Exhaustive Research...

The "Dirty Nine" stripped of all of its faulty exhaust...

What I thought would be a simple replacement and install...header pipe No Fit!

My salvation is on the left...I nice original that fits...

Comparison...far left-the original, second from left -one that fits!(notice the slight bend), 

the next three no fit, the far right one was tweaked for another application...I guess... 

Comparison...opposite view...reverse left to right from above...

Amazing fit!

And ease of installation!

Just the tap of my palm and it all went together perfectly...

No pry bars. ball peens, rubber mallets, torches...nothin'!

Amazing what the proper original part can do for yuh...

Today I figured I would finish up the exhaust for the "Dirty Nine" by removing the old squash pipe and popping the exhaust back together using the header and squash pipe that I had originally earmarked for my Red & Silver '39 project (side burner for now). I went to fit up the header and no dice...it just wasn't right. I checked my exhaust pile and came up with three more Knucklehead front header pipes. As I tried each one they just didn't want to fit. They were all old chrome and I really didn't want that on the "Dirty Nine" anyway. I made a last ditch effort to find a suitable header in another pile of miscellaneous pipes...and there it was under a pile of Flathead drag pipes...the perfect replacement for the old "Dirty Nine" header! I compared all the pipes and as you can see above there is a slight bend to the correct pipe. It all fit together with ease...now three bolts and it's all done.