Fel-pro gasket VS Green gasket that comes with header.

[Tdatsun1971]

Ratsun gods,

 

Please help me out with this one. I'm ready to install my new Top End Perf. header. Should I use the green gasket they send?  Or should I use the really nice Fel-pro gasket that came with my engine rebuild kit?  The Fel-pro has the nice metal rings around the ports. The fel-pro does not have the two inside exhaust pipes split but the green gasket has.

 

Thanks for all your help in advance,

Troy

[scooter]

Use the green one, that stuff doesn't burn it's pretty rad stuff. Do youself a favor and match port it to your head and make sure your flange is flat. I bought one of those and the flange was warped. I've had mine on for a year leak free but I did have to surface the flange flat first.

 

[Tdatsun1971]

Yep, After I finished welding the outside of the tubes. It does not come welded on the outside.  I took it into our machine shop & faced the flange surface just to make perfectly flat.

Thanks for your advice.

[scooter]

I also did that :) carry on.

[datzenmike]

You'll note that the bottom bolts have a 'cone' washer that bridges across and tightens both the intake and the exhaust manifolds. To do the job effectively, intake and exhaust flanges should be the same thickness. If not, the bolt will tighten against the thicker of the two. 

[r0p0doe]

Ratsun gods,

 

Please help me out with this one. I'm ready to install my new Top End Perf. header. Should I use the green gasket they send?  Or should I use the really nice Fel-pro gasket that came with my engine rebuild kit?  The Fel-pro has the nice metal rings around the ports. The fel-pro does not have the two inside exhaust pipes split but the green gasket has.

 

Thanks for all your help in advance,

Troy

Use a Fel-pro man that one they give you is crap mine burnt up.

[banzai510(hainz)]

My Felpros dont last long. try the green one or use a nissan SSS gasket if you can find them

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Yep, After I finished welding the outside of the tubes. It does not come welded on the outside.  I took it into our machine shop & faced the flange surface just to make perfectly flat.

Thanks for your advice.

The reason they only weld on the inside of the flange is for expansion. If you weld both sides of the flange, the tubes tend to crack.

 

I would have left it alone.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

The key to fail safe header sealing is the mounting hardware. Convert all the bolts to studs, shim the header to the same thickness as the intake manifold (instead of using step washers) and use flange nuts at all locations.

 

I do like the steel ringed gaskets though. The organic ones shrink over time and harden and crack. But the lack of a center divider sucks. One way around this is to buy a 240Z gasket and cut it up to make your own 4cyl gasket. I've done this many times and it works well.

[Tdatsun1971]

Very interesting guys. Thanks for all your input.

Note: I only welded on the top & sides of the tubes not the bottom. Just trying to make it look finished. leaving the bottom of each tube should leave room for expansion. I hope! If it does crack I will just re-weld or try to find a stock manifold.

[scooter]

The green gasket needs flat surfaces or its shit, the side of my head was milled and the flange was cut flat.. As for the thickness of the flange, mine was perfect.

 

I predict one of the tubes failing first, i got a raw mild steel one, and didnt paint it because it likes to glow on hard pulls. Now it looks like its been orange and burnt 10000 times and deteriorated. When it dies ill be going to a custom stainless header or a ceramic nissan comp header.

 

Next time it comes off im going to try cutting up a 6 cylinder gasket like stroffregen said