Manifold to muffler pipe Clamp Question

W

warren va

Senior Member
I am having a trouble getting the repo clamp fastened to the exhaust pipe . Is there a problem with the repo clamps? Should I be looking for a decent original one?
Thanks,
Warren
 
There is a top and bottom to the clamp, one side is larger than the other.
Have you tried turning it over?
 
I also like to use a little muffler cement at the joint under the clamp to help make a good seal. Looks a little more professional than the old aluminum foil trick.
 
Im not sure about an A, but with the B, with the angled exhaust manifold, I find it works better to put a jack bottle under the exhaust pipe, and push it into place before tightening the clamp. Those clamps are not great at pulling the pipe up tight to the manifold, as they tend to bind as they are tightened.
 
Another trick is to tighten the clamp and then give it a rap with a hammer, usually you can tighten it some more after knocking it a few times.
 
I used the insert pipe with muffler cement. And a small floor jack under the muffler to get everything lined up and held in place. Then I installed the clamp, worked great, no leaks.
 
Also check to see if the muffler flange is seated to the manifold flange correctly. Most reproduction exhaust pipes do not have the correct bend in them.
 
One of our senior technical advisors in our club commented to me several years ago that the short insert pipe would not allow the movement between the bell on the tail pipe and the bell on the exhaust manifold, this degree of free movement is necessary when the engine front rises. The front motor mount by its design allows the front of the engine to rise up under certain conditions. The insert pipe then puts a strain on the exhaust manifold and could crack the manifold.
 
I used a stepped sleeve inside with a ring gasket that I made from fiberglass rope gasket used in woodstove doors. I sewed the ends of the rope together with dental floss and made it small enough so it had to be stretched over the stepped sleeve. Put a jack under the pipe to compress the gasket and then clamp. The stock clamp easily held it together and there was NO leakage.
 

Attachments

  • Exhaust seal dwg.JPG
    Exhaust seal dwg.JPG
    6.7 KB · Views: 18
  • Exhaust seal.jpg
    Exhaust seal.jpg
    6.8 KB · Views: 25
Thanks everyone for your help. I will make another attempt this evening and feel confident things will go well.;)

Thanks Again
Warren
 
the sleeves are not a good idea, for the reason mentioned above. They also restrict exhaust flow which can over heat the exhaust valves, especially #4. If your manifold is sagging too much nothing is going to get a good seal. If you have the cheaper repro muffler, the pipe needs to be bent for a good fit, and the flange needs to be expanded. You can have a muffler shop expand the flange. Or, you can get an Aries muffler, which will fit correctly without sleeves, rope or sealant, assuming the manifold is not too sagged.
 
pat in Santa Cruz is right on!!! If you do not have a quality muffler such as the Aries, the angle of the bend and the height of the flange do not allow a correct alignment and fit up to the exhaust manifold.
 
Aries also sell a better quality clamp. I bought a repo from another known vender and it was junk. The Aries is about the same price and is far better quality.
 
pat in Santa Cruz said:
...If you have the cheaper repro muffler, the pipe needs to be bent for a good fit, and the flange needs to be expanded. You can have a muffler shop expand the flange...
Click to expand...
Check out this thread:
http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66377&highlight=muffler

Pictures in post #9 show my solution. The muffler shop said that trying to expand my already heat treated flange would only split it. So they made me a new one and welded it on. $20. Hasn't leaked since in over 2,000 miles.
 
I had to take my muffler off, insert an axehandle into the flanged area, step on it and bend the pipe slightly to get it to line up. Once it did it sealed up nice.

Steve
 
B_man_Al said:
Im not sure about an A, but with the B, with the angled exhaust manifold, I find it works better to put a jack bottle under the exhaust pipe, and push it into place before tightening the clamp. Those clamps are not great at pulling the pipe up tight to the manifold, as they tend to bind as they are tightened.
Click to expand...

If you're NOT using pipe sealant, I've found that it helps to grease the inside & outside of the flare & the inside of the clamp, so they "slide" into place better when tightening the clamp bolts. Be sure to re-tighten the bolts after driving it awhile! Bill W.
 
Jack under the muffler, grease on ends, hammer tap around as it is tightened and finally repeat the sequence after driving it a bit.....works for me.
 
Take the time to remove the floor boards. It gives you room to adjust the pipe to manifold fit and provides room to tighten the bolts.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top