long tube header issues.

[MustangChris]

:BangHead:

went to put on my kooks LTs on the engine.... i finally got the drivers side on, but i cant get the collector on....

here's the run down:

kooks long tubes. ceramic coated inside and out. individual pipes + individual collectors.

hammered the tubes into the collectors best i could, then bolted the pipes to the engine.... started hammering on the end of the collector while it was all bolted to the engine... well, the collectors arent going on any further... im guessing its the ceramic coating on the inside and outside. any suggestions other than a ruber mallet?

:icon_salut:
thanks,
Chris

 

[Lee12609]

what is hitting?

i was under the assumption your motor wasnt in the car yet?

 

[MustangChris]

its not... the headers are pretty much the last step before the motor gets dropped in.

The collector is a seperate piece, meaning there are 10 pieces total (not including gasket and bolts) 8 tubes + 2 collectors. so, i have to attach the collectors to the headers. the collectors wont "slide" onto the headers as they are intended. I beleive its from the coating. I spent all saturday hammering on the collector with a rubber mallet with 0, zip, zilch effect...

therefore, i am simply out of ideas on getting the collector onto the headers... i dont own a vise, or a press, or even a work bench... . . .. lol. so any advice would be appriciated!

 

[Lee12609]

wouldnt you have to weld them afterwards? so might as well grind the coating off anyways. atleast grind the very bottom section of the pipes, that should allow the collector to slide on a little then coaxing it the rest of the way with the rubber mallet or hammer and 2x4 shouldnt be a problem.

is it possible you got the collectors for 1 5/8" tubes and have 1 7/8" tubes?

 

[MustangChris]

they have flanges on them for bolts. each pipe has a flange and the collector has a flange on each pipe. Slide the collector over the pipes until the holes on the flanges match, then put a bolt through the hole... I'll try and snap some pics.

 

[Lee12609]

Sounds like a $1000 piece of crap.

 

[MustangChris]

yea... youre telling me. lol. my tune shop told me to weld them... ill look into it...

plus the passenger side touches my oil pan. ... wtf.

 

[Mustang Mark]

these are the "retractable long tube headers" you had in your sig a while ago right?
just retract them. DUH! lol

 

[MustangChris]

ah, good idea. lol..... i hope if i retract them my o-pipe will still fit... lol.

 

[MadStang]

don't forget to fill your blinker fluid.

 

[MustangChris]

sanded the coating off with mikey, then made mikey hit said headers with BFH.... they are getting there. LOL!

 

[Mustang Mark]

glad to head it.

 

[ryclef331]

loosen all the bolts on the primary flanges to the block....they'll need some wiggle room as you put the collector on. remove the coating from the inside of the collector. it should help out alot. DON"T USE ANY LUBE as it could contaminate your o2s

p.s. welcome to racing. They is no such thing as a bolt on

 

[MustangChris]

werd. thanks for the pointers. Mikey and I worked on it tonight...

We sanded the outer coating on the headers down, almost to bear metal. Then we did the inside of the collectors best we could... the stuff coated on the inside is much more difficult...

then

by losening the bolts on the flanges we got the collectors on and started. then TQed the bolts down (multiple times durring process) and hit it with a BFH and a couple of blocks of wood.... lol. i guess it warped the collector flange, but thats easily fixed.

thanks for the pointers. a few hours earlier and you would have been telling the future. lol.