Sanderson header collector flange style

[Rod in NC]

Hi guys....I think I have the wrong collector flange setup on my Sanderson header-to-exhaust pipe connection. Attached is the pic from the JTR website showing the blockhugger headers that I have. The three-hole flange plate is loose and can be spun around the flared port. I guess I have never seen one of these types, and am just used to seeing a flat triangular flange to mount to.

 

Question: Can I bolt up a standard flat 3-hole flange with a standard flat gasket to this header, or will that leak? I'm building my own exhaust for the car, and need to make sure I use the correct mating flange on my header pipe. The more I look at this, I think I might need a donut-type gasket and a flared pipe on the mating header pipe to mount to the header. Right now I just have a standard 3-hole flat plate welded to my header pipe which I was going to mount to the header flange.

 

Any clarification would be helpful. Thanks. -Rod

[BRAAP]

The three-hole flange plate is loose and can be spun around the flared port. I guess I have never seen one of these types, and am just used to seeing a flat triangular flange to mount to.

 

That design allows the installer to "clock" the bolts in a position that is easiest to access in the vehicle. The exhaust shop mating up your exhaust to the headers will build the header pipe similarly with a flat flange and a floating 3 bolt flange ring and sandwich a gasket similar to what is pictured below in between the flat flanges.

 

Courtesy of frsport.com

[bschiltz]

I used a high-temp RVT instead of the gasket and it seems to work pretty well.