Anybody know any tricks to keeping headers tight?
85 F150 w/95 302HO crate, new Ford truck SS headers. I found them loose at 6000mi. I was thinking of gettin SS allen head cap screws, I don't guess SS will cause a problem with heads, but I don't know. If the SS screws don't keep em' tight, it'll sure make tightening easier.

There must be a way.

thanks,

Moe
Houston

 

2 thoughts come to mind:
1. What kind of gaskets are you using? Get good, do it once..... And are you retorqueing after a day or so? The heat will shift things around a bit, right off the bat.
2. Do you have a straight block and headers? I had experinced a repeat offender, always blowing out the exhaust gaskets dut to fastener loosening. Found out that the exhaust was warped just so slightly, and as soon as the machine shop planed them out, the offender went "quietly" away.

Good luck,
Kevco

 

try looking at a summit catalog, i see them in there all the time, the bolt kit runs around $35.00 but here is how they work, the hex head bolt has a grove in it and they give you a retainer and a snap lock for each bolt the reainer fts up against the tube then the snap lock keeps the retainer and bolt from moving , theyalso have a allen head inside the hex head..
they do work good , i use them on my race car, they have not came loose yet, been on there for about 2 years..here is summits phone # 1-800-230-3030.. good luck

 

 

Short of using retainers and good gaskets(lots install two sets by the way)as was suggested, you have to retorque them till everything sets right and then every few weeks check the torque, this has been a problem since headers were invented.

 

One other thought comes to mind, this stuff wasnt around when I was running headers, but maybe a dab of the high temp silicone on the threads then torquing them up??

 

I used to have this problem alot with pll that came to the garage. I allways put a second set of gaskets in and retintined after two weeks that usually solved the problem.....Good luck