Bending headers need opinions
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,812
Likes: 4
From: Gig Harbor Wa
Bending headers need opinions
I picked up a set of LS1 Camaro headers for super cheap and they look like they are close to fitting. I need to move the passenger's side collector over towards the car's centerline a little bit. I need to do the same for the driver's side.
My thought was to heat up and bend the primaries near the head flange. A small bend here will move the collector over quite a bit. I was thinking of laying the header on a 6" diameter or so pipe. Then heat the primaries and apply pressure on both the collector and the head flange This should stretch the metal and allow it to bend without crimping.
What do you think?
My thought was to heat up and bend the primaries near the head flange. A small bend here will move the collector over quite a bit. I was thinking of laying the header on a 6" diameter or so pipe. Then heat the primaries and apply pressure on both the collector and the head flange This should stretch the metal and allow it to bend without crimping.
What do you think?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 9,078
Likes: 7
From: DFW TX
Cruise-In VII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '07
Just cut it off and reweld on a new collector. There not that expensive. I weld one collector on this weekend and it takes about an our. The hardest part was cutting out that center piece of metal.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,872
Likes: 12
From: Waterloo ontario Canada
Originally Posted by 70 LS1
Since I can't weld, I was trying to avoid that.
Cut the collector off where is is round, not a the pipes, cut it on a slight angle and then rotate the cut off piece until the end points to where you want it to and reweld. It is really simple, takes anyone with a mig welder 15 minutes maximum and you have a nice set of headers.
Look inside this collector and you will see the joint. I did the same thing
Last edited by norvalwilhelm; Feb 13, 2006 at 02:24 PM.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,812
Likes: 4
From: Gig Harbor Wa
The problem isn't that the collector points in the wrong direction. The entire collector needs to be moved over an inch or so. I guess I could have someone piecut near the head flange after the pipes bend downward and reweld them. Just trying to avoid welding.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,872
Likes: 12
From: Waterloo ontario Canada
Originally Posted by 70 LS1
The problem isn't that the collector points in the wrong direction. The entire collector needs to be moved over an inch or so. I guess I could have someone piecut near the head flange after the pipes bend downward and reweld them. Just trying to avoid welding.
