Anyone else making stainless steel exhaust headers?

[Chris Game]

Hi,

I'm at the stage of making a header setup for my kit. I have been in touch with a fabricator to make a plate that follows the design of a standard 302/289 exhaust gasket. The plate will then be the base to which I start attaching the header tubes. I'm going for a stainless steel setup so that's what the plate will be made out of.

Would anyone else be interested in buying a pair?

The price I'm being quoted is £150+vat for one pair but as most of the cost is in setup two pairs will cost £200+vat.

I'll get as many pairs made as there are people interested and divide the total cost between them, so everyone pays the same.

Pm me if you would be interested

 

[Tim Kay]

Correct me if I'm wrong but if I understand, you're making two header plates, ie "pair".

I've had two sets of headers made, first on a 302 in steel and the second set on a W351 in stainless. Both sets have individual plates for each header tube. I think it's necessary on a bundle of snakes for ease of assembly.

I was able to purchase them off the shelf from Burns Stainless

http://www.burnsstainless.com/flanges.aspx



Tim

 

[Seymour Snerd]

... Both sets have individual plates for each header tube. I think it's necessary on a bundle of snakes for ease of assembly.

Not a direct answer to your question since I'm not making SS headers at the moment, but:

I think Tim's right: GT40 bundles of snakes are usually separate header pipes, not two gangs of four, although I vaguely recall someone saying they could remove each side en masse. It would depend on the proximity of the frame in that area.

IAE, for what it's worth, 4-port header flanges are fairly common off the shelf in the US, for example.

Ford Header Flange Specs#

In 1018 steel these are $85 each retail in the US. Don't know if that's a better deal for you or not; perhaps you can find them in the UK for less.

Hope this helps.

 

[Andy Green]

Hi,
I made my own manifolds (see below) and had a single flange per head, but when it comes to installing the pipes, I split them into the individual header, as it was a sod of job to try and fit them as a single manifold (especially if you are doing a cross-over manifold)
http://www.gt40s.com/forum/gt40-build-logs/24109-norfolk-tornado-5.html#post296511

Also most stainless steel manifold suppliers use mild steel flanges, as they are a lot cheaper. I think I paid £50 for mine
Regards
Andy

 

[Chris Game]

Hi Guy's*

Thanks for the info, I appreciate the benefit of your hard earned knowledge. I will swap to individual flanges and that may well make it cheaper too as the cutting program will be simpler.*

Tim, I did try and buy some direct from summit but I ended up with a flange for a single exhaust port for $83! I've been in touch with them but after a lot of email traffic all they would concede was that they do state that parts may differ from the images shown! I see the same items are now for sale for $11. I'll check out how much burns would charge to ship.

Andy, I'll be reading your build thread in more detail later but the first thing that struck me was how thick the flanges are. Does that make getting a gas tight weld on the tube easier or is it just to guard against distortion after the weld has been made?

 

[Andy Green]

Hi,
I did say in my original post that the flanges are too thick and 8mm would be fine to prevent any weld distortion and flange distortion, as there are only 2 bolts pulling the flange down.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com<img src=" /><o></o>
Regards<o></o>
Andy<o></o>

 

[Jim Rosenthal]

You might ask Stainless Headers Inc in MN about these... they made my GT40 headers and they still have my old set as a pattern. They have to be individual tubes in order to fit them onto the engine in the car, and there is a sequence in which they assemble on. I don't think you could make a BOS header set that would come on and off as a unit, but maybe I'm wrong on that. It seems it would be very difficult; it would have to slide on from the back of the car since the pipes can't be wiggled into place like I do to assemble mine.

 

[Howard Jones]

I have done a little work with stainless tubing makeing water pipes. If you do make headers out of stainless you MUST purge the tubing (every weld every time) you are welding with argon gas (the same as the tig gas). If you don't the entire job with be ruined. The interior of the tubing forms "suger" deposits where the weld joins the two pieces together. This will really hurt flow in the tubes. The suger cannot be fixed later either.

If you already know this then it will serve the other readers, if not, then read up on purging stainless tubing. You might want to read up on stainless welding. It's not the same as mild steel.

I would have the flanges made out of the same material as the tubes whatever you do. If you make them yourself then I would make them thick, 3/8", 5/16 will work but why not make them nice and thick wheN it's not really any more work. I also agree with everybody else, individual flanges will be necessary with a crossover type system. I have a 4 into 1 single flange and it's OK but if it was a crossover I 'd never it it off the car with out a major clusterF@#$.

 

[Seymour Snerd]

If you do make headers out of stainless you MUST purge the tubing (every weld every time) you are welding with argon gas (the same as the tig gas).

A possible alternative to back-purging is "solar flux". http://www.solarflux.com/

 

[EGLITOM]

Not a direct answer to your question since I'm not making SS headers at the moment, but:

I think Tim's right: GT40 bundles of snakes are usually separate header pipes, not two gangs of four, although I vaguely recall someone saying they could remove each side en masse. It would depend on the proximity of the frame in that area.

My RCR Headers are " one piece " per bank. Just criss/cross them upfront(even possible with the header wrap),spread them a bit (possible with out any tension on pipies) than lift them over the engine( from the top, not from the back), attach them with two bolts and than bolt the rest down. Fits perfect and installation is a blast. No fiddling around with single pipes.

TOM