Ball flange question

[Brown_Muscle]

So I'm getting really tired of the header leaks from my POS BBK 351 swap headers. My question is, has anyone seen any short ball flange extension pieces, that may allow a 302 header work on a 351 car by extending them to reach a stock mustang h-pipe, like a female on one end and a male on the other? I did some searching to no avail.

[sly]

search for "header collector ball flange kit" and just weld the two pieces together to create your own extension?

[gadget73]

the other trick with those 351 swap headers is they tuck in closer to the block to put the flanges where a 302 one is. You may be better off using regular 302 headers and modding the H pipe to be longer and wider to mate to them.


For what its worth, I quit having problems with my own BBK headers when I took them to a machine shop to be milled flat. They used to pop gaskets on a regular basis. the current set has been in there for several years now without issue. I think they went in when I rebuilt the engine in 2009 or so.

[87stars_stripes]

Lemme tell you what I'm getting ready to do tomorrow. I have a mustang header that mates to my custom 2.5 exhaust. The pipe is flared just like any other H Pipe, but it leaks because the header is crushed and the flare is warped. I have a flared reducer sleeve that slides down into the pipeand makes a seal. I will be having the reducer sleeves welded to the headers so that after the exhaust is raised back up it will seat itself and mate. This is my solution to the ball/flange leak.

[packman]

You might try getting downpipes of some sort that have a 45* bend. Purchase collectors with the O2 bungs welded into them, H or X pipe, and 2 cats. Then try to fit them yourself; or do what Gadget said and get somebody to bend some pipes for ya. I believe it's better than dealing with the Mustang stuff.

I am going to see if the Doug Thorley tri-Y's for '67-'70 Mustangs/Fairlanes will work in the CV. If they fit in the engine compartment, I will attempt to piece together the rest of the exhaust with the above mentioned items. I have repaired my Mustang stuff a few times in the past several years because they hang too low and hit just about anything higher than an acorn.


Packman

[Brown_Muscle]

you have a 302 though correct? I have done a full exhaust, headers to tail pipes, but dealing with the POS BBK headers (5 different ones!!) and having an exhaust leak is annoying. It's coming from the welds too, not the flange mating surfaces.

[packman]

you have a 302 though correct? I have done a full exhaust, headers to tail pipes, but dealing with the POS BBK headers (5 different ones!!) and having an exhaust leak is annoying. It's coming from the welds too, not the flange mating surfaces.

Yes, I still have the lopo. Swapping in another engine in the distant future. Weird, because the BBK's (the 5.0L) I have are of good quality. I hope they haven't slipped in quality control.

My Pacesetters on Putter Project were good for a whole 3 mos. before I got a leak in them. I think it's either a hole in the number 3 primary tube, or as you said, a crack in the weld(s). Very annoying.


Packman

[sly]

I still like my idea of using the ball flange kit and welding up a 45 extension out of them to mate the 302 manifolds/headers to the down pipes. Hack/band saw and a little welding and done.

[packman]

I still like my idea of using the ball flange kit and welding up a 45 extension out of them to mate the 302 manifolds/headers to the down pipes. Hack/band saw and a little welding and done.

I like that idea too. However, if you're new to welding, it can be tough. My first attempt on the Malibu was difficult because after I welded the flanges and went to put the exhaust together, I found that they wouldn't match up. My pipes had moved when I tacked them together. It took a couple more times to get it half right. I gave up and had my father weld it up properly.


Packman

[sly]

true. I would have someone else weld it for me.

[gadget73]

I'm pretty sure the various long tube options have been tried, and none of them work. TO my knowledge, one set of custom longtubes exists, and one set of mid-length exists. Maybe there are a handful more but I know of no off the shelf headers other than stock Mustang shorties that fit in the engine compartment of a panther.




Another option might be to re-work the BBK headers. Just weld the damn things up yourself so they seal, then have them milled flat to deal with the warpage that will have resulted from the welding. Its not an easy option to be sure. Awful easy to blow through the tubes when mating a thin wall steel tube to a thick metal flange. Possible that brazing would be the better route, assuming that the headers wouldn't get hot enough to melt the brass out. I honestly don't know the answer to that one. Torch welding also tends to warp things more than MIG just because of the duration of the heat applied.

[Brown_Muscle]

Part of the problem with milling the flange is that they are bent inwards at the edges, and flatten as you tighten them from the inside out (I emailed this concern to BBK and that was their explanation) so milling the flanges isn't really possible... But brazing may be a good future option. I got the ceramic coated ones, and they are beginning to rust too. I really hate BBK.

[sly]

bah. best of luck figuring this one out.

[Mr.Blue]

I'm pretty sure the various long tube options have been tried, and none of them work. TO my knowledge, one set of custom longtubes exists, and one set of mid-length exists.

Cheesesteak Jim has "custom" LT's on his towncar and deuce had mid lengths on his 351 vic are the only ones i know of....

On a side note all the BBK stuff i''ve had/have is nice?..........

[gadget73]

Part of the problem with milling the flange is that they are bent inwards at the edges, and flatten as you tighten them from the inside out (I emailed this concern to BBK and that was their explanation) so milling the flanges isn't really possible... But brazing may be a good future option. I got the ceramic coated ones, and they are beginning to rust too. I really hate BBK.

sounds like horseshit to me. Seems to me you shouldn't have to rely on the bolt torque to bend the sealing surface into shape. It should fit and line up without that, and evenly torquing the bolts will just hold it. Dunno. All I know is I had mine milled, and they stopped blowing gaskets or having the bolts constantly work loose. I didnt have trouble with the welds from the tubes to the flanges though.