So I pulled off my headers and exhaust for Jet Hot Coatings to apply their ceramic coatings. Now, here's what I learned and you may want to know:
(1) There was a bolt missing from the exhaust/flange on one side.
Thus, we gotta geep these things tight. May wanna check them for tightness. Jack DeRyke, The Boss Wrench, suggested putting two (2) nuts on the (3) bolts at that flange and using flat gaskets, not the round donut shaped ones. Aircraft nuts will just melt the plastic inserted in the ends of those types of nuts, so they're not recommended.
(2) One of my headers (driver's side) had carbon deposit leaking across that asbestous gasket (sealing at the heads).
So, that means we gotta check the headers connected to the cylinder heads every once in a while. It's been suggested that these be checked for tightness at least twice after installation. (So, if yours has never been checked for tightness since leaving the factory, you may wanna do that) Tightening them is not so difficult. Gotta climb in the rear trunk area, over the ZF, with a wrench and a cool engine, and just do it.
(3) My asbestous gaskets at the junction between the cylinder heads and the headers were factory original, but there was part of the gasket (it's the one long gasket about 14" - 16" by 2" to 3" wide) that was blocking the exhaust flow on a couple of the ports. The gasket was covering part of the exhaust port and blocking flow to the header. So, if you take the header off, of course get new gaskets for that, but make sure there is un-restricted flow there. Just match up the old gasket to the new gasket, and trim off the part of the new gasket that is upsetting and blocking the exhaust flow. Maybe just a little more, power, but at least you know it's done right.
These Panteras are pretty close to race cars, for better and worse, so we gotta do a little more checking of the small things than we do on our 'other cars.'
Some how, it just all seems worth it...!
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