Well, My conclusion after taking everything apart and reworking and studying it is 1) that the bend on the down pipe should be shorter 2) The flange bells need to be trimmed just a little near each stud to allow them to press up into place without pushing on the studs. 3) you need to use the iron flanges to be able to tighten them up enough.
I had to push up the back of the passenger side down pipe with a floor jack,after making up the flange, and heat the pipe just near the bottom of the bend on the front. on the driver side it was just a matter of trimming the flange and holding it up tight while making up the flange. Still when looking at the front the passenger pipe comes down off the motor further than the driver side.
Anyway, it was not easy to get the pipe to bend with just a homeowner
propane tank Was hard to get it all hot at the same time. But it is a big improvement over what I had.
Still would like to know for others sake, if this is a problem everyone is having, and if maybe a new generation of these pipes might fit better.
Here are some before and after, It was really bothering me for years, It may not be ready for a Barret Jackson chassis cam but glad it looks so much better. Pipes didn't just need to be put in place but needed to be cleaned up and polished too. At least the pipes are parallel with the rockers now.
|