[bergie]

Hi, when I bolted in the cross over pipes for my truck flathead the clearance to the oilpan was so close that the 1 and 3/4 inch pipe clamp couldn't be put into place. At first I thought I would just pickup a band clamp to minimize any exhaust leakage at the slip joint. However I can't find any band clamps smaller than 2 inches. If someone knows of a simple fix please weigh in. The muffler shops all want to cut the two crossover pipes and weld in a new center section with plenty of clearance to oil pan to keep heat transfer to oilpan down and put the welds in a more accessible area if they ever have to be cut. I was thinking that even small spacers bolted at each exhaust manifold outlet would give plenty of clearance at the oilpan. Was there any engines with the same size exhaust that used heat risers that I could gut and use as spacers? Any other ideas for simple spacers would also be appreciated. Thanks, Bergie.