header flange warped???
 

i am pretty sure one of my header flanges that connect to the cylinder heads is warped causing a very annoying exhaust leak. is there a way to fix this?

thanks,
mike

i already tried replacing the exhaust gaskets as well and making sure the bolts are tight.

You might try and use a set of dead soft solid copper header gaskets. They are a little thicker and hold up way better than typical header gaskets.

Vince

You could try removing the warped header and flattening the flange with a hammer (dead blow) on a flat surface, but it'll probably just warp again. How thick are your flanges?

My dad told me about an old 69' firebird he had that he put headers on it. The headers were made by an unrecognized manufacturer and my dad payed for it in the end. He said the driver side flange warped and didn't fit right. So he had to keep slapping on this exhaust sealing putty which would crack shortly after applying it. :rolleyes:

SB Chevy?

Cut the flanges between the pipes, so they are 3 separate flanges. This allows the leaker to conform to the head better.

i have the hooker comp headers on my SBC. if i cut them is there more chance for them to crack near the bolt holes. also the flanges are supposed to be advertised as being super thick to prevent warping.

If you pull the header off and place a straight edge across the ports you should be able to see where it is warped. Most headers have a weld bead built around the port and you can build up the low one and file it flat to match the rest. Its a pain but it worked on my blockhuggers. Also use the black felpro exhaust gaskets and don't over torque. Run the engine, cool it down then re torque.

Oljoedog

Live long race hard