View Full Version : Headers cracked.......again
ggunter
05-27-2025, 08:11 AM
Well, this is the fourth time the passenger side header has cracked #1 tube about 3" out from the head. After the third time I looked closely at the flange and found it was warped almost .090 from the front tube to the second tube back. My friend has a machine shop and resurfaced the flange for me and I thought that would be the end of it. Nope. But it did last longer than all the other times. So this time I installed the (support) and we will see if this makes a difference in the longevity of this header. 214357
Anyone else having this issue?
OSU Cowboy
05-27-2025, 08:17 AM
My driver-side header cracked near the flange on the forward pipe. Had it repaired, put it back in, and it cracked again this time on both the forward pipe and the next one back. Got it repaired again, put it back in the car, and added the header support similar to what you have on both sides. It did appear to me that the passenger side header could potentially crack before adding these supports - about 5K miles later both sides seem to be doing fine.
My side pipes are heavy in that they have the double side stainless mufflers sourced from Flowmaster - got them just prior to them discontinuing the product.
Well, this is the fourth time the passenger side header has cracked #1 tube about 3" out from the head. After the third time I looked closely at the flange and found it was warped almost .090 from the front tube to the second tube back. My friend has a machine shop and resurfaced the flange for me and I thought that would be the end of it. Nope. But it did last longer than all the other times. So this time I installed the (support) and we will see if this makes a difference in the longevity of this header. 214357
Anyone else having this issue?
I have 7600 miles on my car now and have had no issues with the FFR headers/Gas 'n side pipes (knock on wood). I like those support brackets you have installed, if you dont me asking where did you pick those up at?
egchewy79
05-27-2025, 10:06 AM
I have 7600 miles on my car now and have had no issues with the FFR headers/Gas 'n side pipes (knock on wood). I like those support brackets you have installed, if you dont me asking where did you pick those up at?
Those supports are typically home brewed. Get a turnbuckle, a rubber exhaust hanger, some bolts/nuts/washers and some angled iron to fashion your own. I use them on my J pipes but they're also useful for the ball/flange headers to keep them from drooping over time. Darkwater customs used to make some but I believe he's no longer making parts.
ggunter
05-27-2025, 01:28 PM
Fman, The red insulators I got off of Amazon, just plain old muffler hanger insulators. Also got the metal zip ties from Amazon, however you could use a hose clamp. Got the turn buckles at ACE hardware and just made the attachment to the headers from a piece of aluminum angle. There are many pictures on the forum of this setup. I just hope it works. I have 16 thousand miles on my car, and they have cracked four times. Each repair works for about four thousand miles. I have a new set of headers from FFR as well as a new set of Gasn headers. If they crack again, I will install the new FFR headers. The Gasn headers will not fit without a bunch of body cutting which I am not willing to do at this point. I would happily sell the Gasn's for half price if anyone is interested.
gbranham
05-27-2025, 03:59 PM
Yep...homebrew supports. Got my rubber hangers on Amazon, and the rest at Menard's.
Greg
214371
egchewy79
05-28-2025, 06:29 AM
oh, and if making your own supports, put a jam nut on one end of the turnbuckle to prevent it from getting longer over time
GoDadGo
05-28-2025, 07:08 AM
How much does your engine rock back and forth?
Is the rocking motion causing the issue?
Could stiffer engine mounts help?
R. Button
05-28-2025, 07:14 AM
Do you have a support for the side pipes attached over to the frame?
ggunter
05-28-2025, 08:50 AM
I do have the side supports for the mufflers that attach to the frame as per FFR manual. I also have a fairly lumpy cam which I'm sure doesn't help the situation.
Fman, The red insulators I got off of Amazon, just plain old muffler hanger insulators. Also got the metal zip ties from Amazon, however you could use a hose clamp. Got the turn buckles at ACE hardware and just made the attachment to the headers from a piece of aluminum angle. There are many pictures on the forum of this setup. I just hope it works. I have 16 thousand miles on my car, and they have cracked four times. Each repair works for about four thousand miles. I have a new set of headers from FFR as well as a new set of Gasn headers. If they crack again, I will install the new FFR headers. The Gasn headers will not fit without a bunch of body cutting which I am not willing to do at this point. I would happily sell the Gasn's for half price if anyone is interested.
I also have fixed engine mounts, not sure if this would make any difference if you are using the rubber poly mounts? My engine definitely does not move at all. I have been really pleased using fixed mounts up to this point of driving the car.
ggunter
05-29-2025, 09:14 AM
I am curious as to how much vibration gets transferred into the car with solid mounts? i would think there has to be some vibration that makes its way into the floorboards and seat. I had considered solid mounts at one time.
Rdone585
05-29-2025, 06:32 PM
I've used solid mounts since first built in 2002. I'm happy with them. Just make sure the transmission mount is a poly mount, not a solid mount.
weendoggy
05-30-2025, 07:10 AM
First thing I'd do is get your pipes where you want them on the car, then weld that dumb ball swivel so it won't move. I've been running 4-into-4 for 15yrs without any extra hanger and no issues with any cracks, etc. jmo
rich grsc
05-30-2025, 08:00 AM
I think these pipes are just not high quality, and use too thin wall tubing
Rdone585
05-31-2025, 08:59 AM
I just took a close look at the pictures and the weld that failed. It appears the weld, after being made, was cleaned up by grinding smooth with the pipes. I helped a figure 8 driver with his cars for a few years and noticed that he always left his welds messy / never ground them to remove rough edges. I asked him why and he said, if you grind them, it weakens the weld and it is more likely to fail. He is a very good welder, much better than me, and has been racing figure 8 for more than a decade, so I expect he knows what he's talking about. To also state the obvious, if the original weld doesn't get good penetration it's bound to fail soon.
J R Jones
05-31-2025, 10:58 AM
The welding process causes hydrogen embrittlement. The welded area is more susceptible to cracking after welding. Let the weld cool in air, I would not water cool it.
As stated above, do not grind the weld bead. If subequent cracks are in the weld, consider more filler rod.
jim
I am curious as to how much vibration gets transferred into the car with solid mounts? i would think there has to be some vibration that makes its way into the floorboards and seat. I had considered solid mounts at one time.
I don't have anything to compare vs. poly mounts but I have experienced zero vibrations that I am aware of. Knowing myself if it was a vibration issue I would have been annoyed by it now. I also know of a couple other local Cobra builders running solid mounts with no issues. It will drop your engine down approx 1/2-3/4". And I also did go with a poly mount for the transmission. If your engine is flexing/moving with poly mounts this definitely would not help the cracking issues you are having.