ERA Sidepipes fit

ERA Tom · #1 (**permalink**) 03-29-2004, 07:59 PM

Hello all. Has anyone had to trim the length of the ERA FE Primary pipes to make the sidepipes fit? I got my ERA sidepipes (mild steel) today. The right side pipe sticks out from the rocker about 3 1/2" and the primary pipes are all the way into the sidepipes. The rear hanger holes are off by a couple inches as well. The only thing I can see to do is shorten the primary pipes, although there is no mention of needing to do this in the manual. The lefthand sidepipes had some damage to the ends that I must have repaired before I can install them to see how they match up. Any advise is appreciated. Thanks, Tom.

Jim Holden · #2 (**permalink**) 03-29-2004, 08:08 PM

Tom:

Something doesn't sound correct. The side pipes always are a bit of a bear to get on; a veritable wrestling match. My suggestion would be to call ERA tomorrow and ask to speak with either Doug or Richie in the finish shop. They put them on all the time and if anyone knows how they should go they do.

Jim

CJ428CJ · #3 (**permalink**) 03-29-2004, 08:33 PM

Tom,

Sounds to me like you either have the side pipes on the wrong sides or the primary pipes (header pieces) on the wrong side. You can tell the left side pipe from the right because the short portion before the pipe curves towards the back of the car is different. The left side is very short (6 inches) before it curves back. The right side is slightly longer (8 or 9 inches?) and has another curve downware before it bends towards the back of the car. Similarly the primary pipes are different lengths. The left primary pipes are longer than the left. The way they're numbered is a bit confusing because they're not numbered to match the cylinder numbers.

Chris

CJ428CJ · #4 (**permalink**) 03-29-2004, 08:39 PM

Tom,

Two more things I just thought of. Make sure your primary pipes are loose as you try to slide the side pipes on. If you have them bolted up tight to the engine the side pipes may not slide on as far. Also, did you weld the bolt tabs on to the sidepipes and primary pipes or did ERA do that for you? I welded my own on and I originally had one of them off by about 1/8 of an inch. That caused the tab on the primary pipe to butt into the tab on the side pipe rather than slide past one another.

Chris

USrowboy · #5 (**permalink**) 05-02-2004, 07:52 AM

I had ERA weld the tabs and rear attachments on. They were a bear to get on, yes. But they did, and the tabs on the primaries may need to be twisted just a hair to get them to slide next to each other.
But once that was done, a rubber mallet did the trick. A little WD40 helped the process too.

hope it helps.

mr0077 · #6 (**permalink**) 05-02-2004, 08:03 AM

well, I guess I'm in the minority, I set my side pipes where I wanted them in relation to the rocker and trimmed a ring off each (all eight) primary pipes...no more than a half an inch on the longest one, though...I guess it wouldn't have looked too bad if I hadn't trimmed them, though.

TampaFla · #7 (**permalink**) 05-02-2004, 08:30 AM

Thought I understood up to "the left primary pipes are longer than the left..." Hope this was supposed to be "the left (is longer).....than the right..." . Just fitting them to the motor now (351W) so any metal cutting can be done before they're ceramic coated. Not even trying to fit them to the side exhausts, but, obviously, don't want to "adjust" (cut) them wrong. One header (left?) is definitely taller (longer) than the other (about 1") sitting side by side. Both have the front & rear pipes the same shape and position with the two inner pipes reversed (one header has the second pipe routed outside (3rd pipe inside) the other header reverses this. Hope the "left" side is the taller (longer) header (also bends slightly further rearward (1/2").

PatBuckley · #8 (**permalink**) 05-02-2004, 08:53 AM

Minor trimming is allowed to get the sidepipes even from the body.

I have found that installing the sidepipes onto loose primaries results in leaks at the head as you then can't properly tighten the primaries at the head....

Pat

427Aggie · #9 (**permalink**) 05-02-2004, 09:34 AM

Lets put it bluntly..ERA Sidepipes are a bear to get on!!!

Now that being said really don't understand what you mean by primary pipe? I assume you are talking about the headers...make sure you have them in the right position and yes you can get them mixed up.

What I had changed on my pipes were the tabs for the bolts...rather and trying to get them lined up and then just using the bolt to hold them together we faced the tabs at each other and then run a longer bolt through them and suck them together...gets a really good seal that way and its a 1 person job to put them on now.

Matt