exhuast manifold & header question

[greaseball]

I recently got my engine (in pieces) back from the machine shop and am assembling it now. My exhaust manifold was cracked in 3 places due to the valve rusting shut. I plan on using clifford headers, but can't afford them now after spending all of my money at the machine shop. Does anyone have a good 223 exhaust manifold that I can borrow for a few months until I save enough for headers and dual exhaust??? I would like to get back on the road by the end of the month. I live in central california near Paso Robles, but I could pick up anywhere between here and San Diego.

Another question: Does anyone know why the clifford headers cost almost 3 times as much as the patriot headers (even more if you add the ceramic coating)??? I like the shorty look of the clifford headers, but dang are they expensive!

This place has been dead lately. I know gas is getting close to 20 bucks a gallon, but go drive your old ford before the gas in it turns into vinegar!

Thanks,
Shane

 

[addo]

This place has been dead lately. I know gas is getting close to 20 bucks a gallon, but go drive your old ford before the gas in it turns into vinegar!

Hear, hear. Folks seem to be waiting for when it drops down to cheap prices again. :roll: I'm doing a 500-mile overnight run soon, just to celebrate affordable fuel - before it isn't!

As for the headers/manifold - no chance of acid-etching the cracks and wicking some braze in there?

 

[greaseball]

I don't think the cracks are worth fixing. There are three, and you could fit a dime through the biggest one where the valve in the exhaust manifold seats against the cast iron near the collector. It really opened up pretty wide. I guess you could overlap threaded studs/screws to repair them like they do on heads, but it would take a ton of them to fix all three cracks.

 

[Luckyman]

You might try www.car-part.com for a used one. Unless you find one in CA though the shipping might eat your lunch.

 

[Cosmotiki]

I can't speak to the Clifford and why it's so expensive, but I've got the Patriot header on my Effie and it's fine, although I'm not sure the flange was ground as even (parallel) as it could've been... I'm still chasing down a little exhaust leak. It also doesn't have flanges on the collector. I used some Magnaflow(?) SS band clamps that work OK, but will probably break down at some point and weld flanges to them.

 

[texas_rat_trap]

I recently got my engine (in pieces) back from the machine shop and am assembling it now. My exhaust manifold was cracked in 3 places due to the valve rusting shut. I plan on using clifford headers, but can't afford them now after spending all of my money at the machine shop. Does anyone have a good 223 exhaust manifold that I can borrow for a few months until I save enough for headers and dual exhaust??? I would like to get back on the road by the end of the month. I live in central california near Paso Robles, but I could pick up anywhere between here and San Diego.

Another question: Does anyone know why the clifford headers cost almost 3 times as much as the patriot headers (even more if you add the ceramic coating)??? I like the shorty look of the clifford headers, but dang are they expensive!

This place has been dead lately. I know gas is getting close to 20 bucks a gallon, but go drive your old ford before the gas in it turns into vinegar!

Thanks,
Shane

DITTO! and if you can't afford the gas you shouldn't own a Hotrod.

 

[texas_rat_trap]

They cost 3 times as much b/c their really the only ones that make a shorty style header and you need a shorty if your building a car the full lenghth header will not fit, it only fits truck. Sacramento Vintage has a full lenghth header for about $165.00. I personally think the cheaper header will last just as long as Clifford and give you about the same performance.
I split my manifold 3-3 & welded up cracks and I know this isn't the correct way to weld cast but it worked for me... 1st really clean the manifold I mean as clean as you can get it then heat manifold red hot with map gas / oxygen torch or any torch you have just get the metal really hot and then I mig weld in small sections throwing the torch on it for a little while... see I think the key is not to let the cast cool rapidly or it can crack and ...the welds I think look pretty clean. And from what I understand these manifolds are pretty hard to find. Sorry for the book I wrote...but Hey this forum need some new reading & visual material. Pictures are of mock up on old 215cid engine.

 

[texas_rat_trap]

thought I would post some pic.'s of split manifold

 

[277 I6]

texesrattrap with it fireing 126 in one pipe 345 in the other should make a differnt sound. i split mine by building a box inside the heat box 456 in new outlet. in the early 90s i welded one with a mig it went 30000 miles on my 277 engine

 

[texas_rat_trap]

yeah, I hope it'll sound pretty bitchin'...in that pic I haven't finished spliting btw. 5 & 6 or cut & welded a flange.

 

[greaseball]

Thanks for the info. I like the look of the shorty cliffords, so i'm gonna keep saving until I can afford them, and have the duals run on my truck. I'm still putting the motor together but it's going slow (too busy). I picked up another exhaust manifold so i'm gonna run it until I can do the headers.

That's some impressive work on splitting the cast iron into duals! I kept seeing that someone was selling instructions on how to do this on ebay.

Shane

 

[greaseball]

Thanks for the info. I like the look of the shorty cliffords, so i'm gonna keep saving until I can afford them, and have the duals run on my truck. I'm still putting the motor together but it's going slow (too busy). I picked up another exhaust manifold so i'm gonna run it until I can do the headers.

That's some impressive work on splitting the cast iron into duals! I kept seeing that someone was selling instructions on how to do this on ebay.

Shane

 

[greaseball]

Thanks for the info. I like the look of the shorty cliffords, so i'm gonna keep saving until I can afford them, and have the duals run on my truck. I'm still putting the motor together but it's going slow (too busy). I picked up another exhaust manifold so i'm gonna run it until I can do the headers.

That's some impressive work on splitting the cast iron into duals! I kept seeing that someone was selling instructions on how to do this on ebay.

Shane

 

[texas_rat_trap]

Thanks for the info. I like the look of the shorty cliffords, so i'm gonna keep saving until I can afford them, and have the duals run on my truck. I'm still putting the motor together but it's going slow (too busy). I picked up another exhaust manifold so i'm gonna run it until I can do the headers.

That's some impressive work on splitting the cast iron into duals! I kept seeing that someone was selling instructions on how to do this on ebay.

Shane

You don't need to buy instructions on how to split a manifold...I can walk you through it, its a lot of work but not hard at all. Shoot if you lived closer I would help you out no problem at all.

Dustin