Exhaust leak.. what options do I have

[KyleSeal]

I can see some smoke puff out of the collector and it sort of looks bent.. what can I do to fix this?
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[GASoline71]

The flanges needs to be hammered flat. They get that way from overtigtening the collector bolts.

Gary

[KyleSeal]

Originally Posted by GASoline71

The flanges needs to be hammered flat. They get that way from overtigtening the collector bolts.

Gary

What about vise grips to flatten it and a little heat?
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[GASoline71]

That can work too. Afterwards get some good quality gaskets and don't overtighten the bolts.

Gary

[KyleSeal]

Originally Posted by GASoline71

That can work too. Afterwards get some good quality gaskets and don't overtighten the bolts.

Gary

I'll be sure to. They were already a little warped from the last guy I believe cause he said he always had an exhaust leak on that side. Hopefully it's fixed soon
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[coreyjhen]

A little cutting and welding required, but I've never had these develop a leak: http://ebay.to/2gUCuCf. Different sizes are available, from many sources.

[GASoline71]

I have ball and socket collectors on my headers. No gaskets, no leaks... they are the cats a$$.

Gary

[67 chevelle]

cut both flanges off , get band clamps , no more leeks , if your pipes line up well , if not cut and weld in ball joints

[Andy4639]

Get the thickest gasket you can find when you do them.

[Ruscal]

I always had the same flange warping you have with the old style flat flanges. (say that fast 3 times)
I have Hooker headers on my present truck that has the ball type flanges. No matter how tight I get them the bolts loosen up in a few weeks. I went to lock nuts, still loosened. Then went to double nutting them and they still work loose! Now I am trying some heavy springs under the nuts to take the slack out of the connection. So far they are working, but I don't know if the balls are sealing well enough for O2 sensors to get true readings.
V clamps have worked well for me, but you have to have them perfectly aligned when welding them in. No angle adjustment like ball joints.
Russ

[HO455]

I gave up on the three bolt flanges 20 years ago. The constant heating and cooling of the clamp along with the pressure of the bolts cause the flanges to warp. If the header manufacturers used something other than the cheapest material this would not be inevitable result, but they don't. If your connecting flange to the header wasn't a reducer you could cut the flange off and use some truck exhaust butt joint connectors. No welding required and they seal great and stay sealed. There are different styles out there I found the ones with a metal block in between the ends work better. Having the reducer right there does complicate your situation. I have used the butt style clamps on a reducer but it's not a seal that will last over the long run. Without welding in different pieces your kind of limited to straightening your flanges and new gaskets. And then you will have to do it again down the road. If it was my truck I would move the reducer down the exhaust pipe a foot or so and then use a butt clamp. Good luck.

[Grumpy old man]

Cutting ,welding ,hammering ? toss two gasket in there and be done .

[lutronjim]

percy's seal-4-good collector gaskets - expect to torque them 3 times

[71K20chevy]

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g4770/overview/

Used these on mine, along with thick graphite flange gaskets with cheap headers and have had absolutely no leaks.

[Rickysnickers]

If you go the gasket route, try some Remflex gaskets. http://catalog.remflex.com/category_s/104.htm

[Daman]

Header buddies. No gaskets to blow
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/s...XkFxoCxQfw_wcB

[coreyjhen]

I hadn't seen the Header Buddies before. They look like the give all the advantages of ball-and-socket joints without all the work.