Blew a headder gasket the other day.
When I went to change it the bolts were loose
They dont have lock washers on them
I have had several roundy round cars with headders and no lock washers with no problems
also use red high temp silicone instead of gaskets will this work in street applications?


jeffrey.palazzolo@gte.net
66 EL-CAMINO

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Racer, the silicone won't work on a street car, at least not for me. Get the fel-pro graphite gaskets and tighten the bolts with the engine cold several times over the first couple weeks and again after a month or so, it'll be OK.

Tom

I used the same stuff, nasty red sticky 3M stuff, and it never leaked. The trick is the header flange. High quality race headers have thicker flanges that are finished smooth, no ugly welded mating surface, nice and flat. If your headers are completely smooth where they mate to the head, use the high temp silicone.

A company called Stage 8 sell's locking header bolt's that are guaranteed to never loosen. www.stage8.com or 1 800 843 7836.

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Nick P.
Team Chevelle Gold #36

[This message has been edited by Narti (edited 06-26-99).]

I read all the info on the page and the words "guaranteed to never loosen" do not appear. I don't know how anyone could make that claim.

As long as there is a gasket of some kind, and it changes it's properties after a heavy dose of heat and vibration, no fastner can be guaranteed not to loosen and the headers not to leak.

The fastner may not loosen, but they don't even say that in the hype. The headers could still leak after the gasket shrinks.

Mr. Gasket sold these or the clone of these years ago, hell, they may still sell them.

That 3M high temp silicon works. I used no gaskets on my flanges, never leaked. But, the headers were "good" headers, thick flanges machined smooth.

My brother runs a little 67 nova 327 bracket racer. He too had a problem with eader bolts loosening. He tried different types and Mfgs. The allen type, etc. He used Fel-Pro gaskets.

I do work on airplanes sometimes with an A&P friend and he suggested that we get the common 6-Point types and drill the heads through on the flat to take aviation safety wire. We tightened the bolts and ran the wire through one bolt, over the header tube, twisted about 10 turns per inch and through the other head against the direction that it would loosen. The wire was twisted for one inch past the head with 20 turns and folded back on itself. Did on all tubes and never had a problem. Really, when the wires are pulled up tight to the header and bolts, they can't turn at all.

Try it.

[This message has been edited by ddoler (edited 06-26-99).]

[This message has been edited by ddoler (edited 06-26-99).]