Cracked 355 Headers | Page 6 | FerrariChat

Cracked 355 Headers

Discussion in '348/355' started by carlissimo, Feb 13, 2008.

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  1. davehelms

    davehelms F1 Rookie

    Jan 3, 2004
    4,629
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    Dave Helms
    Didnt have to look any further than down by the valve springs for the pieces of seals. The valves in this car were ready to change holes.

    Nope, never rust! I did see a Bud beer case grafted into an F-40 rocker panel repair a few years back. Nothings too good for the marque.

    Dave
     
  2. enginefxr

    enginefxr Formula 3

    Aug 20, 2007
    1,753
    S&R Exotics
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    Gary Sharpe
    Maybe the oval track guys I have built engines for aren't as big as doorknobs as I thought...
    I'll let you know when the guys at the shop get good at welding sintered iron and bronze... so we can fix the valve guides in place.
    Or maybe JB would work?
     
  3. fatbillybob

    fatbillybob Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 10, 2002
    26,292
    socal
    Don't do it. I did once and some readers mistook an apology for what was percieved as a personal attack for conceeding a mechanical point which I would not until proven wrong. This resulted in a few last jabs that I ignored. At some point you have to let it go.

    You are not a 355 guy and I'm not either. But I can comment of a few things I do know about and do SEEM to see.
    So first the facts: 1) You can sleeve (really replace tubes) in any exhaust I have ever seen by cutting out sections and replaceing parts. I know this because I have done it granted not on a 355.
    2) you can use a 355 header as a jig to cut out tubes and replace. I think QV does this. You can make a jig to do the same thing or jig to hold the header manifold flange and collector end. I did this with a 348 challenge tube exhaust because you could not buy them anymore. It worked as well as a 348c exhaust as best I could tell but no I did not dyno it.
    3) you can buy mandel bent tube pieces in aluminized steel or stainless all day long everywhere cheap. I do this all the time for my home brewed race applications. You can easily spagetti weld them with your MIG or TIG them very nicely. I have used both now I only TIG.
    4) I bet you even a garage self taught welder like me could weld the hole in any of those blown up headers. The patch will not last but it could be done and would be a waste of time for all kinds of reasons.
    5) Hot rod guys have made their own headers from these mandrel bent sections since the beginning of hotrod time. I could make a header in stainless for probably a hundred bucks not counting my time or how much my TIG welder cost. So sleeving or replacing a section is not an unreasonable task except the problem of jointing to a crappy section of OEM tube. The QV repairs and aftermarket header costs are totally within reason of what is being charged. $100 parts=3000 retail sure. My homemade rollcage cost me $400 in steel and would have cost 5000 retail. That's completely resonable.

    Here is what SEEMS to be true:
    1) nobody really knows what is happening with 355 valves and guides. There are lots of theories and not alot of data. To my knowledge there is not even any data on the number of bad headers/car or if this problem happens always to every car in the fleet. There are reversion theories, A/F upset theories and more that I can't remember or really care to understand except to be glad I don't own a 355.
    2) It seems that we are getting no reports of blown up QV repaired headers or fabspeeds, or the other I can't remember. Those cars also don't seem to blow up valveguides or valves once the new headers are in place. Do they still blow up I don't know but these fortified headers seem to do the trick but we are no closer to solving or understanding the true source of the problem.
     
  4. davehelms

    davehelms F1 Rookie

    Jan 3, 2004
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    Dave Helms
    Big as day. Electro welded seam down the side and all.

    Folks think I kidding about the crap I have been seeing in the last few years, I'm NOT. It's threads like this that propagate this crap. Want to talk about cheapening the Marque? Let this stuff go unchecked for a little while longer and it will become common place. This is the type of work being done to put cars on Ebay. I have a 2V injected 308 apart where the valve seat fell out, got hammered back in crooked and then welded around to hold it in place. Not a new one, the same old one that got banged around and then recut to about 2/3rds it origional thickness. I kid you not!

    Folks paid all the money for the 355 with the headers and the 308. Think you can get away with a quick / cheap PPI these days? Guess again, not with this fix it up for 2 bits thought process.

    Dave
     
  5. gothspeed

    gothspeed F1 World Champ

    May 26, 2006
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    goth
    +1000
     
  6. gothspeed

    gothspeed F1 World Champ

    May 26, 2006
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    goth
    #131 gothspeed, Feb 16, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  7. davehelms

    davehelms F1 Rookie

    Jan 3, 2004
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    Dave Helms
    First off, I for one never require an apology. When discussing things of a technical nature, backed by established facts there can be varied opinions. It is when someone steps up and makes a statement that states everyone is being mislead, that questions the facts themselves and the people presenting them.

    Much earlier on everyone conceeded the QV type of repair has held up and is a good value for what is recieved. There is no possible way for you to twist the words to support ND's "sleeving" statement that he already corrected and retracted. No reason to go down that road as everyone is in agreement that is was a poor choice of words. What is simple fact is that the corner Muffler Shop DOES NOT do this type of repair for a couple hundred bucks and the statement would likely hold true even if one moved the decmial point a few places.

    One can only beat a dead horse if everyone conceeds it is in fact dead. I have not reviewed the other sections this AM, maybe the insight I have been waiting for on valve guides has already been posted.

    Dave
     
  8. Llenroc

    Llenroc F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 9, 2004
    4,770
    Colorado
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    Vern

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