TECH: Fenderwell headers for your gasser

[ELpolacko]

Been a while since I posted anything of substance. I am in the middle of doing a set of headers for a customer and nearly finished one tonight to give you the preview pics of what we are building.

Needless to say these pictures and information will work for other applications.

This is just the start, I will have more durring this week.

Here is what we are trying to repilcate...

[ELpolacko]

I highly suggest buying some tubing and doing some mock ups before you weld anyting. Plan on where the headers need to be and make sure you have clearance for such things like the wheel turning and suspension travel. If at all possible I use the one hand rule for clearance around vital components,,, my hand between the header and those vital components that is....

[ELpolacko]

front shot....

[ELpolacko]

What you will want to get is mandrel bent tubing. Most of the stuff you will find will be 18 gauge, thats thick enough for most systems. Get a variety of radiuses, it helps for making the transition out of the heads better.


I cut the tubing on my abrasive chop saw and debur with a small belt sander or wire brush mounted on a bench grinder. I always make my cuts on a radius from the center of the U-bend. This makes matching the pieces up much easier and more profesional looking too.,

[ELpolacko]

This particular installation came with a set of S&S Headers flanges. If you are having trouble finding a set you can get them from my laser guy, DT Products. CLICK HERE FOR FLANGES (http://www.dtprofab.com)

Next we take a set of gaskets and duct tape them up and bolt them behind the flange. This keeps weld berries from going into your engine. In this case we also stuck anti spatter soaked rags inside the ports for an extra measure of protection.

[Rocky]

Those are fuckin beautiful! I wanna whip up a pair for my poncho coupe. I made a set for my brothers car once. Used 2 existing pairs of headers to make one pair of "over the frame rails" headers. He still runs them on his Morris Minor.
I love the way they sound when uncapped from inside the car. those muthas are LOUD!!!!!!

[ELpolacko]

Thanks Rocky,

Thats all I have for today on the header post.

[Rocky]

So, where do you buy your tubing?

[ELpolacko]

I usually get it from a local speed shop called Chucks Speed and RV center. But this stuff came from a company called Allied Manufacturing in Tempe Arizona. I will get you guys a number tomorrow.

[Deyomatic]

Looking good.
Just a note on Allied, they don't like selling to members of the general public, they might make you set up an account. I went in there for some stuff once and had to play dumb and they let me buy some shit, but he told me that you are really supposed to have an account. He was VERY concerned that my buddy and I were going to do the work ourselves and not just bring the stuff we bought to an exhaust shop.
But, they have a pretty good sized warehouse.

[Radshit]

Beautiful!1...damn...could the timimg be any better???...Thanks Steve........I guess the next step is mine....

[curbspeed]

J.C. Whitney has all the bend you need and reasonable.

[yorgatron]

how exactly do you cut on the radius? do you have a jig for that? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[Munson]

Badass!!
I want some!!

[Paul]

nice job!

for the Northwest guys;

if you can't wait for UPS to get your greasy mits on mandrel bends

Stan's Headers in Auburn bends them up

[Hot Rod To Hell]

I never paid attention to the prices on smaller sizes, but the best price I was able to find on 3" mandrel bends was good 'ol Summit Racing brand.

[zman]

Aces right there, absolute aces...

[porknbeaner]

[ QUOTE ]
I never paid attention to the prices on smaller sizes, but the best price I was able to find on 3" mandrel bends was good 'ol Summit Racing brand.

[/ QUOTE ]
That's where I get mine. There's a place here in town that's about the same price, but they are always out of what I need.
Hey not to steal the post but wasn't somehere cutting flanges? Looks like I'm not going to able to get toa shop and cut my own at this point. And that's keeping me from bangin mine out.
PM me please.

[Jethro]

Steve, those headers are beautiful!!!...we need to get a shop like yours on "Rides". Show em how it's really done! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Gr8ballsofir]

Here's the numbers for ya steve. Cool tech. Timely too...

Chuck's Speed Center
545 W Mariposa St
PHOENIX, AZ 85013 - 2527
(602) 266-5101

Allied Manufacturing Inc
710 W Broadway Rd
Mesa, AZ 85210
(480) 898-1321

[ELpolacko]

I am doing these after hours so my time is limited.

here is my offering for today,, I took these out of sequence but you will get the drift.

you need to place the collector and plan ahead, regardless of what you see on "Rides" and their feature on that shop in Ventura. Naturally I want both sides to match fairly closely. It isn't possible to make them a mirror image because the heads are shifted fore or aft depending on what side, and in the case of the BBC here the shift is pretty pronounced because of port placement. But at least our collectors should be the same.

[ELpolacko]

next we need to plan where the tubes are going. The front tube is the longest and more or less the keystone to the rest.

[ELpolacko]

I will use some other tubes to make sure we get a smooth transition out of the head. While these aren't equal length "tuned" headers we don't want to cause unecessary restrictions.

[ELpolacko]

Now I mentioned cutting tubing on a radius. If you make your cuts improperly it makes fitting tubes together dificult and welding almost impossible.

I layed a large compass and a straight edge over a tube here to demonstrate what I mean. You will want your cuts to converge on the center of the radius.

[ELpolacko]

Knowing which direction we are going it is time to start cutting.

[old beet]

Cheap fenderwell headers as follows. Bolt any cheap header on yer motor upside down, left to right. Cut them off at the rite place, then swap sides again. a small amount of fitting then weld back together. Did it several times on a FE motor in a F-1. I tried it with a junk set to start with.........OLDBEET

[ELpolacko]

When you are satisfied that the tube is going the right direction and looks similar to the other side, I use a fresh Sharpie marker to mark across the two pieces so that I can orient them on the welding table.

Tack weld it together.

I use a TIG welder and .035 MIG wire. You could do the same job with a 000 tip on your Oxy rig.

[ELpolacko]

I added the next piece and was rushing a bit and didn't get a shot of me measuring for the third piece on the first tube here. But I think you can start to see where we are going here.

[ELpolacko]

Thats it for tonight. If I can get some time in tomorrow I will be sure and bring you along.

[gettingreasy]

Very cool!
-Jesse

[Rocky]

I'll be watching for updates..good stuff.

[Jeem]

Nice work, Stevie Wonder.
Do you have any shots of the headers I did for the same customer? This guy is huge, missing fingers and am pretty sure has killed people in the past and here I am, half his size and have never built a pair of headers, much less fenderwell deals that poke through the fenders and that have cutouts that snake through the frame and out back for the street. This guy is telling me that nothing bothers him more than dings in his headers, that and they have to be perfect, hey, no sweat! I think they turned out great, not bad for an artfag. Joe liked them, I lived.

[Blownolds]

Some tips I have been given by those who have worked with headers:

1)use large stainless hose clamps with holes drilled in them to help with tacking the joints. Tighten clamp around the two pipes and tack through the holes.

2)"backpurge" (I think that's what it's called-- flood the tubes with inert gas inside. Then when you weld the joints, they will be smooth on the inside and not rough which can hurt the flow.

4)Someone told me that if you make your primary pipes out of mild steel and grind the welds smooth, and still have the primaries as separate pipes, that you can take them to someone with a CNC mandrel bender and have them make one-piece primaries and get rid of the ugly welds. Supposedly Burns Stainless has this service, but I haven't verified.

[Blownolds]

Oh yes, after welding it all up, take the headers to a shop and have the flanges sanded dead flat again.

[rickyracer1962]

rad