[guss,guss]

 OK. i never see anyone writing about using one of these crush type exhaust gaskets. i know i cant be the first one to think of it.  so, can anyone tell me why this wont work? or will i have to be the first one to try it? it seems to fit nicely and i'm planning to do the bailing wire and exhaust ring trick.
 thanks.

[ace.cafe]

It might work for you.

I don't know anyone who ever needed one.

[cafeman]

OK. i never see anyone writing about using one of these crush type exhaust gaskets. i know i cant be the first one to think of it.  so, can anyone tell me why this wont work? or will i have to be the first one to try it? it seems to fit nicely and i'm planning to do the bailing wire and exhaust ring trick.
 thanks.

The emphasis is on "crush" which would require you to be able to draw the pipe into the head and crush that ring for it to seal as designed. With the clamp and safety wire youre using you'll only be keeping the pipe in place, but it won't crush the seal. You could try a rubber mallet and after its all assembled give the pipe a few whacks to imprint the seal to the pipe. 

[dginfw]

The header pipe has a slight taper, so it has to go far enough into the head to get a good seal. The gasket *might* keep the pipe from fully seating in the head, but thats just a half assed guess on my part

[Ice]

 The pipe is a friction fit in the head by design.

 Putting a crush washer, or anything else, in moves the pipe out that much and  reduces the pipes contact patch with the head.

[guss,guss]

that all makes sense.
 next weekend when i re do the top end and i get to the part of the exhaust, i'll try to dry fit my pipe in the new head. maybe it'll fit better on this one.
 i'm just trying to get instant results without having to shim, then test, re shim, test again, then end up using silicone and wait 24hrs. crawling around on my hands and knees for half a day is no fun.

[cafeman]

that all makes sense.
 next weekend when i re do the top end and i get to the part of the exhaust, i'll try to dry fit my pipe in the new head. maybe it'll fit better on this one.
 i'm just trying to get instant results without having to shim, then test, re shim, test again, then end up using silicone and wait 24hrs. crawling around on my hands and knees for half a day is no fun.

Eh, you might get the exhaust right the first time, perfect, but then youll have to pull the exhaust to fix something else!  Doing things multiple times before "its" right just means  the whole bike, at least for me. Never fails! 

[Ice]

that all makes sense.
 next weekend when i re do the top end and i get to the part of the exhaust, i'll try to dry fit my pipe in the new head. maybe it'll fit better on this one.
 i'm just trying to get instant results without having to shim, then test, re shim, test again, then end up using silicone and wait 24hrs. crawling around on my hands and knees for half a day is no fun.

  Exhaust paste in a squeeze tube. 

 One of a half dozen of the same type.

 The paste is mostly diatomaceous earth and silica mixed with sodium silicate.
Old school simple, cheap, effective, won't burn up, lasts indefinitely and you can ride the same hour. 

 Scrub the carbon from the exhaust pipe recess in the head and from the pipes exterior with stiff brush and evaporative solvent.
 Knead the tube well to completely mix the ingrediants before use, coat the recess and the pipe. Drive the pipe home with a wood or rubber mallet, wipe off the excess.

 Give it 10-15 minutes to dry to the touch then start the bike and let it idle till normal temperature is reached. Shut it down to let it cool a bit while you go get your gear on. This sets and bakes the sealer hard.

 Fire it up and go ride.

 * Boilermakers, furnace and kiln repairman will recognize this.

[guss,guss]

 the repair paste is another option. i just wonder about the situation cafeman brought up, about needing to take it apart again. i don't know how that paste would clean off for a re do. I'll keep it in mind. but I'll try the wire only first, then go from there.

[Ice]

 It has given us no problems to date.

[ace.cafe]

I have built more Bullet engines than anyone on here, and I believe that the beer can shim method is the best overall fitment method for loose fitting header on a Bullet.
No mess, no fuss, easy to take off and put back on, seals well.

[Ice]

 It's a way.

 For oversize ports or undersized pipes a person can also try gently expanding the pipe in steps if needed with a decent reverse collet exhaust pipe expander. to regain interference fit.

[cafeman]

Not sure what headpipe you're using, but with the Hitchcocks sweptback the pipe has to be secured somehow to the head. The bracket is not strong enough to keep the pipe from moving in/out slightly whether shimmed tight or not. It needs to be securely fastened somehow to the head to prevent movement in/out, which the method Im using prevents. And it's shimmed as others have done. No movement, no leaks. Other headpipes may have strong enough brackets to prevent movement, and with the shimming all is good.

[Ice]

Cafeman you bring up some good points.


Submitted: the sealing method to be used is the one the application dictates.

Pipe loose in the head ? expand it an/or shim it.
Pipe fits fits but leaks ? paste or silicone.
Pipe sort of fits ? whichever gives the best odds of success.