Header Got Bent!
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,582
Likes: 136
From: SoCal CA
Header Got Bent!
Looks like I hit something pretty hard on the road and now I got this big *** dent on the pass side header. I was thinking the only way to fix it would be to weld a small bar or something to it, heat it up red hot and then pull it out. The header is aluminized steel with a ceramic coating. Anyone have an idea on how to repair this? Thnx guys.
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2,843
Likes: 16
From: Howell Michigan
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11
You will destroy the coating trying to heat it hot enough to allow pulling the dents out. If you are not concerned about the coating, you can always spray it with high temp paint after repairing. On off road vehicles I’ve used a sheet metal screw on the end of a slide hammer to pull exhaust dents. A hole is drilled for the slide hammer; the pipe is heated and then pulled using the slide hammer. Not pretty but it works. It might take more then one hole. The small hole is welded shut after the dent pull. Not something I would really like to do on my own Vette though.
Pro
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 654
Likes: 1
From: chandler az
I don't know if this would work or not being so far inside, but the guys who had the old tpi manifold with dings in them would push big ball bearings through them. In other words, you have to have some big *****!
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,983
Likes: 391
From: Stoney Creek Ontario
Looks like I hit something pretty hard on the road and now I got this big *** dent on the pass side header. I was thinking the only way to fix it would be to weld a small bar or something to it, heat it up red hot and then pull it out. The header is aluminized steel with a ceramic coating. Anyone have an idea on how to repair this? Thnx guys.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,582
Likes: 136
From: SoCal CA
Thnx for the ideas guys. Gonna try some of them. Hope it works. I just dont want tha trestriction now that I have a bigger cam too. Dont care if its ugly just want it out. Thnx guys. Any more ideas let me know.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,393
Likes: 17
From: Belleville Mich.
I know it would be more expensive, but really were dealing with your "baby" here. Why don't you send the pictures to the manufacturer, & see what their suggestion is in regards to a fix. They might even offer you an excellent deal to fix or replace the one header. Just a thought. Good luck.
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Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,360
Likes: 1,127
From: Dyer, IN
Looks like I hit something pretty hard on the road and now I got this big *** dent on the pass side header. I was thinking the only way to fix it would be to weld a small bar or something to it, heat it up red hot and then pull it out. The header is aluminized steel with a ceramic coating. Anyone have an idea on how to repair this? Thnx guys.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,582
Likes: 136
From: SoCal CA
Yes. Texas Speed. Theyre aluminized steel with a ceramic coating. After this Im planning to lay a nice coat of ceramic high heat silver paint. Its just a little surface rust.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,582
Likes: 136
From: SoCal CA
I know it would be more expensive, but really were dealing with your "baby" here. Why don't you send the pictures to the manufacturer, & see what their suggestion is in regards to a fix. They might even offer you an excellent deal to fix or replace the one header. Just a thought. Good luck.
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 226
Likes: 2
one of my buds has a 408 tfs 235s nitrous. blah blah. he managed to hit a ladder on the hwy at 80 mph. dinged the SHT out of his kooks. nice ding. car still runs fine. last time he went to the track he was effing with the tune on the way there. ended up dropping a plug with no spares.. car still went 10.80 on 7 cylinders motor only. so i dont think that ding is really all that big of a deal.
what im saying is, even though it looks kind of nasty, i really dont think you are going to notice much change. by heating it up and pulling on it, its still gonna be effed up and out of round. according to the photos, if those were mine, id just run em how they are.
what im saying is, even though it looks kind of nasty, i really dont think you are going to notice much change. by heating it up and pulling on it, its still gonna be effed up and out of round. according to the photos, if those were mine, id just run em how they are.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,582
Likes: 136
From: SoCal CA
one of my buds has a 408 tfs 235s nitrous. blah blah. he managed to hit a ladder on the hwy at 80 mph. dinged the SHT out of his kooks. nice ding. car still runs fine. last time he went to the track he was effing with the tune on the way there. ended up dropping a plug with no spares.. car still went 10.80 on 7 cylinders motor only. so i dont think that ding is really all that big of a deal.
what im saying is, even though it looks kind of nasty, i really dont think you are going to notice much change. by heating it up and pulling on it, its still gonna be effed up and out of round. according to the photos, if those were mine, id just run em how they are.
what im saying is, even though it looks kind of nasty, i really dont think you are going to notice much change. by heating it up and pulling on it, its still gonna be effed up and out of round. according to the photos, if those were mine, id just run em how they are.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 146
Likes: 1
From: Milpitas CA
I think if you remove the header, clamp it in a vise in soft jaws, apply some heat to the area, and drive a large steel ball through, you'll be good. But, you need to have a way to draw the ball back out, 'cause I don't think it'll pass through at the other end.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,315
Likes: 17
From: Near Jacksonville Fl.
So unless you crush it real bad it will still flow the same volume with a dent.
I'd leave it alone unless your hearing weird sounds like a whooshing sound from the exhaust.
By heating it and pulling the dent out you stretch the metal and may do more harm then good by making a bulge.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
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From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
About 4 years ago when I ran over a piece of re-bar (about 8" long) on one of Houston's freeways and it flipped up underneath and dented one of my 1 3/4" Kooks header tubes not far from the collector. The impact sent a shock wave through the steel and I immediately got a "Check Engine" light. Turns out the shock wave had fractured the ceramic element (internally) in my R/F Oxygen sensor while not actually making contact with it. Replaced the sensor and all was good.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
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From: SoCal CA