Just got a set of Hooker headers #2134-1. These are 1 3/4" dia. tubes, ceramic coated. They're going on Motown 220 heads with 1.5" square exhaust ports.
Problem: Hooker ports are small and irregular due to weld beads protruding into the port. Is this normal? Hooker tech line said ports are supposed to be cleaned up after welding but this obviously wasn't done.
Concerns:
1. Hooker supplied gasket is 1.375" square. Measured height of header port exceeds 1.5"- O.K. Measured width of header port is <1.25" in spots due to weld bead- i.e. weld bead obstructs flow even with Hooker gasket.
2. If I do a port match on the header, ceramic coating will be damaged. Hooker tech line said this shouldn't be a problen since coating will burn away at flange anyway due to hot exhaust gases.
3. Hooker tech line didn't know if this condition was normal. He couldn't say that a replacement header would be any better. I suspect probably not.
Questions:
1. Have you seen this problem of obstructed ports before and how did you handle it?
2. What headers do you use for 1.5" square ports- do you actually get 1.5" square in the headers.
3. Does the ceramic coating burn away at the header flange?