Header Collector...on the cheap!

[CTENG in KS]

OK, I forgot to bring my camera to the garage so pics tomorrow.
I bought this sad header off the board bout a year ago...cheap.  THerefore this exhaust build must be kept...cheap.  Poor little thing was the color of rust and and had the collector ripped off it.  Didn't feel like ordering an expensive collector so I built my own for $5.00...maybe less.
Directions:
Go to auto parts store ant buy an 18-24 inch piece of muffler pipe in the same diameter you are using for the rest of the system.  Get one that is widened on the end to fit over another pipe.
Next start on the smaller, non widened end of the pipe.  Cut four slits from the end to about 6-7 inches in.  You will have quartered the end of the pipe. 
Using pliers, grab each of the quarters at the end and peel them back to match the width of the end of the header.
Now cut that section of pipe off about 4 inches farther in than you cut the slits.
Slip the widened end of your pipe over the end of the header, match the arc of each quarter with the outer arc or each header tube and weld the pipe to the header in those 4 places.
Then, in the remaining part of your pipe, cut 4 slits again, and again bend them up to match the first one.  Cut each bent section off the pipe at the end of the slit so you have four seperate compound curve pieces.
Use each new piece to cover the triangular hole in your collector and tack weld together.  Now use a ball peen hammer to shape the edges of the filler peices to the collector and weld all seams. 
You should be left with a nice collector and a piece of pipe that can be used as an adapter to fit the rest of your exhaust to the new collector.

[DTB]

OK, I forgot to bring my camera to the garage so pics tomorrow.
I bought this sad header off the board bout a year ago...cheap.  THerefore this exhaust build must be kept...cheap.  Poor little thing was the color of rust and and had the collector ripped off it.  Didn't feel like ordering an expensive collector so I built my own for $5.00...maybe less.
Directions:
Go to auto parts store ant buy an 18-24 inch piece of muffler pipe in the same diameter you are using for the rest of the system.  Get one that is widened on the end to fit over another pipe.
Next start on the smaller, non widened end of the pipe.  Cut four slits from the end to about 6-7 inches in.  You will have quartered the end of the pipe. 
Using pliers, grab each of the quarters at the end and peel them back to match the width of the end of the header.
Now cut that section of pipe off about 4 inches farther in than you cut the slits.
Slip the widened end of your pipe over the end of the header, match the arc of each quarter with the outer arc or each header tube and weld the pipe to the header in those 4 places.
Then, in the remaining part of your pipe, cut 4 slits again, and again bend them up to match the first one.  Cut each bent section off the pipe at the end of the slit so you have four seperate compound curve pieces.
Use each new piece to cover the triangular hole in your collector and tack weld together.  Now use a ball peen hammer to shape the edges of the filler peices to the collector and weld all seams. 
You should be left with a nice collector and a piece of pipe that can be used as an adapter to fit the rest of your exhaust to the new collector.

[CTENG in KS]

Here is the collector:

[CTENG in KS]

Ugly old header:

[CTENG in KS]

Pretty :"new" header:

[CTENG in KS]

Rubbed some of the paint off the rust installing it...oh well.  New issue, the header is so damn long that it hits the sky crossmember.  When I tightned the bolts down it pressed right up against the side of the crossmember pretty tight, if I leave it like that it is gonna crack for sure.  Anybody deal with this on their header, anything I can do without shortening the whole header down?

[Hyena]

do you have the crossmember sitting ontop or below the mounting tabs?  if you have it ontop then move it to the bottom.  that will gain you 3/4 of an inch of clearance, but you will lose that much ground clearance under the t-case.

[CTENG in KS]

Good thought, I will try that, but it might not be enough...

[CTENG in KS]

Solution:
I ended up pulling the header and shortening it.  Tried to play witht he tcase height but it wasn't enough.  I figured if I didn't do itnow I would just be causing new problems in the future.

So without further ado, I present "Shorty Header"

[CTENG in KS]

it fits!

[jimbo74]

haha, that flexi tubing stuff is funny, jsut wait till that stuff leaks....

[CTENG in KS]

Yeah, it is just for now, I will probably repalce it later on with a flex pipe.

[Wermz84]

I wish I had a welder.. 


so I could just fab up stuff.

[CTENG in KS]

It is FUN, but I get into projects like this that probably took me more time than it was worth to just buy a header...ah well, good learning.

[Wermz84]

It is FUN, but I get into projects like this that probably took me more time than it was worth to just buy a header...ah well, good learning.

Fun, and Learning!  I think that is really the point of doing these sorts of things.   

[kneedownnate]

No crazier than me thinking about cutting the flange off mine and welding on a thicker one, just don't know where to get one at a reasonable price.

[CTENG in KS]

If you have plasma you make your own...if not...big hole saw and a grinder???

[kneedownnate]

Yea, no plasma.  I have access to a torch, but that would leave a lotta grinding.  Hole saw......that would be utterly teadeous!

[CTENG in KS]

WOuldn't be that bad...how thick you want, 1/4 inch?

[kneedownnate]

No, you want atleast 3/8" on a header flange, but my other header (nwor) is 1/2".  It'd take an act of god to warp that thing!

[CTENG in KS]

OHHHH, you mean the header to head flange, NOT the collector flange!

NOW I GET IT!

[kneedownnate]

Guess I coulda been more specific, but where's the fun in that?  My nwor header has a ball flange thingy.  Not sure how it's going to seal yet though.