how do you bend headers?

[topless jackass]

Installed a 402BBC in my blaze and finished the exhaust yesterday. Took it for a drive around the block and the front yoke on my diff crunched one of my primary tubes! So now what? can I heat them with a rosebud and carefully bend them away, or will they just kink? I don't what else the f**k to do!

 

[K5dreamer]

were they advertized as "direct fit"?? cuz its quite obvious they arent. If they were you might have grounds to return them for a refund. unless your truck is lowered, in which case all bets are off. I cant see a lifted truck causing this issue.

If they are universal fit.... im not sure, my metal working knowledge is quite sadley undeveloped.

 

[80' 427]

they should bend easy with heat. I have dimpled plenty that way. Mine rub on the front shaft of the k30 until I used a 3/4 ton front shaft.

 

[Desert Rat]

My brand new headers were too close to my shackle so here is what I did. I didn't bother heating them up. I simply got a come-along hand winch then put a piece of pipe wrapped in a towel and duct taped into the open end. I hooked one end of the winch line to the frame and the other to the pipe in the header. I brought it tight and cranked down on the winch until it moved slightly. I left it that way for a few hours then tightened it some more. I did this little by little until the header was a little past the point of where I wanted it. I then left it that way for a day. When I took the hand winch off, the header moved back slightly right to where it was perfect.

 

[Stomis]

My brand new headers were too close to my shackle so here is what I did. I didn't bother heating them up. I simply got a come-along hand winch then put a piece of pipe wrapped in a towel and duct taped into the open end. I hooked one end of the winch line to the frame and the other to the pipe in the header. I brought it tight and cranked down on the winch until it moved slightly. I left it that way for a few hours then tightened it some more. I did this little by little until the header was a little past the point of where I wanted it. I then left it that way for a day. When I took the hand winch off, the header moved back slightly right to where it was perfect.

Heat will make this process take an hour rather than a day too.

 

[Desert Rat]

The only hassle is getting the heat on the headers. I did have a torch and considered using it though. I probably didn't have to do it slow, I was just paranoid and didn't want to crack the ceramic or crease it. I suspect I could have just cranked it over and left it for an hour and it would have worked just as well. But I was scared ****less doing it at first so I erred on the side of caution.

 

[Stomis]

The only hassle is getting the heat on the headers. I did have a torch and considered using it though. I probably didn't have to do it slow, I was just paranoid and didn't want to crack the ceramic or crease it. I suspect I could have just cranked it over and left it for an hour and it would have worked just as well. But I was scared ****less doing it at first so I erred on the side of caution.

Ah the ceramic explains it.

 

[Blue85]

The only hassle is getting the heat on the headers.

This part is easy. Just turn the key.

 

[Desert Rat]

Yeah, but open headers with a pipe covered in a towel and duct tape stuck in one of them don't make a good combination. I would have had to run it for a while and I think the neighbors would most likely have not been forgiving.

 

[74kay5]

Just got done doing this on my long tubes. They are ceramic coated also. I tried a bunch of methods ratcheting straps, bottle jack, heat, pry bar, hammer. They didn't budge until I used a chain with the bottle jack. to Pacesetter for making a bomb proof set of long tubes. Pain in the ass to manipulate though.

 

[Desert Rat]

Not to hijack, ok, I'll hijack, when did you swap in a 454 and what kind of hassles did you have with smog? PM if you want to.

 

[topless jackass]

Thanks for eveybody's replies, I'm gonna try and bend 'em tomorrow. As for smog, this is Wyoming, and emissions are for city folk!

 

[Desert Rat]

That was meant for 74kay5, but I am jealous of the Wyoming laws.