dawson1112

have you examined the welds on the header flange, and the collector? Possibly one of them is cracked . There is a kind of die that can be used to detect cracks in welds. I have never used it on headers but we used it when welding the fuel tanks that you see in the back of pickup trucks.

Maxwelhse

Ebay stainless steel headers. I bought mine from the now defunct "Mustang Warehouse" and they've been totally perfect with Percy's gaskets and ARP stainless bolts.

I'll also add that PLENTY if people here told me my headers where s-h-i-t and wouldn't seal. 7 years later all is fine and I've never even checked the torque. BBK = overpriced junk.

bluebeastsrt

LOL you recommend to not worry about a few bucks with the gaskets and then recommend ebay junk? Wow just wow....

js88lx figure out what your problem is before you start throwing things away because of a simple gasket leak. Start with the simple things first and work up from there. Metal gaskets are reuseable so no matter what brand name you use, percys, summit, you name it. You'll be able to reuse them if your headers are in fact the problem. But don't throw away a $300-350 DOLLAR part without confirming the $25 dollar gasket is not the problem first. like dawson said, you can look for cracks or warped flanges if the gasket doesn't cure your problem. But 99 times out of 100 its a simple gasket leak!

Maxwelhse

It didn't take long for the pundit crowd to gather, did it? 7 years and the story hasn't changed...

I'd happily show you my $200 304-SS headers not leaking any time you're in NE Indiana. BBK headers will be a pile on the floor in 7 years.

I have a camera that will take 720 HD video that I can post if that will help your bruised ego about your crappy, overpriced, headers.

Lets not forget this... If what you buy from Ebay looks like crap you can return it and get your money back. it's not 1997 anymore and Ebay has come a long way.

------------

As far as performance, my car made 195 rwhp with the "ebay" headers, Pypes exahust, SN-95 MAF, E-Fan, airbox silencer delete, and EGR/AIR delete. In a recent thread some guy that did an Explorer H/I swap made the same power with an automatic car. Sooo.......

I'm not "proud" of 195hp and that's not my point, before you go off on that tangent.

bluebeastsrt

Before you get angry think about the advice you gave. You said screw summit gaskets which are the exact same thing as the percys you are personally recommending. You then recommended that the OP trash a set of what is most likely a perfectly good set of headers for some no name Ebay stuff. The OP is probably in the same boat as you and does not have an unlimited budget. So after you thing about everything for a minute before going off half cocked. You might see things differently. Your 195HP is your business. I always advise people to build their car to their personal needs and budget. I can only assume the 195HP is what your personal needs and budget dictates. Just like the 800Whp track only toy im building suits my needs.

Maxwelhse

I never said screw the summit gaskets... I just said the Percy's are a win.... You didn't bother to post a link to the correct part # for the generic, so...?

The "no name ebay stuff" is leaps and bounds better than BBK. That is the point I was making and you can hold me to it. Swing by whenever and look at my car. iI is what it is.

Just because I'm feeling confrontational, Is your 800hp car running BBK anything?

bluebeastsrt

When I made the 10.5 second pass on the 302 it absolutely did have BBK headers and sub frame connectors. The headers are still out in the garage. I can take a picture of them and post it if you like. The sub frame connectors are welded to the chassic. And no the headers didn't leak because I used a dead soft copper gasket from summit and I torqued the header bolts in the correct order, to the correct torque spec. Now obiviousaly I'm not going to bolt the BBK headers on a $9000 dollar custom built forged Dart motor. But they did outstanding work on my H/C/I/ 200 shot stock block 302. I've included a link to my build thread just so you can see im serious. Starting on page 3 you can see the BBK headers. A page or two later you can see the subframe connectors. And finally on page 6 there is a photo of the BBK headers laying on the ground next to the 302 that I pulled from the car. I don't claim to be a master mechanic but I have done a lot of work on ford 302 winsors and the 400WHP turbo 4 banger in my old SRT-4.

https://mustangforums.com/forum/the-...ould-help.html

Js88lx

Like i said before. Iv never had issues with BBK headers. Maybe out of all 3 or 4 times iv installed BBK's it just so happens i got 1 bad header flange. My next step is to take it off and put a level to it to make sure its really flat. Iv already spent probably close to $80 maybe on different gaskets and i really feel that if i get copper or aluminum $hit will still be the same. I even doubled up the gaskets once (mr gasket) and no change at all.

bluebeastsrt

Let me ask you this? Have you determined that it's a leak based on sound alone or have you verified it's leaking with soapy water? If you put soapy water on the headers at start up there will be bubbles where the leak is. This is a cheap easy way to find a leak. (same as finding a leak in a tire).Just use a small squirt bottle like a barber uses to get into tight spots. Don't do it while the headers are hot. If your just hearing a ticking sound it could be something other than a header leak.

Js88lx

ok kool. iv been waiting for some one to give me advise on how to check them other then a visual. My leak was just under the flange since thats where i saw the burn marks once header was removed so mite be hard to see bubbles from my angle. Ill try it tho.