Ok, guys...now I'm f&%%ked!
 

After alot of problems and some creative thinking I had lightning build a set of headers for my boat. Because the existing exhaust tips were so high, the main concern was that I'd be experiencing reversion. I carefully measured the boat and sent them the numbers. Lightning tacked up a set and I paid extra to have them sent to me for a trial fit. It was a good thing that I did because one side was way off. I marked the header with the way that it would need to be changed to fit correctly. The finished header now fits perfectly. Absolutly perfect.

So what's the problem? Because of the modified header design, I have a water inlet and a outlet bung on the top of the header. When I was dry fitting the headers I CLEARLY marked where the lip for the back deck was. Guess where that bung ended up? Yep, directly UNDER THE LIP! WTF! :mad: If I cut the lip out for the necessary fittings there will be very little strength left in it. The back deck is very flexible as it is, much less with several inches cut out!

So I called Jay and explained the situation. The real fix is to cut the entire back of the header off and move it 1" twords the stern. Then the back lip will pass directly between the two fittings. Jay is NOT willing to do this. He is willing to install a horizontal bung which does nothing for it's crappy location! Plus, it'll be another month before I get the header back! I don't have a month! (which is something that he just can't seem to grasp). Argh! :mad: :mad: :mad: I have 10 months into this project and there is only one thing that is keeping it out of the water. One thing! And it's f*($%ked up! :mad: :mad: :mad:

Here is a pic showing the existing tips and the vertical lip to the back deck that I was refering to. The headers are some CMI's that I used for mockup purposes. The headers as Lightning made them cut into the lip by about 3/4" on the left side. The bung sticks up about 3/4" and is rotated 20 degrees towords the center. A AN adapter and a fitting will add a good 1-1/2" to that 3/4". Pointing the fitting down back or straight out does not solve the problem! Using a forged 90* fitting doesn't help either! :mad: :mad:

any possibility of just plugging it and having a local guy weld a new one on the side????? :confused:

Lightning has a valid point as to why is should be on top. They weld a deflector inside of the collector. This deflector is almost like a double wall header except that it's open on the transom end. Jay's point is that if the water isn't introduced near the top of the deflector, that it won't be cooled evenly as the water will just flow out the bottom. He's right. No dice, wally. :(

Cord. As long as "anything goes". Is there any way to loop the header opening forward first, then back, down, and under to the transom?

find a local welding shop,have those cut off,have a female pipe thread welded on,plug them,show them where they need to be welded back on,keep them as high as possible......or make your hatch support the in front of the dump and then notch the hatch

It's kinda hard to picture...the loop at the bottom is the cut needed to get the header to clear the lip. The "box" that is pointed up and to the right is the cut needed to clear the fitting. If the fitting is pointed forwards or backwards it doesn't reduce the cut. Mind you this back lip is only 4" high, so anything that is removed will reduce the strength dramatically.

ouch that sucks.....is a back plate on the back of the lip for added support an option ??

seems like that fitting should have been fabbed to fit without cutting into the deck support though..

iS THAT RED PART IN THE PIC WHAT YOU WOULD NEED TO CUT???.........woops sorry for the yelling! :)

Well if thats what needs to be cut out for it to fit and your concerned about strength of the fiberglass afterword.....why dont you cut it and then on the backside put a piece of angle iron or an aluminum plate for some strength? Then about all you would see is some bolt heads sticking out on the engine side.....just a thought :)

his name is Jan not Jay