Brian97Z28

I'm going to tune the car this Friday. I'm scared I'm going to have problems due to that exhaust leak found on the #1 Primary of the Hooker Long tubes. Split BLM's make tuning impossible. Holley Tech Support was no help. They offered no advice. I talked to a dumb useless redneck. I heard theres a bandclamp that helps but I've heard conflicting reports on whether it truely takes care of the exhaust leak. Holley couldn't even offer a part number.

I don't have the time to pull the header. It's driversside too, so I'm definately not excited about doing that. The fact of the matter, is I'm pretty sure its welded to the Y-Pipe.

I cant use a welder for **** and I've seen some bad results with improper weldeing. I'd be pissed if I cut right through the tube.

Can it be soldered? I'm confident I can do that, but I'm afraid of the temperatures from the exhaust melting the solder away shortly there after.


Anyone have some advice? Thanks

LimitedEd1LE

I'm pretty sure that if you solder it it will melt right off under normal driving. Solder is not made to withstand that high of an amount of heat.

Rich_z28

The heat from the headers will definately melt the solder.

Dr.Mudge

Weld, dont solder or braze.

Brian97Z28

Damn... that's what I figured.

The last option I have is a clamp such as a SuperTrapp 1.75" T Clamp. Has anyone had success with exhaust leaks with such a clamp? I may try to use two and see how it goes...

Any more suggestions are welcomed...

Brian97Z28

I found a 1 3/4 " U clamp at carquest... gonna pick it up this afternoon... wish me luck.

Dr.Mudge

What kind of welder would you be using? TIG is nice, but expensive. If your trying to stick weld or something, generally those have enough juice to tear through thin metal, so yes that could be a problem. Take it to an exaust shop, as simple as that.

Where is this hole exactly? I was thinking that you meant near the flange, if its somewhere in the middle of the primary you should be able to use a band clamp and some copper RTV.

A U clamp is rounded, and is for squeezing a pipe, it would have to be a pinhole, and you'd have to be lucky for that to work, if its a hole.

Z95m6

could you just get some header wrap to cover the leaking part until you get it tuned then after your tune fix it the right way.

Brian97Z28

It's not a hole we are talking about, it's the #1 Primary on the Hooker Long Tube that is in two pieces. It's poor design, no matter what RTV Sealant you use, it eventually wears out, and an exhaust leak begins...

Here is a picture of someone who used a T Clamp to clamp the two pieces together... I'm gonna pick up the U Clamp and see how that does.

http://www.purplecar.org/030302/P0001949.html

Z95m6

I don't know why header wrap is funny. . It is a slip fit so if he can't seal it with a clamp maybe wrapping it around the leak may slow down or stop the leak until he can get it tuned then fix the header the right way. He may not want to weld the headers if they are coated.

Brian97Z28

I dont mind welding the headers, my problem is can an exhaust shop weld the headers when theyre still on the car? I don't wanna remove the damn header to have it welded.

Brian97Z28

I just had them try to weld on the car.. he would only weld one spot, he couldnt do a weld all the way around. I told him to put it on the lift and go from underneath for the other portion, but he assured me that wouldnt help. The guy didnt even remove the steering linkage..

I'm thinking of this as a measure to stop the damn "rattling" sound I hear because of the bad slip-fit. As far as the leak, I can only hope, pick up the U-clamps, and hope some more...

GREGG 97Z

Why does hooker make that one primary a slip fit connection? Is that to save space in shipping or does it make them easier to install? Just curious

Brian97Z28

I'm assuming its for easier install. But it doesnt matter because the passenger (read: WORSE) side doesnt have the slip fit. And you have to loosen a motor mount and jack the motor up as high as you can in order to get the passenger side header in. So.... stupidity at its best. The best thing you can do is bolt the header up to a spare LT1 head, take it to an exhaust shop, and have it welded while it's off the car.

Dr.Mudge

Ooooooooooh, now I see, like the MAC headers. Have you tried using copper RTV? I know T clamps work great for holding power, a U might work but its not going to have the evenly distributed force of a T clamp.

If you weld it, its going to be fun the next time you want to take them off, with that in mind I think I would try to find other ways to "fix" this, but maybe you've tried all you want...

If you dont have an oil cooler, maybe you dont need to have it un-welded, I dont know. I know that my shorties were a tight fit, to the point that I read of other people jacking up the engine, its that hard to find the right angle without the detachable primary on my SLP shorties. I have an oil cooler, and yes I still had to remove the steering link as well. I would make sure that you are sure that you dont need it seperate, before you weld.

Maybe jacking up the engine isn't so bad, if you dont feel like dealing with the problem.