DIY Explorer 302 Headers

[C420sailor]

You can 100% weld stainless with mild steel Rod/wire. It’ll be fine structurally, for our purposes. But the corrosion resistance is what you’re really going to lose.

Walker makes stainless mufflers, which are great…except I believe the welds are mild steel. Makes no sense. So when my mufflers eventually rot, they fail at the rusty welds, while the rest of the material looks great

 

[410Fortune]

I’m serious I mean you need to change the angle just enough so cut the tube and weld on a sleeve. You can find a piece of stainless tube that will fit over it and weld it up… mig welder w ss wire.
Now that I know the dorman tube is stainless lol I will use stainless less next time

My egr tubes may not be shiny but they function! I’ve done this so many times v6 and v8 just like a child with a new toy… welding practice! I made ac lines for my bii this way… and every season I have to add a can of r134…. Hmmmm lol lol

 

[97Sandbox]

I made ac lines for my bii this way… and every season I have to add a can of r134…. Hmmmm lol lol

Yeah, if there's one thing I've learned in this project, it's that MIG cannot always be trusted for an airtight seal.

Since I already ordered the second Dorman line, I'll wait to do it "right" with that part and all the same grade of stainless. I do like the idea of experimenting with scrap in the meantime though -- maybe I'll snag a couple EGR lines next time I'm at the salvage yard to use for practice.

Do you run pure argon or argon/CO2/helium when you MIG stainless? I know those are recommended, but I've also read the typical C25 mix (75% Argon / 25% CO2) works well enough.

 

[C420sailor]

C25 works, but you may not like the aesthetics of the results. The higher the carbon content in the gas, the less corrosion resistant the weld will be, as some of that carbon makes its way into the weld. The bead may not be as pretty either. But we are talking about an EGR line, so who cares.

If you want to nerd out and get optimal results…
Tri-mix works well, also an argon/CO2 blend…but both should have CO2 5% or lower. Do not use pure argon with MIG, only TIG. MIG doesn’t get “hot” enough to penetrate properly with pure Ar.

 

[410Fortune]

I have normal Argon c02 Mix in just load in ss wire

You need a piece of tubing that fits over the cut dorman line

 

[97Sandbox]

You need a piece of tubing that fits over the cut dorman line

I'm planning to slit an extra straight section and make a sleeve out of that.

 

[97Sandbox]

So close to having the driver's side on! I can't quite get the rearmost bolt in, the downpipe is pushing up on the header. A second set of hands would go a long way but I think I can use a prybar to pull the downpipe down if I brace it against the front driveshaft. I'll see tomorrow...there's only so much wrenching I can do outside in the dark below freezing.

 

[410Fortune]

Keep
Going! Loosen all the other
Bolts that can help get the rear most one started

 

[Turdle]

I always install front and rear bolt just threaded in, slide header back against the 2 bolts , slip in gasket after u shaping end holes, then go for other bolts.

A strap around something solid, and the downpipe will pull it down

 

[Turdle]

Oh, don't tighten any of the bolts , until you wiggle it around a bit on the downpipe connection . Also, a bead of ultra copper rtv on ball end and downpipe funnel isn't a bad idea.

 

[97Sandbox]

Got the driver's side torqued down last night woohoo!

Do y'all normally put a little dab of RTV on the rib of the dip stick tube before reinstallation, or does it seal okay without?

I should finally be getting my EGR bung tap today, then I can get moving on the passenger's side header and custom EGR tube.

 

[410Fortune]

Yes rtv on dipstick the o ring always leaks

 

[97Sandbox]

Hahaha what O-ring...mine's long gone.

I will use RTV!

 

[97Sandbox]

Got the EGR bung re-threaded

But my idea for splicing together two EGR tubes is going to be messier than I thought. The fitting comes so high, I think I'm either going to have to section and shorten the straight that runs to the header fitting or bend the daylights out of the 90 at the valve.

These pictures honestly make it look like the pipes are much closer to lining up than they are in reality.

Anybody got a good shot of the TMH EGR pipe installed that could give me an idea of what I need to accomplish? I'm nervous to start torching and bending again after how easily the last pipe tore.

 

[410Fortune]

You running intake spacer?

I have pics somewhere I’ll show you the different egr pipes

 

[97Sandbox]

No intake spacer. In hindsight, I wish I would have purely to help with valve cover clearance and this EGR tube. Didn't realize the EGR tube has to run downhill if you're not running an intake spacer.

 

[97Sandbox]

Now I'm debating whether I'd have an easier time if I used a 4.0 OHV EGR valve.

If I have to cut/splice tubing no matter what, at least this valve wouldn't point the one end of the pipe down so far. I'm assuming the valves themselves function the same way. It'd also be cheaper and easier to install than an intake spacer.

 

[410Fortune]

Can you chop the red tube at the red line and the blue tube at the blue line and join them? I use a sleeve
You will collapse the steep bends just slightly but it should go together?


The problem is the tall adapter between header bung and egr tube
The intake spacer helps with that
Slight mods to the coil pcm tripod required and some longer bolts, second gasket

Shoot I marked the” red tube” incorrectly

 

[97Sandbox]

Can you chop the red tube at the red line and the blue tube at the blue line and join them? I use a sleeve
You will collapse the steep bends just slightly but it should go together?


The problem is the tall adapter between header bung and egr tube
The intake spacer helps with that
Slight mods to the coil pcm tripod required and some longer bolts, second gasket

View attachment 449715

Shoot I marked the” red tube” incorrectly

That's what I'm going to try. Main issue is that the area where the pipes cross is right between the DPFE barbs, and that's the one spot you can't cut. I sliced the new pipe up and am going to see if there's any way to puzzle piece something together.

 

[97Sandbox]

Played around with the EGR tube tonight. Got two halves mocked up and tacked together with sleeves.

The two halves really aren't that far off now. I'm tempted to weld it all together then use heat to relax the bend heading into the valve. I figure the tubing will bend to a larger radius easier than a smaller one without tearing (I hope).