Recommended Change to Help Get a Better Fit on the Side Pipes

[Papa]

Recommended change to help get better fit on the side pipes.  Instead of having the side pipes use protrusions to fit into the headers, reverse that.  In this way, the pipes could be sanded/filed down by the builder to shorten the length where they connect to the headers to allow for a more accurate fit that is more parallel to the body.

[David Carr]

This caught my attention as I'm on pack 5 and ready to install the frt inner fender panels.  I'm thinking on maybe cutting off 1/4" (?) on the engine headers so not to have this issue later.   Am I going to make a big mistake here?  The connection to the outside exhaust will hook up the same.  

[ThomasJW]

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22 hours ago, David Carr said:

This caught my attention as I'm on pack 5 and ready to install the frt inner fender panels.  I'm thinking on maybe cutting off 1/4" (?) on the engine headers so not to have this issue later.   Am I going to make a big mistake here?  The connection to the outside exhaust will hook up the same.  

I'm at the same stage and contemplating doing the same mod as you. I think I'm going to temporarily attach the side pipes with the screws to establish a reference point and then, assuming the pipes run parallel to the frame, mark the edge of the side pipe flange against the header pipes and cut them. You will then need to make sure the holes are deep enough to receive the pins on the side pipes. This is probably the place to do the mod since the headers are still relatively easy to remove and replace. It's a scary one since you don't see the results until the very final step in he build. I don't think it would be a mistake though I don't  know how accurate the non-modded pipes are to the original. It's easy to confuse comparing what may be original to how modern Cobra's and their variants are represented and at times I'm not sure which I'm trying to replicate.

[David Carr]

The holes in each exhaust tube from the engine are 5/16" deep.  If I cut the 1'4" off each tube and cut down the pins on the exhaust pipes I can still join the two.  I'm going to eventually glue the headers to the engine heads anyway and headers to pipes, just too loosie-goosie for me as is anyway.   I will admit defeat and order new parts if I screw up!