well my cars engine idel is very shakey and It vibrates alot. I notice the exhaust system was extra loud up front so I checked the header bolts. I am able to turn the bolts with my hands. Is there locking header bolts and if so were can I get some this is the third time they came loose.

 

Common problem. There are locking-type header bolts. A search will provide the info you require.

JamesC

 

After I installed my headers, for 3 weeks I would only take the car for short drives, then check/tighten my header bolts. Two years later and they have not come loose at all since.

 

if you have aluminum heads, they tend to loosen more than iron heads.

I have the same problem, though it seems to have stopped since ive been checking them regularly.

When i did my last engine swap, i was taking the old engine out and found that all 4 rear bolts had fallen out

 

well I called summit and ordered them. MAN 47 dollars for locking header bolts!! oh well at least this will not happen again.

 

Other option is to buy a jig to drill a hole in the bolt. Then you can use aircraft safety wire to wire all the bolts together. I'd only recommend this if you 1. Already have safety wire and 2. have a drill press. I can't imagine trying to drill a 1/16" hole into a hardened steel bolt with a hand drill...

 

Also there's Nord lock washers. I'm a big fan of those now.

 

Nord washers are for applications where the main problem is vibration. I don't know how well it would work for thermal expansion issues.

 

I figured the header bolts come loose from the exhaust shaking and the only "solid" mounting point is the headers. Lots of cantilevered weight to shake, and only rubber hangers to hold it up.
I think the Nords would work pretty good. I was actually going to pick up a box of 25 or so of 3/8" ones and use 'em in a handful of places on my car. My shifter handle->shifter is one PITA location also...

 

I had the same issue so i got some locking header bolts from stage 8 and solved that problem

 

they sell those bolts at AZ....they are like 12 or so buck a side. Nice bolts 7/16th small head bolt with allen in the middle for better access, comes with the wires and all. I use them and they dont ever back out.

 

New motor mounts lol! j/k stage 8's do work well....

 

try some red lock tight.....its hi temp aint it?

 

jay_d, I don't think so. Red loctite is HI strength. Blue is low strength. I'd be scared of those header bolts that have the threaded insert in them and when you tighten that insert it spreads the bolt open....scary when you mix that with hi-temps.

 

Red is high strength, and requires high temp to remove it. So it'd heat up and turn into a useless goop at that temp

 

oh well....just use rusty bolts.....thatll help

 

All sorts of locking stuff ends up being a PITA.

I always tell people install the headers, take it for a drive, tighten the bolts, drive it for a day, tighten the bolts, drive it for 2-3 days, check the bolts, drive it for a week… somewhere in that range you’ll find that the bolts have stopped coming loose. Check it a few times on that kind of schedule and they won’t back out any more, check them like once a year or so just to be safe…

Another thing that works is to put a little copper high temp rtv on the threads of the bolts. It’s not really enough to prevent them from moving, but the stuff in there on the threads prevents them from vibrating out…

 

What a PITA to tighten these things, any tips for tightening header bolts or a godo tool to use?

 

I know this sounds dumb but when I installed my hedman shorties, my bolts came loose, while my engine was still pretty warm I tightened the bolts back up and I never had a problem since.

 

By extra shakey, do you mean at idle you can feel a strong vibration??? and it goes away if you tighten them?

 

take a 7/16" wrench, cut it in half and grind the outside of the claw part of the wrench head down to make it a little narrower and throw it in your tool box as a dedicated header wrench

 

Does no good to install locking bolts or safety wire or anything if the bolts have not been retightned several times untill they will not tighten any more. It is not from the bolts coming loose, but from the gasket seating and shrinking that will cause the bolts to loose torque. Then the bolts will start to back out. If you tighten them once, wire them or lock them down, the bolts will not come out, but you will have exhaust leaks that will burn the gasket out. Re-tighten them as many times as it takes and be done with it.