howdy palric,

okay i read the original post wrong...sorry...heres my proper response...

i have seen people do about what you are talking about. it should help eliminating flange wrappage ...

anyway, you are running the flowtech headers with the 2.5 inch collectors right?

i have some reusable aluminum collector gaskets for them...perhaps you would like to buy them from me. they seal awesome and last forever. i am getting hedman long tubes and they have 3" collectors so i will be buying the 3 inch reusable aluminum gaskets.

 

Hey, I have heard about cutting the flanges on the headers, but I haven't tried it. In the September 2002 Super Chevy Magazine they talk about this too. It's in the article "Tips O' Performance", it's tip #72. It says that cutting the flange will help the flange to conform to the head better when bolted down and help to reduce gasket failure. But I'm reluctant to start hacking up my headers.

Dustin

 

I was under the impression that this technique is used to cure flange warping, not prevent it. If the headers are made properly and have thick flanges, they probably won't warp at all. I've owned Edelbrock, SLP, and Accel/LPE headers and the only ones I can see warping are the Edelbrocks. Even Dave's Flowtech budget headers have pretty fat flanges.

 

Are you kidding me.... 383 on flow-tech 1.5" primaries?

 

 

Cutting the flange on the headers will help to seal each gasket surface individually and thus improve the overall seal. The bolts will still rattle loose over time but if you follow manufacturers recomended torquing program it should be ok by about the third time you torque them. IE> install headers with proper torque. Start engine and run to operating temperature and retourque then drive the car for about a half hour and retorque then drive the car for about a week and retorque after this final torqing they should have moved around all that they are going to and stay torqued.

Ric

 

 

I like Felpro Gaskets for just about every application on the Engine. (You can even get them at Canadian Tire) As for the coper or alluminum gaskets The only place I have seen them used is between the collectors and the Y pipe. Rather than using these expensive gaskets I found that welding two flanges together on the collector seems to solve all of the sealing problems in that area.

Ric

 

They make aluminum re-usable gaskets for the actual header flange. Brad used them on his car and they seem to work well.

 

yeah the resusable aluminum header flange gaskets work awesome. no problems and no leaks with them.