Hooker 2460 ypipe leaking fix
 

Just thought I would share what if finally took to get my Hooker 2460's to seal with the Hooker y-pipe.

The headers are really nice, but the y-pipe was all wrong. For one it was too narrow and didn't line up with the exhaust outlets on the headers. I ended up cutting the pipe leading to the drivers side and slipping in a 3 to 3 inch coupler so I could adjust the right spacing.

The second issue is it was tight against the oil pan, heating up the oil. It may have to do with the fact that I am running vortec heads that have a slightly raised exhaust port but I don't know.

I used a variety of 3 inch collector gaskets, retightening after heat cycles. I never got any of them to completely seal. The best was doubled up aluminum Percy's Soft Aluminum, but even those leaked.

I then decided to try a 3 inch donut gasket. They sealed great, and even lowered the ypipe down to have some clearance from the bottom of the pan. Unfortunately they all blew out after a while, probably from the stress of being squeezed by the collector and the movement of the whole system.

I then did some reading and found an interesting looking 3 inch collector gasket used on newer ls trucks. It has a round collar that fits on the inside of the pipe, and beveled edge on the other. It fit perfectly and sealed everything up really nice. It also gave me the clearance I was looking for. It's almost like it was meant to fit. The best part is it is only 4.99 at any Autozone. Part number 61089

The last issue I had was the nuts coming loose. I even doubled up the nuts with lock washers, tightening after heat cycles with no luck. Eventually I found out about anchor, or lock nuts. I got some fine thread 9/16 bolts with the anchor nuts. These haven't moved at all (although are tough to tighten down)