View Full Version : Side pipe and body opening?
hd91lowrider
03-17-2012, 11:36 PM
I have the MK4 with a 347 stroker, 4 into 1 headers and side pipes. As many people have stated, the body opening sits lower on the d/s so you cant fit the side pipe to header. I have read all the threads on this situation. I am not looking for the reason why this is happening, just a solution to fix it. Does anybody make a beveled gasket between the header and the head? Thanks guys in advance and looking forward to hearing back.
michael everson
03-18-2012, 05:34 AM
How far off is it? I had one that was 2 inches off. I ended up milling a 5 degree bevel on the head side of the header. I spent hours trying to resolve it with no luck. It was my only choice.
Is tilting the engine out of the question? that or lowering the engine are your only 2 choices if its way off
Mike
hd91lowrider
03-18-2012, 02:07 PM
Mike, it's about 1 inch to 1 1/4 tops. I have to check with my engine builder to see if he can mill the header like you did. If not, I'm thinking about doing the cardinal sin and cut the body opening. I placed tape were it would have to be cut to make work and didnt look that bad. It's hard to tell the difference since these car sit so low anyways. Thanks again Mike and I'll let you know how I make out.
Jeff Kleiner
03-19-2012, 05:56 AM
hd,
It seems you are aware that there have been a few of reports of trouble in this area lately. When someone like Mike has problems it is clear that the issue lies with hardware and not the installer. It sounds like you have done your research but just to be sure let's make certain that you have tried a couple of things 1) Install the front splash panels before doing final sidepipe and cutout fitting. Getting the lower part of the body in final position can change the relation of the cutout to the pipes. 2) Try rolling the engine in the slots on the mount pedestals to bring the PS up/DS down. Just an 1/8" at the mounts makes a tremendous difference at the end of the headers. FWIW I built an early Mk4 with the BBKs and there were no issues with fit. The number of reports of problems recently make me think that something has changed either with the headers or the pedestals on the chassis.
Good luck and please let us know how it works out.
Jeff
michael everson
03-19-2012, 08:01 AM
1.25 is a lot to cut. You will notice that. Also your side pipe hanger will not clear the chassis
if you mount the pipe that high.
Mike
AJ Roadster NJ
03-19-2012, 09:08 AM
Just want to chime in with another voice to echo what Jeff said, it is important. You have to evaluate your openings with the elephant ears for the front wheels in place. Because those ears push the fender out substantially, and because the sidepipe is pointed down at about a 45° where they go through the cutout, the installed ears effectively open up clearance at the top of the cutout. They open up clearance a bit in front as well, but mostly on top.
frankeeski
03-25-2012, 06:35 PM
My MkIII looked as if it would never line up when I first put the body on. The first step I did was as Mike and others have suggested, install the inner fender aluminum (elephant ears). That helped but mine was still high on the drivers side and a bit low on the passenger side. At the suggestion of Cannonball Cobra, I loosened up the motor mount bolt on each side and shifted the engine a bit down on the drivers side, this is within the slots of the motor mount flanges. It honestly didn't appear as if I had moved it at all but the drivers side came down a bit and the passenger side up. I still had to trim the opening a bit but it was not as bad as I would have though.
I have a mark IV and have the same issue with the headers. In my case it's a Ford FE.1196311964
Tony Zullo
10-24-2012, 03:57 PM
One think i have seen is that a lot of people are not leveling the motor and not centering side to side you need to find out if the tranny is centered in the mount ...
One think i have seen is that a lot of people are not leveling the motor and not centering side to side you need to find out if the tranny is centered in the mount ...
I wish that were the case. I was able to even out the collector location relative to the body only by tilting the engine to the driver's side. Also the pipe is to far forward on both sides. No amount of leveling or centering of transmission will fix that.
edwardb
10-27-2012, 08:59 AM
Can't disagree there seems to be a problem. I'll be interested to see how it works out on my Mk4 build currently underway. But I will add encouragement to try rotating the engine by loosening the mounts as described. It really takes only a little movement to change the location of the pipes. On my Mk3 build, I had about 1-1/2 difference in height side-to-side at first. Loosening the mounts and hoisting up while rocking it over helped some. I added about 1/8 inch to the slot on the PS side, and that got it just right. 2 inches or more as Mike (and others) experienced is a lot though...
As far as position of the outlet in the header compared to the body cutout, be sure you're checking with the actual side pipe. The side pipes curve quite a bit right before they come out of the body. The opening will be somewhat behind the header outlet. Not saying you don't have an issue, perhaps, but if it were exactly centered on the hole, the pipes would hit the back of the cutout. Also remember the cutouts from the factory are purposely undersized so you trim to fit.
Tony Zullo
10-30-2012, 10:22 AM
If you try to fit the header up first and see were the cut out lies.then trim accordingly to fit if you have a prob,,send me a pix with the header on thanks
tony.zullo@factoryfive.com
If you try to fit the header up first and see were the cut out lies.then trim accordingly to fit if you have a prob,,send me a pix with the header on thanks
tony.zullo@factoryfive.com
Tony - Thanks for chiming in. I've already reached out to F5. While I don't have the final solution yet, the responses have been good.