Is there any secret to installing a slightly warped exhaust manifold? Front or back fit but the next 3 don't seem to align. I appreciate any suggestions. Next is a new manifold.

this might help
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/331880/342833.html

No real secret. Align as best you can by trimming and shrinking gland rings...you'll still probably have an exhaust leak. Or find someone with a torch, time and luck, like C. R. posted. I don't know anyone in your area that can/would do this, so you might ask the forum for suggestion.

I keep warped manifolds in case I ever have the opportunity to straighten them, but A new manifold is a wonderful thing

Tell folks there we said "hello"

You can straighten it with lots of heat and great care. But the acetylene used may make it cheaper to buy a new one or find a good original. I believe the new ones are 26-27 style.

http://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG82.html

Nick,

It really depends on how badly the exhaust manifold is warped and what your old car budget is.

The best fix is to straighten and/or purchase a new manifold.

But if your manifold is only a little warped you can get some additional millage out of it by using a non-authentic 3 in 1 style gasket. By the way -- do NOT use that with a new manifold. It allows the exhaust manifold to warp more easily because it does not use the gland rings.

Available at Lang's and other vendors.

I would suggest using a gland in the # 4 exhaust port with the hopes of slowing down future warping.

On our 1918 we ran those for years. But the manifold continued to warp until they finally no longer worked. The new manifold and gland rings have worked well so far.

See Lang's comment on the gaskets in the catalog. Good basic information.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off

At present mine has a pair of green three in one gaskets on the manifolds with five out of six rings reused from the old gaskets to help hold it mostly in alignment. I figured preventing intake leaks was important so I focused on that while I just let the rearmost exhaust sag as it had. I'll probably buy a good manifold next year.

I want need if there's a way to use the heat of the exhaust to very slowly straighten a manifold?

Not unless you can figure out a way to run the engine upside down.

I figure when I was younger I had braces which applied a small but constant force to my teeth as I grew to pull them slowly into alignment. To straighten a manifold I think you *might* be able to run a wire or something from just above the exhaust nut up to somewhere higher on the firewall and periodically tighten it. It may not work at all, but then again it might.

Perhaps a really stout spring pulling up? But I expect you'd have to keep removing the manifold repeatedly to check your progress and not go too far up. It hardly seems worth the hassle.

I was thinking a cable and turnbuckle to pull it up. I agree it wouldn't be quick or easy but it would be nearly free. Maybe some tinkerer wants to take it on.

I like Steve Jelf's idea, but heat rises and I'm afraid that it would eventually take the temper out of the spring. Perhaps if you could get springs reasonably enough, you could just replace the spring as needed. My solution was to purchase a new manifold from Lang's. No further problems.

Of course, adding a spring would probably work...in about 90 years...maybe less if you drive a lot

I made some eccentric copper crush washers, by turning these a little at a time a miss alignment of up to 3/8” can be fitted. It is frustrating to use these, but all that is needed is patience.

How about instead of using acetylene running the engine retarded and rich. That seemed to heat up my manifold to red hot. I always wondered about somehow putting a jack under the exhaust manifold or exhaust pipe and pushing up while the manifold was red hot to see if it would straighten. I've never tried it.

Folks who straighten manifolds will use a fixture and a threaded bolt to "ease" the manifold back to straight...usually the weight of a wrench hanging off the bolt is all the torque you can put on the manifold without breaking it (even at red hot)...letting the heat do the work and not force...even so, breakage is pretty high. So seriously, jacking or heavy springs while hot won't work.

Howdy, Nick. Here's how I installed a slightly warped exhaust manifold. I did not use those split gland ring and copper crush rings both of which seemed like pretty sorry affairs to me.

I used the copper/asbestos? three port gaskets. I hopefully overcame the alignment problem by machining two solid gland rings and installing them in number two and number four ports. This left the manifold slightly low at number one port and slightly high at number three.

Been working well for over a year now. Hope this helps. Bob

Scott, that's only one of the reasons I haven't tried it, though I can't say I haven't been tempted. :-) I have straightened 2 with acetylene and a flat table with a C clamp tightened VERY slowly. It takes a lot of gas. I agree you are better off buying a new one most of the time.