I have fabricated and worked with tubing and pipe for years. I am doing a custom ground up overhaul on my 68 f100 2wd with a stroked 390 engine and I would like to make a set of block hugging headers. Headman seams to be the only company making regular headers for the fe block but as I said I want to run them tight like a shorty but drop I down to where it can be bolted easily from below. I have the tubing and the flange plates for the tubes but my question is this-- How do you seal the last tub into the collector? Do you put the weld inside the collector? Do you seal the tubing by Brasing ?
I've found little on this on the web and thought I'd ask here.
There is a local shop that will send them out to be internally ceramic coated for around $200 but I was wondering if anyone knows a place in the North east that I can send them to myself and maybe for less?

Thanks
John

 

I think you could get all the tubes run, weld a reverse cloverleaf between the four of them to seal the middle, then weld the collector on, which would hopefully seal the rest of it up.

 

you weld the 4 pipes together before you put an end over them combining them to one. you basicaly weld where each tube touches, then the center where they all meet. hehe this is harder to describe in text then i thought lol

 

To reduce turbulance at the center weld in a pyramid between the four primaries. You have to weld up the four pipes before installing the collector.
Look into HPC, High Performance Coatings, you can ship direct and they do a hell of a job not like Jet Hot. After the second time I had HPC strip off Jet Hot's crap and and coat properly.

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Hmmmm
I understand you guys about welding the center of the pipes together before sliping the collector on but if you just weld the outsides to the collector youll have leaks. thats why I asked about Brazing. Kinda flow the brass around to make a tight sealed joint But I know Ive sean guys just mig the stupid things up. I supose coating the inside will help seal everything but I'd like to get the welds right before that. Basicly to avoid the exhaust burning through because of vibration fracturing the coating at the weak points.
Beemer -- You really feal HPC is that much Better than Jet Hot?

 

First off they engraved big deep ID numbers on the collector extension flanges, the gasket surface area to the headers and I run copper gaskets. I had their extra deluxe 2,000 degree coating that is off white inside and out (brand new headers) then the standard black outside finish. Areas were not fully coated inside the pipes with 2,000 degree coating plus baked on drips at the flange contact areas, send back. Second time all looks good for a month until rust appears between the primaries and collector on both headers as well the black chipping off on spots. Also I have O2 bungs for F / A readings, they filled the threads with ceramic after I told them to plug off before coating. Many weeks between returns and shipping bills later I gave up after talking to a few "gator wranglers" who didn't speak proper english. Call HPC and profesionals from the first contact to engineers, they delivered what they said they would do, a perfect coating, at this time the money difference if there was any wasn't a concern.
By the way check for fit, all flanges flat and smooth, all ports dressed and all sharp edges smoothed down before you send 'em out to coat then you'll have a great set of headers. If you order new headers already coated the manufacture isn't going to spend hours nocking off weld splatter and dressing sharp edges, get my point?
All the above happened to me with Jet Hot, other members might of had good results.

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