header cracks

[datquick6]

just before i was about to put turbo back in i decided to check for cracks...did one of those air hoses to exhaust system trick and sure enough i feel a huge crack on the driver side...
i know they are always for sell on here.
so my question is..is there a certain point when they should not be rewelded? or
is it worth upgrading header. how far wil stock headers get you...im not going for an all out race car but if its worth the money to upgrade might as well go for it..

any tips to taking headers off??
and if the driver side header had a crack does this mean its most likely the passenger does 2..dnt want to take it off if i dnt have 2...

any suggestions would be apreciated??

 

[Onalky87]

Seems like it's almost always the drivers side. The stock headers will take u well into the 10s. (550whp ish).

Now just Bc stock will take u that fast, does that mean aftermarkets won't help u or me on our setup? I have no idea. Ive heard performance headers can cause more lag in slower cars

 

[GullsGN]

just before i was about to put turbo back in i decided to check for cracks...did one of those air hoses to exhaust system trick and sure enough i feel a huge crack on the driver side...
i know they are always for sell on here.
so my question is..is there a certain point when they should not be rewelded? or
is it worth upgrading header. how far wil stock headers get you...im not going for an all out race car but if its worth the money to upgrade might as well go for it..

any tips to taking headers off??
and if the driver side header had a crack does this mean its most likely the passenger does 2..dnt want to take it off if i dnt have 2...

any suggestions would be apreciated??

Re-use the header. Every stock header cracks at the same spot. If someone has not had there header welded, then they have not checked it very closely, because it will be cracked. It is usually only the driver side. You would not see any gain from aftermarket headers unless you were going faster than 10's, and most of the time actually hurts performance. If you want some bling, have them ceramic coated.

 

[we4Mateo]

x2, my driver side header has been repaired and abused for 2 seasons now and it's great.

 

[Bruce Urie]

Hmmmmmm. I just went out to the garage to check on my driver side header after reading this....of course it's been discussed about 1000 times here on the board, but for some reason I have been forgetting to check (old age, maybe?)

Dammit!! My driver's side header IS cracked right where all of you told me it would be. Now that's something ELSE I've got to take apart and get fixed!

Jeez! When will this ever end? Is it possible to drive a Grand National for at least ONE WEEK without something having to be fixed? Ah, for crap's sake.


Just added this repair on my Grand National "GOTTA TO BE FIXA" list. (it's now above 12, the number last on the list) Can anybody top this? I hope not.

Bruce '87 Grand National

 

[Onalky87]

Hmm havent checked mine sense this time last year...uhh ohhh. I'm gunna check tomorow morning. Why do I have a feeling I'm in for a dissapointment. How much is it to get something like that welded usually

 

[Bruce Urie]

Make sure you have nothing in your hands when you check your header for cracks. The body has a tendency to want to throw things when presented with bad news.

As for price, I have no idea. But I would ask Scott here on the board what he charges. He said he does the welding on these headers. (he sells the LED tail lights for our cars) I would trust him to do it right. It's where I'll probably send my header to, but the max costs will probably be in shipping.

And be ready to loosen bolts that have not moved since 1987. I see lotsa fun in the future for us.

Bruce '87 Grand National

 

[Onalky87]

And be ready to loosen bolts that have not moved since 1987. I see lotsa fun in the future for us.

Bruce '87 Grand National

Ugh. I forgot about that. maybe I'll just wait till march and let Otto fix it while he's doing my new h/c combo

 

[scot w.]

Make sure you have nothing in your hands when you check your header for cracks. The body has a tendency to want to throw things when presented with bad news.

As for price, I have no idea. But I would ask Scott here on the board what he charges. He said he does the welding on these headers. (he sells the LED tail lights for our cars) I would trust him to do it right. It's where I'll probably send my header to, but the max costs will probably be in shipping.

And be ready to loosen bolts that have not moved since 1987. I see lotsa fun in the future for us.

Bruce '87 Grand National

PM sent!

We have been welding these drivers side headers for years and have not had one person come back and say it cracked again. Just let me know if you need it done..

Scot W.

 

[RegalT-type85]

My welder cut my flanges, he owned a GN(new alot of tricks/tips) He told me they crack due to expanding/compressing back, something along those lines. He cut 1-2cm of the flange off back in 06. I never had cracks after, I'm a hotair but should work for you guys.

 

[meanchicken]

The more you thrash on it, the more frequently they will crack.
Both of mine are currently cracked.

Driver side at the joint between the 3 and 5 and passenger side #2 at the flange.

Hey Scott....how much you charge for one of your weld treatments?
Can you post any pix?

 

[Guess]

An easy way to check is to take off the crossover pipe and use a light from above while looking into the open pipe from the bottom.

I saw a bunch of little cracks where light was coming through around the middle pipe on the header when I was putting on a new crossover. I mig welded it pretty good. I'll check in a couple of months to see how it's holding up.

 

[GullsGN]

Hmmmmmm. I just went out to the garage to check on my driver side header after reading this....of course it's been discussed about 1000 times here on the board, but for some reason I have been forgetting to check (old age, maybe?)

Dammit!! My driver's side header IS cracked right where all of you told me it would be. Now that's something ELSE I've got to take apart and get fixed!

Jeez! When will this ever end? Is it possible to drive a Grand National for at least ONE WEEK without something having to be fixed? Ah, for crap's sake.


Just added this repair on my Grand National "GOTTA TO BE FIXA" list. (it's now above 12, the number last on the list) Can anybody top this? I hope not.

Bruce '87 Grand National

Err, sorry, Bruce? But, look at it this way, by the time you get to number 12, your car will be so nice that you will want to take off the other header and get them ceramic coated...oh, wait, that means more money. Sorry, again, Bruce:biggrin:

OK, so to make up for the tip that cost money here is a tip for the newer guys, that won't cost anything and fix what you thought might be expensive: That noise you hear coming from the dash or lower window area, when you hit a bump (especially in colder weather) is not the dash or the windshield. Open the hood and put a little grease or oil from your dipstick on that little round bumper near the middle of the windshield. Noise gone.

 

[Roger]

I have a set ordered from the GS club. Supposed to flow more than others & ceramic coated.

Buick GS Club of America

 

[jasjamz]

I have a set ordered from the GS club. Supposed to flow more than others & ceramic coated.

Buick GS Club of America

How much were they?
The dues to that club seem to be $240 a year correct? Guess you have to be a member to get any type of discount.

 

[snackpak1]

Hummm ....ok I have a question. My drivers side header was cracked & I had it welded only to discover the flange was warped. It will not seal using ANY make of gaskets. Is there any way to fix it or is it a paper weight now?

 

[BIGPSI]

use a adjiustable wrench on the flange. close it real small so it slips on the flange then lightly tweak it outward till it seals up. thats how i fixed mine

 

[scot w.]

The more you thrash on it, the more frequently they will crack.
Both of mine are currently cracked.

Driver side at the joint between the 3 and 5 and passenger side #2 at the flange.

Hey Scott....how much you charge for one of your weld treatments?
Can you post any pix?

Depends on how bad it is and if it has already been welded.. Some I have done for $50 and some were near $80 all depends on how bad it is = Amount of work involved.


Scot W.

 

[bmackinnon]

Hummm ....ok I have a question. My drivers side header was cracked & I had it welded only to discover the flange was warped. It will not seal using ANY make of gaskets. Is there any way to fix it or is it a paper weight now?

Any machine shop can resurface it flat.... cheap...:wink: "I" wouldn't be trying to straighten it with an adj. wrench...

 

[Turbo Loyd]

I always true up the flanges with a minimum 3 inch wide belt sander, cuts down on leakage a lot.