Tech: Building Headers, aka My car was too quiet (Pic's)

[flt-blk]

After running around this year and listening to everyone and their
exhaust cutouts (Bass, Big Ric, etc.) I realized my exhaust was too
damn quiet!! Limefire style headers are the answer.

Here is the victim, my 30 truck with a Studebaker 289. I figure I am
around $100 in materials for everything.
Forgive the mix of color and B/W pictures, and I don’t claim to be a
photographer.
http://photo.starblvd.net/~flt_blk/1-1-2.jpg
I looked at the Speedway kits but they were too much $$ and would
still need excessive modification. I opted to buy some mandrel bends
and a cone, then make the rest myself.
1 5/8 primary tubes
The center port is siamesed so I used 2”
The cones are exhaust extensions
The flanges are 3/8 plate (Honest Charlie made short work of them
with a torch).
http://photo.starblvd.net/~flt_blk/1-1-3.jpg

[flt-blk]

I made the cone caps first, they are cut from a ¼” plate of Al. with a
grove. The grove got stuffed with gasket material.

I drilled 3 holes in the cone a couple inches back from the big end
and poked the rod through. The rods are welded to a washer with a
square hole, a carriage bolt slips in from the back.

I am using a big-ass wing nut to hold on the cap, graciously donated
by Honest and 67ImpWagon. Keep your eyes open for a King-O-Lawn
Power edger if you want a set for yourself.

I have some designs I want to cast for a better cap with a channel for
some different gasket material that should seal better.
http://photo.starblvd.net/~flt_blk/1-1-4.jpg
x
http://photo.starblvd.net/~flt_blk/1-1-5.jpg

Since the center exhaust port is siamesed it is square instead of round.
I had to get a round tube into a square hole. I never did this game right
as a kid.
http://photo.starblvd.net/~flt_blk/1-1-6.jpg

[flt-blk]

Since the center exhaust port is siamesed it is square instead of round.
I had to get a round tube into a square hole. I never did this game right
as a kid.
http://photo.starblvd.net/~flt_blk/1-2-1.jpg

Here’s how you make a round tube square. 2-steel blocks, 1-Big
C-Clamp and 1-Vise, squish until you have a square. After this exercise
I put the pipe in the flange and beat it with a BFH until it fits the hole.
It transitions from square to round in approx 1½”. Look at some of
the later pictures and you can see the transition stub.

[flt-blk]

Next I put the flanges on the engine and positioned the cones where
they looked the best, it’s a tight fit on a fendered car. Start cutting the
mandrel bends to fit. The head on a Studebaker angles down 45deg.
so I had to angle the tubes up and then sweep back into the cone.

[flt-blk]

Mark the cone and nibble away a hole. I tacked most of it together
before welding anything solid.

All of the tubes are welded to the flange completely on the inside and
ground flat on my new belt sander (Thank you Santa). I took a trick
from C9 and brazed the outside to give a nice finished fillet.
http://photo.starblvd.net/~flt_blk/1-1-9.jpg

[flt-blk]

The finished product after a 3 days of a 4 day new years weekend.
The picture doesn’t show the down pipe that goes through the apron,
it attaches to the original exhaust.

Day 4 was spent making gaskets. The S2D gaskets are embossed
steel that crushes, they were way too small to work with the bigger
tubes. I ended up using a sheet of copper and stamping my own gaskets,
all the pictures turned out like crap or I would do a tech on Copper Gasket 101.

[flt-blk]

Give me a minute to figure out why some of the above links to starphoto didn't work.

Last pic,

[OutLaw]

You have way to much free time... Good job looks bad ass

[smittyshotrods]

Nice work there Tyler! I bet it sounds great.

[fab32]

A neat addition to your truck.. I built some headers like that for Fuelpump's '37 coupe and they sure make it stand out.
I love that little frogeyed truck of yours and hope you don't do anything with the lights. I thought at one time your were thinking about it but I see that so far you've left them where they are. GOOD MOVE!

