Duff Headers won't fit

[JAFO]

Just started trying to install some James Duff ceramic headers. For the price you would expect them to slip into place. Nope. Bolt holes on the rear on both sides are off by about an eighth. Laid the gasket on the header and it is very obvious things are off. Very disappointed. Metal doesn't give that much.

Would you file out the hole until all the bolts will screw in? I hate to have to do this to these, but I don't see any other way. Short of trying to ship them back. That would be a pita to deal with. I'm just plain pissed right now. I would really be cussing if the truck body was in place. I can't get them on and I'm sitting on the tire working. Man.

 

[okie4570]

Call them in the morning and see what they say.

 

[JAFO]

Well, I carefully did some filing and grinding with my dremel and got the holes open enough so the headers would bolt up, but I have to say I would not have bought these headers if I had known they would have been this difficult to install. My first experience with James Duff products and I am not impressed.

Also, the installation instructions with the James Duff exhaust system are very lacking and a bit wrong. They show the exact opposite muffler in the instructions, meaning the inlet and outlet are backwards as they describe. They do have some note saying muffler might vary or some such. Not very good documentation. And they have provided various hangers and some kind of rubber grommets, but do not explain or show a drawing how they are to be installed. I thought it would be fun to buy a complete system and install it myself, but fun installing their system is not the word that comes to mind. Better documentation would provide a different experience, but wouldn't change the fact the headers didn't slide in. I still don't have the pipes installed. Almost, I have the ends welded that fit to the headers, but I need to call them and find out the intent of the hangers and grommets.

 

[treihesse]

All header flanges warp a little during welding. Mine needed a little massaging too. Wh shorty header

 

[JAFO]

When I shell out my hard earned money I expect better quality. They should have some jig they drop in that verifies the holes line up after they finish their welding. My body is off, so it was no where near as bad as it could have been.

 

[suthernboy]

When I shell out my hard earned money I expect better quality. They should have some jig they drop in that verifies the holes line up after they finish their welding. My body is off, so it was no where near as bad as it could have been.

X2 JAFO -- You shouldn't have to grind a header flange to get it to fit a 302. These days I'm somewhat shocked when a part or assembly I buy does fit perfectly and the instructions are clear and complete. Really good quality has become the exception rather than the rule and we should celebrate it and the vendors that provide it....and conversely, we need to call out the shortcomings (even if its a normally excellent outfit). They can't correct it if they don't know about it.

 

[savage]

I agree it hard to find new part that don't need to be altered.(Really good quality has become the exception rather than the rule) so true!!!!

 

[pbwcr]

I have those damn things. Mine install but the order of putting on the bolts matters. I forget the order so it always a huge pain to stumble on the sequence. I went to the auto store and bought the allen/hex heads for the ones at the back And that helped a bit.
Opening the holes for the ones I had the most trouble with did help.
Good luck

 

[Joker11]

Nope. Nope. Nope. Good headers slide right on. I got a set of Doug Thorley Tri Ys and had them stripped of chrome and jett hott coated before I ever even tried them on my truck. They were EXACTLY perfect. Anyone selling a header for a motor should not expect the end user to modify it. Especially AFTER is has been coated. Now you will have a spot where rust will propagate from.

 

[treihesse]

I don't feel any of the vendors make subpar products and most of the headers are made for them. If you want a super high quality header they start around 600+. The only way to not warp them is to tig weld stainless steel by hand. I get where you guys are coming from I'm sure JD would have sent you a new set if you asked

 

[Monster Mike]

Sorry for your troubles JAFO. We stand behind our products 100% Our supplier for our headers has been pretty spot on for 20 years. Tomorrow I will go out and check the other headers for fitment issues to see where the problem is.

I'll also look into the install instructions for our exhaust system and see what I can do to make it more user friendly.

Michael

 

[OkieAggie]

Glad Duff's chimed in here! As Okie said, call them. If they don't know there's a problem, it can't be rectified. I've haven't bought from them in over 20 years but back in the day Duff's were top notch folks.

By the way, which headers were they?

 

[treihesse]

There still top notch people and still make great parts.

 

[Tiko433]

I bought the same headers back in the fall. No fittment issues , slid in as instructed and no bolt hole alignment issues. Coating is holding up, they still look good. But the muffler kit .... The instructions could use some updating and maybe make the pipes.

 

[suthernboy]

Sorry for your troubles JAFO. We stand behind our products 100% Our supplier for our headers has been pretty spot on for 20 years. Tomorrow I will go out and check the other headers for fitment issues to see where the problem is.

I'll also look into the install instructions for our exhaust system and see what I can do to make it more user friendly.

Michael

Now that's the way it's supposed to work....kudos to JAFO for sounding-off and to Duff's for listening.

 

[JAFO]

OK, sorry for starting this rant. I called Duff and they were concerned regarding the headers. They said they would look into the situation for the next guy. And their support guy walked out and looked at their exhaust install to tell me where stuff went, because he wasn't sure either and he admitted the instructions were a bit lacking. Duff does seem like a very good company. But my first experience has been a tough one. And I really do not want to deal with trying to return something like a set of headers. Shipping costs are killing us these days. I've resigned myself to the fact I am going to pay high shipping costs to get stuff. But I don't want add on shipping costs.

I like the way the headers look. I do hope they hold up. I am still trying to make all the pipes line up correctly. The mufflers are different than what the instructions show. My muffler exit should be out the middle, but these cherry bomb mufflers in the kit definitely show a flow arrow pointing to the exit pipe that is on the side and the inlet is in the middle of the muffler. So basically the mufflers in my kit are exact opposite from the muffler in the instructions. And this does seem to throw the pipe bends off a bit. I am wanting to make my own roll bar, so maybe it's time to go to Northern for that pipe bender and then I can put some slight bends in these exhaust pipes. It won't take much tweaking to get them to fit. (EDIT: Found out the Northern Bender does not work with exhaust pipes. It collapses exhaust pipe so I will maybe take my pipes to a shop once I figure out what bends I need).

Anyway, I'm done with this thread. Thanks for the comments and suggestions.
In the future I will contact the vendor before posting a rant. Was just having a bad day Monday.

 

[Rick Harrison]

exhaust

I brought there headers the fit fine i also got there exhaust system with the sherry bombs exhaust is poor work man ship would like to have pictures where all the hangers go