21/8 flanges v/s 21/4 tubing

I have 21/8 flanges and 21/4 tubing to build a set of headers.
What's the best way to go about joining the tubing to the flange?
Open up the flange?
Butt the tube to the flange, tack and weld?
Or step down at the flange with a few inches of 21/8 tube to fit in the flange then step up to the 21/4 on out?
Thanks in advance

get some flanges the tubing will fit in imo. Jon Thee made a set to fit my tubing diameter, used a vice to oval shape the the tubes and slipped up in the flange. I only put them in halfway, tigged the inside and silicon bronzed the outside.......wont crack that way........

I forgot to mention these are for a460 heads and i already got the flanges.

Return them and get the right ones is the best deal.

Assuming that you CAN'T return them, and assuming that 2 1/4" is the right primary for your deal, I'd open 'em up carfully with a die grinder & carbide burr so that the tube fits the way Jon described. Otherwise, take the advice from above.

These flanges are the jegs 3/8 thick. They werent but 32 bucks each but they didnt have them in 21/4. I'll just have to open them up just a crumb. These tubes are really big and with these aheads it's gonna be really tight. Dam! Anyway, thanks men.

I've done what you gotta do many times. PITA, but then, somehow, it seems that if it ain't a PITA, it ain't hotrodding.

Next time, be sure to remember Jon Thee. His stuff is high quality, fairly priced and they FIT.

Yea i know. I've bought from him before. I intentionally put a pile of money in the motor now im trying to keep alot else on da cheap.
Thanks

all the money in the motor will be for not if you cut corners on the little stuff.

If the port is not 2 3/8 whats it gonna hurt to put a 2 1/4 snub out and step up ?

if he had 2 1/4 stubs then it wouldnt be an issue....... he's got 2 1/8th..........

Well i misread that , is an a head port bigger than 2 1/8 though ?

KY JELLY wrote:Well i misread that , is an a head port bigger than 2 1/8 though ?

most of the time no,but the tube aint always centered on the port where you need it.

2 1/8 barely fit my old tfs street heads by the time you oval shaped the tube. We had to go to a 1 7/8 to get our smallblock stuff to work. It may be splittin hairs but Id want to build um once.

tconnection wrote:I have 21/8 flanges and 21/4 tubing to build a set of headers.
What's the best way to go about joining the tubing to the flange?
Open up the flange?
Butt the tube to the flange, tack and weld?
Or step down at the flange with a few inches of 21/8 tube to fit in the flange then step up to the 21/4 on out?
Thanks in advance

Make a "stepped" header

I would step them also.

stepped would be fine, just make sure the first step is not smaller than the port........ and it may not matter, but Id want no obstructions coming out of the port.