Anyone successfully build a header for a 200 at home?
- Thread starter sctty1986
- Start date
8) you want to make the flange from 3/8" thick steel for best results. what a lot of guys do is take an exhaust gasket to a metal shop and have them cut a flange for them, usually on a laser cutter. if you do this, make sure the gasket lines up properly, otherwise make your own template from a header flange.
when you weld the tube stubs to the flange, weld on the head side of the flange to make sure there are no leaks. there are two reasons for this;
1: you can build up a bead that can be machined down with a slight ledge to increase the sealing ability against the gasket
2: you can make sure there are no pinholes that will cause problems later on.
when yes decide on what size tube you are going to use, contact any of the various header kit manufacturers for tubing in various bends already done, and centering rings so that you can get the tube where you want it, and then tack it in place without having to have three hands, or more, to hold the tube and do the tack weld.
when you weld the tube stubs to the flange, weld on the head side of the flange to make sure there are no leaks. there are two reasons for this;
1: you can build up a bead that can be machined down with a slight ledge to increase the sealing ability against the gasket
2: you can make sure there are no pinholes that will cause problems later on.
when yes decide on what size tube you are going to use, contact any of the various header kit manufacturers for tubing in various bends already done, and centering rings so that you can get the tube where you want it, and then tack it in place without having to have three hands, or more, to hold the tube and do the tack weld.
Back in the day as Al Gore was busy inventing the internet, I tried to source headers for my Falcon. The only ones available were from Clifford and required cutting a hole into the inner fender for one of the collector tubes. I was not willing to do this so I bought a header for an Econoline w/ 200cid from JCWhitney, cut the tubes about 1.5 inches past the mounting flange and using the Hooker header connector sleeves and JCWhitney bent mandrel tubing fabbed my own header. I Tig'ed it at work during my lunch hour - I would tack two sections on with the mig onto each tube, take the header in and TIG the first section, home to test fit & tack on the next section, repeat. It took me about 6 weeks to do this. Before this project I was already known as the King of G-Jobs at work - the only ribbing I received was about keeping the six instead of a 302. Because I am anal, I metal finished the welds. No weld failures to date. My biggest mistake was while I left clearance for the starter,I did not leave enough clearance to remove the starter without removing the headers - forturnately I have not yet needed to swap out a starter.
A few in car pics as I was changing out carbs - never thought to take a picture of the headers thenmselves:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll27 ... 250016.jpg
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll27 ... 250017.jpg
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll27 ... 6DGVSV.jpg
A few in car pics as I was changing out carbs - never thought to take a picture of the headers thenmselves:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll27 ... 250016.jpg
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll27 ... 250017.jpg
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll27 ... 6DGVSV.jpg
'68falconohio
Well-known member
Aribert,
I see what looks like bungs and socket cap screws about an inch from the flange. Is that for temp probes or O2 sensors?
I see what looks like bungs and socket cap screws about an inch from the flange. Is that for temp probes or O2 sensors?
68falconohio:
I had read about (drag?) racers having drilled holes in the headers to check the flame color (fuel mix) so I thought I would do similar - rarely ever used, don't know if I would do this again on a single carb set up. I think being able to see the exhaust flame could be informative on a multiple carb set up where the runners do not share a common plenum.
I did add O2 bungs - down about 12 to 15 inches - where the tubes converge into 2 collectors about 2 years ago. I simply ground off the ceramic coating locally. I use a narrow band O2 sensor for carb tuning - hope to buy a wide band O2 sensor w/ data logging capability next year.
I had read about (drag?) racers having drilled holes in the headers to check the flame color (fuel mix) so I thought I would do similar - rarely ever used, don't know if I would do this again on a single carb set up. I think being able to see the exhaust flame could be informative on a multiple carb set up where the runners do not share a common plenum.
I did add O2 bungs - down about 12 to 15 inches - where the tubes converge into 2 collectors about 2 years ago. I simply ground off the ceramic coating locally. I use a narrow band O2 sensor for carb tuning - hope to buy a wide band O2 sensor w/ data logging capability next year.