What are you guys running for headers? Seems all the reviews I've seen are from a few years ago. I tried the apn's but I had to grind my intake manifold and I ended up grinding too far down so now there's a hole in it, so aside from needing a new intake manifold, I need a set of headers that will bolt up without any grinding at all, I was looking at the banks headers, any comment on those?

1998 4.0l with Clearwater cylinder head

 

My Banks went in perfectly and I couldn't be happier with it. Some people claim they'll still crack, but it's really stout and the welds are huge. That's what the lifetime warranty is for anyway. Only took about an hour; spent more time dicking with the new down pipe and the rest of the exhaust.

 

I have the AFE "twisted steel" headers. Can't really comment on their effectiveness as they are for my stroker. Have great reviews from the TJ guys but have not found anyone with them on an XJ. I had a set of Gibsons and side by side, the eBay ones are the exact same thing. Had A borla a few XJs ago and it was pretty nice.

http://afepower.com/shop/details_new...rtno=48-46201&

 

For an XJ with a I6 the Banks because of the lifetime warranty and quality.

 

What about the flange because another problem I had with the apn headers was the flange was thicker than the intake manifolds flange so the bolts did not sit properly

 

I bought this one. My mechanic who installed it liked it so much, he bought a set for his own XJ. No modifications needed.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/180803180801...84.m1439.l2649

 

That's the same tube design as the apn headers, with my luck I would have clearance issues in the same spot, I don't get how they work for some people but not for others

 

Clifford has a nice header for the money: http://www.cliffordperformance.net/M...gory_Code=J258

Also check out New Comer Racing if you want a custom long tube that's even better (Bottom of page):
http://www.newcomerracing.com/jeep-products.html

 

I dealt with the same issue, but since steel is easier to weld than aluminum I chose to grind the header down instead of my manifold. I had luck with just hammering that contact point on the header flat- not enough to restrict exhaust flow but just enough that I could shine a flashlight between the manifolds.

 

Yeah i needed like an entire centimeter more of clearance between the two, that's why I'm thinking the banks header because on that number six tube it looks like it has a little kink in it to help with clearance in that spot..as for an intake manifold, anyone have one they can get me early next week?

 

I decided to give PaceSetter a try on my 99 XJ block in a MJ.

After stripping the non heat rated paint and spraying with header paint:


Fit like a glove on the motor:


No problems in the engine bay either:

 

I ordered the banks revolver header, I also got some brown dog motor mounts cause my stock mounts were totally shot, and I got a Dorman intake manifold from ebay, It should all be here by Tuesday

 

I strongly believe the cracking issue is solely caused by the exhaust not utilizing a simple flex pipe. Without a flex, the exhaust cant move freely and the header and flanges are subjected to the weight of everything back to the tip.

 

Ed Zachary. Offroad the amount of movement between the engine and tailpipe causes them to flex apart at some point. Sometimes its the flange where the header meets the downpipe and you just have to re-tighten the bolts, other times it causes the header to crack. One of these guys in your downpipe will work (though you'd need the right ID size for your exhaust):
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...ier=424715_0_0_
And Dorman makes this header with flex joints on the outermost tubes:
http://dormanproducts.com/p-18275-674-196.aspx


I went through two exhaust manifolds before I figured out an exhaust hanger's weld was toast. After fixing the hanger, I still wanted a header with some give so I chose that Dorman one. I didn't notice a change in power, fuel economy, or sound, but it has lasted longer than the Rugged Ridge and APN headers I tried before. The possibility of a local warranty exchange is nice, too.

 

Agreed. I plan on putting a short section of flex pipe in the down pipe.