Frank

[29EHV8]

Kill tech,they look great.Didja fire it up and give er shit yet?........Shiny

[titus]

they look great!! i like that you used a stude motor, trying to get a buddy with a 30? stude 4 door to use a stude motor.

[Honest]

Good work
Its almost easier to build them as it is to put together a tech post..huh?
Nice wing nuts

[Reggie]

Tyler, I knew you were up to something when you posted info on cones a few weeks ago. It is true to your styling...nice and clean.

[Evilfordcoupe™]

First it was shift knobs...then an exhaust...whats next???

Very nice!!

I have an exhaust thats TOO loud.

-Jason

[roadstar]

Nice job. Makes that truck all that much cooler.
i like the way the rear pipe bends.

[flt-blk]

I have one small rattle I can fix by moving an exhaust hanger.

I may have suffered permanant damage from my full throttle blast down the side streets. With them uncapped it is really loud. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Outlaw, I have more time than Money to spend, besides if I wasn't building these I would have come down to help chop Jason's Ford.

Thanks everyone for the good feedback, Reggie, I try not to get too many irons in the fire so I can get it all done.
TZ

[Radshit]

Great Tech!!!....nice thought out build...and terrific craftsmanship...............once again the bar is raised to new levels.......

[38Chevy454]

Nice job Tyler, and they look great! Looking forward to seeing it in person sometime.

[fab32]

BTW, Where did you score the cones?

Frank

[Crease]

Way too cool Flt-Blk! They look great. I've been "about to build a set" for 2 years now. Cant wait to hear it.

[Deyomatic]

And to think, I can say that I knew them headers when they were just a pile of pipes! Nice work!

[bobbleed]

Cool.

[67Imp.Wagon]

I heard it on Sat. Now it sounds like it's suppose too. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I want my wingnuts back now.

What I liked about them is that they tuck in close to the body. They look real good.

[flt-blk]

fab32, The cones and all the mandrel bends came from speedway.

Wow, When Bob-wild header king-Bleed gives approval on exhaust I must have done alright.
TZ

[porknbeaner]

Great lookin' tubes.
It never occured to me to make the holes in the flanges square, I got some old flanges from a scrap bin that I gotta hog out for bigger tubes. Square will be easier as I don't have access to a machine shop these days.
Thanks Bro. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Monkey]

Killer job Tyler! I knew you would get it figured out. Looks good man. I want a ride with the caps off!!!!

later,
monkey

[hudson_hawk]

wow. they look great, i have to hear them now.

[Krylon Kid]

Nice job on the headers. I have to agree the limefires from speedyway are too much. But I think yours look much better.

I didn't recognize the truck in black -n- white, but know I'd seen it. Realized where when I got down to the colored photo.

[antichrysler]

Nice work! Thanks for the Tech, I'm going to have to make some of those, too.

[BIG RIC]

Looks great Tyler! can't wait to hear it.

[MarkX]

Are we(The Tues. nite crew) gonna get to HEAR the FLT-BLK mobile in action tomorrow nite?

[flt-blk]

You'll know when I get there. I'm going to pull into the echo chamber paint booth and see how many alarms I can set off in the parking lot across the street.

Leave the exhaust fans on, I'm still running rich.
TZ

[Elrod]

Hey Tyler! Looks good man! I'm sure it's not too loud at all!!

I really gotta say that Tyler has great ideas. He also comes up with the quickest as well as coolest way to get to the end result. He has on a few ocasions helped me to not take the more difficult approach to solving a problem!

Top notch Tyler!

[Unkl Ian]

Megaphones,collectors,etc are available from: Headers by Ed. (http://www.headersbyed.com/hdrparts.htm) Most prices seem reasonable.

[bigron]

so what about a muffler or baffle that fit's inside the headers? anyone made or seen anything? thinking of trying to weld some type of baffle up that fit's insde and is removable.

[Byron Crump]

Good god, return of the long dead thread...I gotta bring the MarkX project one back now!