header gaskets...

[AaronE19]

anyone know who makes good aftermarket header gaskets? I've got a set of Hedman TEMS on my ride now and damned if they didn't come with the nastiest set of pure crap cardboard gaskets I've ever laid eyes on (that's what I get for being cheap). naturally, I installed them anyway, knowing full well I'd blow 'em both within a hundred miles, and sure enough... God, do I hate it when I mat it and all I get from under the hood is a sound that reminds me of my Dad's 70-whatever, puke-colored Pinto that only ran on three cylinders most of the time. any help would be greatly appreciated.

aaron

 

[JAY]

I had the same problem with my Headmans when I first installed them. I tried to get some copper or other gaskets but was told that only the Headman gaskets will work on their headers. I ended up taking a trick from our race cars and used RTV. Cover both sides of the paper gasket with high temp RTV, than let it set up until it is about half cured befor you install them. I did this over two years ago and they still haven't started leaking
Hope this helps.

JAY

 

[AaronE19]

Jay- good call, man. thanks, I wouldn't have thought of that. have you had any problems with the Y-pipe gaskets? I was just wondering 'cuz that struck me as a cheezy setup when I bolted them on.

a

 

[JAY]

I would suggest getting a quality set of collector gaskets. I am currently using the soft aluminum kind. They work good but you need to keep an eye on the bolts, they will loosen up as the aluminum gaskets compress and wear. If you use the aluminum gaskets, the 3 bolt holes will need to be drilled out one size larger also. I have used the copper kind also but wasn't happy with the results after a few water crossings. They were to thin and didn't seal after a couple rapid coolings. As for the gasket that goes between the y pipe and the cat, I used a new factory one with the RTV trick and it has never leaked either.

JAY

 

[AaronE19]

Jay- thanks for the insight, I'll see what I can find. my kit didn't come with a Y-pipe to cat gasket for some reason (which I didn't discover until an hour into the job & had everything apart), so I ended up using high-temp silicone instead... no leaks down there yet, but we'll see.

a

 

[JAY]

The Y pipe to cat gasket doesn't come with the kit. The only place I have found it available is at the dealer.

JAY

 

[AaronE19]

Jay-
I was looking around for collector gaskets (replacement piece of crap head pipe gaskets are en-route from Hedman, so they say) and wondered if you could remember what the diam. is on the collector pipes? I think it's 3", but I'm not sure.

thanx

Aaron

 

[Paul Gagnon]

I had a whole heap of trouble with blown header gaskets on my Mustang. I tried all different brands, even tried doubling them up. The best ones that I have found are gaskets from "Headers by Ed" they are very thick and have lasted several years without blowing out.

 

[JAY]

The collector gasket is a 2.5" not a 3". I wouldn't use the Hedman ones here. There are plenty of good aftermarket ones out there and they are pretty cheap. I would recomend the aluminum or copper ones. It is a pain in the butt having to replace blown gaskets. Hope this helps

 

[AaronE19]

Jay-
yeah, I'm only using Hedman gaskets on the head pipes because there's nothing else I can find that fits. 6-cyl headers are not the most common item, it's only we fanatics that seem to care whether our trucks have any balls or not. but the collector gaskets, as you said, are easy enough to find so I won't be using whatever I get from Hedman. did you use any specific grade of RTV? you seem to have had success with whatever you used and I've already taken all that crap apart once, twice is more than enough, and three times could drive a man to drink (more than ususal, anyway).

Paul-
do you have a URL for 'headers by Ed,' or is it something you got at a local speed shop? do you need different (longer) bolts to clear a double-thick gasket?

thanks

Aaron

 

[JAY]

I used the orange stuff, but I suppose it wouldn't matter as long as it was hi temp. We used to use the copper kind on the race cars as well as the orange stuff, I don't think one is any better than the other, I just used what I had on hand. I can relate to having to pull this crap apart numerious times, I personally hate the lower front bolt on the drivers side. I'm not sure about it driving me to drinking, but it made for several trips to the package store.

 

[n5xmt]

A trick I learned was to take the cheesy stamped white cardboard gaskets and soak them in water for about 30 minutes. When you install them, torque them to spec, then fire it up and let it idle for 5-10 minutes and re-torque them. Never blew a set using this trick, where without it I'd blow a set every month or so.

 

[Paul Gagnon]

Man, you are asking alot. Does he have a web site? I don't know. I didn't even know what the internet was when I bought the gaskets! Hell, I'd never even used a computer at that time (except in high school).

I did a search, the web site is http://www.headersbyed.com I took a quick look at the site and it does not list anything for the 4.0L I am sure that they might be interested if they can be convinced there is a market for them.