Headers

[Foggman]

Does anyone know of any brand/style of headers that has a gasket type connection between the headers and the collector tube? I have Pace setter headers and hate them...they have the round flange style connection at the collector (so that one fits inside the other and is supposed to seal up)...I can't get them to seal up at the collector AND I cant get them to seal up to the cylinder heads either. The problem I have with the seal between the cylinder head and the header is that the exhaust gasket you buy at the parts store has oval shaped holes and the headers connection points stick out from the plate about 1/8 of an inch and they are round. SO I can't get a good seal with the oval gaskets and the round tube headers. ANy suggestions? I looked at Hedman headers and they have the same collector connection type, I think borla, bbk and jba are the same too...

Thanks
Lance

 

[410Fortune]

Pace Setters are JUNK.
JBA makes headers for your OHV 4.0L that are not junk.

they are twice the price though.

You can do a SEARCH on this site and find the answers you need.
I doubt you will ever got those headers to seal up, no matter what you try.
It is the thickness of the flange and the quality of the welds, and machine work that gets them to seal up on the head. You will also want to use good gaskets and locking bolts.

The JBA's are the only header I know of still being made for your engine.
You can sometimes find used ones around, the Borla's are the best header I have seen but I dont see them around anymore.

 

[Foggman]

when you say I will never be able to get them to seal up do you mean the Pace Setters or any style headers?

But thanks for the info...I was leaning towards JBA headers when I did a search on the net cheapest I found them was like $622.00 and that wasn't the ceramic coated ones either.

Lance

 

[410Fortune]

OUch thats alot of $$$, I paid $150 for mine, used. You can have them jet coated locally for around $100.

I mean the pace setters, they are known to these issues where the other better headers do not.

 

[Foggman]

Well after searching I found a set of BBK ceramic coated headers for about $580, I also found a set of Hedman Headers that retains the stock collector pipe. ANyone have any comments about hedman headers good or bad? or should I break down and spend the $600???

Oh I also just found a set of JBA headers for $524

I'm just lookin to save some money and am wondering if the hedman headers are comperable to these other brands?

 

[410Fortune]

WHat are you trying to accomplish? I ask because $600+ can be spent so many better ways to make power then headers. You will get basically nothing gained by adding headers to a naturally aspirtated 4.0L OHV.
I mean I know your pacesetters dont seal up, but have you considered putting stock manifolds back on?

 

[Foggman]

Well, I guess I hadn't even thought of going back to stock manifolds..really didn't even cross my mind because I figured that headers were better than stock manifolds..

What I am trying to accomplish is to stop my exhaust from leaking...and I have had my truck in a few different exhaust shops and they all same the same thing..."we can't get them to seal up completely" so I figure that new headers was the way to go...

 

[410Fortune]

You will have a hard time getting ANY aftermarket headers to seal up, with the Borla and the JBA's having the best chance, bue to their high quality construction.

But the reason we spend $$$ on headers is to remove the restrictive factory manifolds and make some power. Well thats fine on engines where it works, but the OHV 4.0L just happens to be one of those engines, where you basically spend a ton of $$$ and get nothing in return when it comes to headers. Boosted applications can benefit from headers on these engines. The dyno proves that a gain of 3-5 HP does not justify the $550 cost and the $500 install cost. You can take that $1100 and get some real power with a cam and head porting, even with the factory manifolds.

I ran headers because I was putting a 4.0L in my truck and a guy 50 miles from me was selling a set for $125, they were JBA and I still had a hard time getting them to seal up.

 

[Foggman]

ok, I'm with ya now...I might just findsome stock manifolds to replace the pacesetters with or save my $$$$$ for a 5.0 swap

 

[Green98XLT]

You can always have your stock manifolds putty ported by Extrude Hone, They do some awesome work and you can keep your stock manifolds which seal superior to headers.

 

[Foggman]

where's that place?

 

[Green98XLT]

www.extrudehone.com

They are in PA.

 

[Foggman]

cool, thanks man!

 

[Creager]

droooool


booorlaaa

 

[Green98XLT]

Borla is so overpriced! I was looking into exhaust for my 95 Cobra I had a few years back and they are triple the price of anyone else and personally their catbacks don't sound that good to me.

 

[410Fortune]

Sound? I hope you are comparing apples to apples because Borla makes the nicest exhaust products I have seen! Their headers are awesome, and their exahsut is typically stainless steel.
I have heard them and they sound great!

But yes expensive for sure!

I like how the 4.0L Borla headers (pictured) use a slip yoke on the Y pipe, it makes fitting and sealing to the block easier. The JBA's have a one piece Y pipe.

 

[Green98XLT]

The only Borla muffler that I have ever heard and liked was the XR1 straight thru race mufflers. There regular street muffs didn't impress me much at all, at least for my Cobra. They are 100% stainless so that is a bonus but hell, I could buy 3 flowmaster catbacks for the price of one borla kit and get a better sounding car IMO.

 

[410Fortune]

Mustangs have a huge aftermarket for exhaust. The Cobra factory is stainless too is it not?
Stainless is a HUGE bonus and also drives the price up of course.

 

[Green98XLT]

Yea, the cobras had the stainless catbacks but the OE mufflers sucked and the piping was only 2 1/4".

I had the flowmaster kit on there for years and it discolored some but still looked and sounded great even with the salty roads around here in the winter months. You also have Magnaflow out now with all stainless kits, and their prices are better than Borla, I just don't know if they offer anything for the Ex yet.

 

[Creager]

what borla advertises for a 92 explorer is cheaper than BBK, or JBA by $100's of dollars. less than $400 new