[Jamie @ Doug Thorley]

Originally Posted by Rat72

Jamie-
I've purchase quite a few headers recently and am amazed at how they show up and curious why companies make the decisions they do. Maybe you can help me understand. I just bought some S&P headers for my 72 K10 and was surprised at a couple of things. They are using 5/16 flanges and thin wall tubing. Is it weight or cost that sends them in this direction? Also, on the inside of one of the tubes there is an insert which looks to be used to join two pieces of tubing together. This seems very wrong to me, can you comment? They grind the weld on the ports smooth which looks killer and should be good for flow but then they leave a chunk of metal in the middle of the pipe? I'm thinking the S&Ps are more about looks than function.

Generally companies use 5/16" flanges and thin wall tubing to save money. There are some cases when a company will use lighter components for all out racing applications where the durabilty of an everyday driver is not an issue. I believe the sleeve you see is for alignment and allows the welder to have a free hand while welding the two tubes together. The sleeve itself is made of the same steel used to make welding rod. IMHO, it does cause an obstruction

I have Sanderson Headers on my Jeep and they went with thick tubing and flanges but they have a goofy weld around all the ports and you are supposed to use sealant rather than a gasket. Maybe I'm old fashioned but this seems like a leak waiting to happen. Any comments?

Ya, I have seen that. Personally, I don't like to use sealer on anything. It just makes a damn mess. This is sanderson's way of keeping the cost down. I would use a gasket regardless of this "innovation".

Had some cheap Hedman's. Nothing good there. And at the bottom of my list was a set of Flowtech. I got what I paid for on those beasts.

Everybody has there place in this market. I pound my head into the wall sometimes when people mention $160 headers but the fact is, and you said it best, "you get what you pay for". It's tough these days to make quality parts with good materials and keep it in the U.S.. We are just not willing to give in to cheap labor and manufacturing practices that are out of our direct control.

BTW, I used Thorley's on my Grand Cherokee and was very happy. Very solid, good welds and fit well.

Thanks,
Whit

Thanks Whit!!