Ron,

I'm counting on a smashed knuckle-by-knuckle running commentary on your header project....I'm on-deck for that chore in the not too distant future and I'm gonna need all the sage advice I can get......

Actually, I had planned on starting already, but decided to bite the bullet and have the whole front-end & suspension done over just for piece of mind....

Unfortunately, THAT little project (ball joints, drag link, tierod, pitmans, rear spring bushings, Bilsteins, etc) forced me to embezzle from my daughter's wedding fund and the future bride's mother caught me red-handed.....It's gonna be a little while before I'm allowed back into the motorhome upgrade game.....Right now, I doubt if I would be allowed to buy your unused can of Liquid Wrench........

(sigh).......crime never pays........

Lee
'78/24'

Ron, sorry to hear that your headers do not accommodate the AIR fittings. Not happy raining on your parade, but could be a problem down the road. I don't know your state laws, but perhaps you should consider an exchange. If the Barth of your dreams becomes available, it might be difficult to sell a non-smog legal motor home. Or, if you pass into the Great Beyond, your wife will have an easier time selling it. And, smog laws have a way of creeping across the map. Or the potential buyer will not buy a non-legal motor home. For my own part, I rely on the smog test to tell me that a used vehicle is in decent running condition.

As for the splash shield on the left side, just remove the rearward bolts and tie the back end of the shield out of the way with baling wire. Go ahead, just bend it.

On the other forum, listen to LarryFR. He is a sharp guy. He and I have arrived at the same results, quite independently of each other. You know, "great minds run in the same channels". Or is it "Misery Loves Company"? Although it is pretty boiler plate hot rod stuff.

Yeah, I saw some of your posts there. I already knew your feelings on the smog devices so didn't want to say too much. Guess if I tell you I am originally from Mississippi that would serve as adequate explanation for my leanings. :-)

The splash guard had been rivited in four places (in addition to the half-inch bolts) I assume to stop it from rattling or something. Got it down to the silicone bead that is holding it on the very front and my next action was to see if it could be "persuaded" to stay to the side and out of the way.

"The Great Beyond"? Man, when I go, I have already bought the plots and reserved the backhoe to dig the hole. I wanna be buried at the controls, Barth and all! :-)

""The Great Beyond"? Man, when I go, I have already bought the plots and reserved the backhoe to dig the hole. I wanna be buried at the controls, Barth and all! :-)"
.............................................

If neither of my sons promise to love and treasure my Barth forever, I am going to have the equivalent of a Viking Funeral.


I am not a tree-hugger, but we gotta live with the smog laws, hate them though we might. Coming from a little cow town in Iowa, I suspect we share similar views on smog laws. Californ I A has trailer mounted sniffers with cameras to detect smog cheaters on freeway on ramps.

My retirement move to Arizona will take smog compliance areas into consideration when a location is selected.

OK Lee, Round 1:
Had a serious fight with the left side splash guard. Would have been a KO in about 5-minutes except for the fact that an (extra?) piece of splash guard was installed over the front bolts holding the main section in place. Hmmm, Sawz-All time. Liberated the splash guard and left side air injection system in short order. The PB Blaster must be some good stuff because none of the bolts resisted removal.

I think that removing the wheel/tire would have given adequate room to "persuade" the splash guard to move aside for access to the header. Alas, I must do things the hard way or I just don't have fun. :-)

Hey, if you'll PM me your address, I can give you my take on this thing step by knuckle-skinnin' step without boring the forum members.

ron, will you get that project finished so you can re-join the group? Gramma was slow, but she was 84 and expecting. Got to love that ron.

Hay Cuz! Wondering when you were going to throw a little salt on my knuckles.

Actually, I just came in from "piddling". Removed the 'stribbutor cap and cleaned the contacts. Actually attempted to remove the air injection tubing on the right side the proper way. nada progress. Next step, Dewalt, zzzz..zzzz..zzzz..zzzz, clang, CLEAR!

Now about that heat valve that restricts exhaust flow till she heats up on one side, do you think this is really a gotta-have? Yes, I know it'll take longer to "warm-up", but will it be tolerable?

ron, I have a muffler shop next door to our business, and I asked him about your deal. He said they are probably using a gasket that will work on several of their products. He feels as I that the main thing you should concern yourself with is how well does the gasket matches up with the flange, and the head ports. In a perfect world the header, the gasket,and the head ports would be a perfect match, and line up for smooth flow. You are not going to get that so I would want the gasket openings to match the header openings as close as possible so as to assure that exhaust flow continues right on thru and out the tube. The closer the gasket is to the exact header opening the better. It is kind of like a windshield that leaks onto the dash. You discover from the outside of the windshield looking in toward the dash a small hole, and rather than sealing from the outside you decide to squirt sealant inside the coach where the water has been dripping. Now this may stop the leak for a while but the correct way to fix is to seal on the outside. On a header you want to seal from the inside first. I know I have taken a long way around to explain, but I am sure you get the idea. In fact you probably didn't even need my input, but I like to pick on you. Any voids between the gasket, head ports, and header openings are going to invite leaks. Are you sorry you asked? Dale

[This message has been edited by DALE SMITH (edited November 22, 2003).]

That's how I decided to use the fiber gaskets that came with the headers. There was much less material in the flow path than with the copper gaskets. Also, the fiber could be trimmed to open the path more.

Now, that said, the header installation is complete. My "Test Hill" run showed an increase in HP/torque (seat-of-the-pants-dyno). The %@&*%^$# oil dip-stick tube was the most difficult item to deal with. I finally went to a parts store and bought a setup for a Chevelle to serve until I can order another one from the Chevy dealership. Managed to snap off the temp sending unit and have to replace that, but no leaks anywhere that I can hear. I will put a set of free-flow mufflers on it next.

Dale, my oil stick setup will rival the
male-male electrical cord. Access is over the right tire, held in place with wire-ties, however.....it is CROME PLATED! :-)

Lee, this is a do-it-yourself job. Only outside assistance I needed was to have the old exhaust pipes expanded where the new system ties in. You'll need an impact wrench, a good set of sockets, PB Blaster (do the clamps on the first section too) and a SawzAll. I eleminated the air injection system (SawzAll) and the heat valve in the right side. At least a pint of Peroxide, pint of alcohol (denatured) and a fifth of the other kind would be helpful. :-)

No wonder it doesn't work right, you bought a CROME, and you should have bought the CHROME one. I think you used the other fifth. SILLY!!!! Got to LOVE that ron.

Ron,

www.iespell.com

is a real good thang.

How did you end up connecting the headers to the exhaust pipes?

Did your copper gaskets block the exhaust ports on the heads? What brand were they?

Thanks Bill. I would look it up, but I kan't spel hit. :-)

The Cu gaskets had a Summit part number. I opened the pkg and laid them on the headers......bad overlap. Didn't want to wait since my engine was open to the atmosphere so I used the supplied fibers.

For the new-to-old interface, I had the old (trimmed) pipes expanded at the local muffler shop so that the header "collector piece" would slip inside them. A standard clamp is all it takes to make the connection.

BTW: that smog pump really howls without a load on it. :-)

[This message has been edited by ron (edited November 22, 2003).]