Sagging exhaust pipes

[gofastoldguy]

What to do about the loosening of the exhaust pipe at the header downpipe? It's a swivel joint and I cannot keep it from swiveling downwards after tightening as much as I can. I am at the point where I will TIG weld the connection in several places and worry about removal later. Any suggestions?

[riptide motorsport]

I;m not sure I understand the question. Are you using J pipes?

[gofastoldguy]

This is the intermediate pipe between the header and the collector on a small block roadster...it swivels when loose.
Bill

[Jeff Kleiner]

I have 4 into 4 headers so don't have any personal experience with the ball flange "J" pipes although others have reported the same issue you have. Darkwater Customs makes a front hanger that is supposed to stabilize it:
http://www.darkwatercustoms.com/cart.php#ecwid:category=185912&mode=product&product=474200

Again, I have not used it myself but am just making you aware of a possible solution.

Good luck,
Jeff

[JimmyZ]

Double nut the studs.
Jim

[Pierre B]

As I see it, these pipes hang from the exhaust manifold ball connections and, whenever these roadsters go over sizeable bumps, the jostling of the vehicle puts a substantial twist on that ball joint. That can make the pipe assembly sag at the rear. I have that Darkwater Custom set of hanger brackets and, though they help some, they do nothing to support the rear those heavy side pipe assemblies. The DWC brackets actually support the base of the J-pipes or catalytic converters. Using a shorter rubber hanger under the cockpit floor might help, but I haven't found one that could do the job. In a world full of rubber (exhaust) hangers of all description, it should be just a matter of finding the right one. Maybe I could just cut one from the sidewall of a used tire or something. I'm just thinking out loud here, on the chance that someone here has already tried something like this.
DWC hangers have certainly helped, but I still find that driving this car quickly over rough roads pounds it enough to shift the exhaust mounting points. I don't do that, of course, but my son who helped me build the car... Well, I must talk to the boy. He and I are the only ones who drive this beast!

[billybobracing]

I used the DWC hangers on my J-pipes and they haven't sagged in 1500 miles.
Cheers,
Bill

[patpur]

I have them on mine too and they seem to do the trick.

[gofastoldguy]

Thanks guys for all the suggestions...I recently disassembled the ball joint J pipe, pulled the studs and cleaned up the threads. I used my floor jack to place the header in the correct level position and tightened the nuts on the studs. I then double-nutted the stud. I have driven it around and hit a few bumps to make it move but nothing yet. I can tell you that if it happens again out comes the heliarc. I really don't care for the look of the Darkwater apparatus...I would rather tack weld and grind later if necessary. Thanks again to everyone.
Best regards from Arizona
Bill

[patpur]

If that doesn't work for you consider the hangers, you can't even see them. I'll post some pics for you so you can see what I'm talking about.

[Bobasaurus]

My ball and socket joint did not match perfectly when the side pipes were at the correct height. I had to trims the socket on the j-pipes to correctly match the headers and have had not trouble with sagging pipes in years.

Best of luck,

Bobby

[patpur]

Here's a pic for you. Almost impossible to see once they are installed. Sorry for the shoe in the photo.

[Richard Oben]

Parts stores sell exhaust hangers, run them from the 3/4 tube to the J pipe just inboard of the 4 port. No one will see them and they are rubber on one end. The spec cars use them all the time. Work great and no more sag issues. HTH, Richard.

[gofastoldguy]

Thanks again gents. I found an more simple cure. I bought two Nord-Lock washers (nord-lock.com) for under the nuts and haven't had a problem since. Check out their video on the washer. They are immune to vibrations... Thx again
Bill Bryan

[patpur]

My biggest problem in that area is not the hangers, mine came with the DWC Hangers. Mine has been a couple of the bolts that attach the sidepipe to the downtube. Very hard to get to with any kind of socket or wrench I own. I'll get a few of those NL washers and see if they keep things in place.