightening after a heat cycle.

Once everything has seated and heat cycled a few times you shouldn't have any leaks unless you have cheap headers with thin flanges that warp from tightening the bolts down.

[nlped]

My only experience with V-bands was on some turbo applications, and they were fantastic even under very high boost.

And, the last set of headers that I had...that leaked...was a set of Hooker Super Comps, and I did all of the recommended tightening. I even used the Stage 8 lock bolts and still had issues. But it was a motor swap into a ba$tard application, so that could possibly explain it...

[68 TT]

The last pair of Hooker Super's I had only had 1/4" flanges at the head and warped like nobody's business.

My Pacesetter's on the 98 have 3/8" flanges and seal perfectly.

I am putting 1/2" flanges on the old Hookers on my 68 Camaro to fix the warping problem the lame 1/4" flange has.

[nlped]

^^^ That could be it

[SRH916]

my f**d came from the factory with headers and after 108k miles the headers still don't leak?

[Number21]

Originally Posted by SRH916

my f**d came from the factory with headers and after 108k miles the headers still don't leak?

Yeah, my Jeep came from the factory with headers too, 220,000 miles later, they only leak because the weld at the collector cracked.

If your headers leak you installed it wrong or the company who made them built them wrong.

[nlped]

^^^Pretty hard to install wrong...they are either in or they aren't. And they didn't leak immediately, but after a few thousand miles.

And comparing factory "headers" to an aftermarket header isn't exactly a fair comparison. But I will contest that the aftermarket ones tend to be hit or miss.

Cheers!!!

[Number21]

Originally Posted by nlped

^^^Pretty hard to install wrong...they are either in or they aren't.

Trust me, there's plenty of ways to install them wrong! Gaskets and screw torque can be a tricky thing, especially on something that heat cycles like a header.

[nlped]

K!!!

[78 Big10 454]

An old gearhead taught me to soak the gaskets in water overnight prior to installation. No sealant necessary. Torque the bolts to manufacturer's specs and away you go. My headers are 28 years old and have yet to leak.

[Benelli]

Leaks are so hard to detect where exactly they are coming from sometimes.

[baggedcten]

so wheres the pics of the headers installed?

[texasfunk]

i have a pair of dynomax shorties on my elcamino, used manifold gaskets instead of header gaskets, and used bolts with a stop screw in the middle that splits the tip so it wont budge, and i have copper flange gaskets and for 2 years i have never had a leak

[85Bowtie]

Headers are definitely a great upgrade from the crappy factory manifolds. I've heard of soaking them in water too overnight. As long as you tighten them from the middle bolt outward, in steps (not as tight as you can get it on the first try), and go back and retighten them after a few heat cycles, you should be fine.

Usually, I'll check my header bolts among other things when I do an oil change because it gives me something to do while the oil is draining. $.02

[68 TT]

I have split the mounting flange between the separate tubes on several sets that leaked to allow an unevenly ground sealing surface to move a little when tightened down independent of the adjacent tubes.

Another way to stop leaks is to double up the composite gaskets or use thicker gaskets. The thick ones are pretty expensive but come out to about the same cost as two sets of the cheaper ones so it is a wash if both are available to you.

I have used manifold gaskets with headers too. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. I don't think they give enough to compensate for the inherent unevenness of the header mounting surface.

[bucannon]

i used expensive dead soft aluminum gaskets and still after a month no leaks. i dont expect any either. but i want to hear some responces on how my truck sounds

[bucannon]

if you want to see pictures go to cardomain.com and look up the user 72satellite, you can see pictures of my truck with the headers as well as my 72 plymouth satellite project

[sangermike]

Doug Thorly try y's 3/8 flange never leak.