Buying new headers for the 2f

[Trollhole]

Well I'm making a pretty long trip with the cruiser this weekend and I'm having issues. Need some advice.

My headers on the 2f are shot. They leak have been bent by PO rub on the frame rail and look to have been surfaced at least once. I believe they are JTO headers.

I have tried double toyota gaskets but they only worked for a while and now are leaking again. I had to use shims on the exhast ports to even make the gaskets somewhat seal.

SO now I back to sqaure one. I've now developed an intake leak and something has got to give. I can drive it and take a chance of burning a valve or fix it right.

Time has got me though. Only two people I know of have headers I can buy and get shipped here by friday. JTO which I would rather not do ($150) or TPI which are chrome ($199). I cannot tell from the pictures whether or not the chrome is the only difference.

I've ordered a new ex-intake gasket from Napa so I'm covered there.

ANy advice on what I should do?

 

[ranger]

Get the two piece SOR headers, never had a problem with them, unlike the one piece style.
Getting them by Friday and installed, thats going to be a challange!

 

[petescoffee]

Check with Downey off road as well. Or take it to a muffler shop and let them fix it. Or how about some hi temp gasket sealer, the orange stuff. Check a machine shop for it or Napa.

 

[ken_79-fj40]

I would go with the Downey style. I'm pretty positive Marks off road sells the same one. I replaced an ancient downey header with a new one 3 years ago, and it hasn't leaked (well not at the head anyway) yet. But getting one by Friday could be costly on the shipping.

 

[Fast Eddy]

Get the two piece SOR headers, never had a problem with them,

Mine are all tweaked and leak. I'm going to pick up my exhaust manifold from the sandblaster's tomorrow.

 

[Hugh Heifer]

Aren't the Downey ones kind of the same design as the one piece JTO's?

 

[FF LC FREAK]

X2 on SOR's headers. I like mine. I also checked Downey when I was searching. They were backordered by a couple of months. That was a couple of months ago, so maybe now they are caught up?

Good luck!

 

[Degnol]

I also have the SOR 2-piece. But i think the trick is to retorque 4-5 times. After install, start and let it warm up and completely cool down and retorque. Next runit for an hour, cool down and retorque. Repeat until it does not change.
Never had a problem.

Ed

 

[Fast Eddy]

I also have the SOR 2-piece. But i think the trick is to retorque 4-5 times.

Mine were old when I got it, and were fine. I drove it for a few months before developing a leak. There ain't no more torqing in the old nuts.

 

[Degnol]

Mine were old when I got it, and were fine. I drove it for a few months before developing a leak. There ain't no more torqing in the old nuts.

If you don't retorque a header, you will have a leak. The gasket crushes and the steel in the header has much more thermal expansion than a cast iron exhaust manifold.
You can get new studs and new nutz


Ed

 

[Cruzerman]

I've had a Downey one on my FJ40 for about 15 years. No problems. That being said, I think others might also sell the same headers. I bought some from TPI about 6 years ago for my FJ60 and they look the same as the Downey one on the 40.

 

[72cruiser]

well...it's friday.

what'd you end up goin with troll?

hope you get it all installed, and the ride goes well...tell everybody i said what's up.


malphrus

 

[FF LC FREAK]

well...it's friday.

It's Friday? Huh, my calendar says Thursday. Oh well. I'd like to know how it turned out as well.

 

[Trollhole]

I ended up buying the TPI header just because of time. I've I was smart enough to do this last week I would have probably have gone with the two piece. BUt the one I bought will be a direct bolt in replacement. Thanks for the advice guys.

 

[72cruiser]

It's Friday? Huh, my calendar says Thursday. Oh well. I'd like to know how it turned out as well.

ugh...you're right. ha ha

it's been a long week. and now it just got a day longer.


malphrus

 

[FF LC FREAK]

it's been a long week. and now it just got a day longer.

D'oh! I hate it when that happens.

 

[REZARF]

Sorry if this has already been said, I didn't read all the posts, but I would double up the OE gaskets, AND use the copper based gasket sealer spray. That will give you the most "crush" area and hopefully fill in those hard to seal area's.

This is the only thing that worked for my rig, well, that and milling the head!

Rezarf <><

 

[FR3533]

troll how is that chrome tpi headder holding up, and what gasket did you use.

 

[Trollhole]

Wow this is an old thread.

Ok I guess. They have started to rust down around the bottom and they have lost their luster. But for the price I'd say I got what I paid for.

I'd recommend the Downy two piece or Marks headers or the 3fe manifolds before these though. They still started to leak after a while. But they sure were pretty for the first year. I'll try to remember to take a pic of them tonight.

 

[Downey]

After you figure out which Header to buy, and after you read all the zillions of post on a zillion different ways to gasket/seal a Header on a Landcruiser Head (that doesn't want the Header to seal at all, not enough mounting studs, uneven surfaces, etc.), you can always fall back on old faithful, it works every time;
(a) Asbestos gaskets work better than metal, or any other hard compound that does not gush down into nooks and crannies.
(b) Double gasketing seldom works at all!!!
(c) ALWAYS use "paint-on" Coppercoat. Avoid the "spray-on", which is radically watered down. Avoid copper colored adhesives that you may think are Coppercoat!!
(d) Paint all four surfaces; the Head, the Header, and BOTH sides of the gasket.
(e) When tightening, turn until you think your wrench is going to break, then two more turns. Disclaimer- if you snap a stud, not my fault, I'm not the guy that was wrenching.