Topic: 350f, 4 into 2 aftermarket Exhaust Gasket

[spencerhitch]

Hey y'all,

'74 CB350f owner here. I've got an exhaust leak from my pipes to my mufflers where an old rubber gasket has hardened and corroded. I would like to try to find replacement gaskets for this pipe connection but don't know where to look/start?

Anybody have any recommendations on how to plug this leak so I'm not inhaling fumes at stoplights anymore 

[FuZZie]

You might get a better response if you posted the brand or a photo of the pipes.
Also they would not have been rubber and they should have been fairly hard, but I'm just guessing. 

[spencerhitch]

Here's a zoomed out photo of the pipes

I'm not sure the brand. Bike came with these.

[BomberMann650]

Can you separate the pipes from the headers?  Might be able to clean and reassemble the joints with sealant and clamps. 

Other option, have the pipes welded at the collectors.

[FuZZie]

I don't know those pipes, but I think they should have clamps of some kind on the joints.
have you tried to take one off yet?

[RandomOrbit]

I don't know those pipes, but I think they should have clamps of some kind on the joints.
have you tried to take one off yet?

If you look closely you can see an eye for a bolt, but no bolt in it. So it would appear it has built-in tabs for a bolt and nut, but those parts are missing.

I'd say take it off, remove the old rubber gasket, clean it up, then put a bolt and nut through those tabs and see if it won't snug up sans rubber gasket. If it's still too loose, maybe just cut a piece of regular engine gasket material to wrap the pipe, and then put it back together with the bolt that was probably always supposed to be there.

[RandomOrbit]

Also I may be mistaken, but to me it doesn't look to me like those mufflers were meant to fit those pipes. My guess is someone used some weird rubber shims to try to make a pair of random slip-on mufflers fit their stock head pipes. It might be possible to do a better job of making them fit, but it's probably better to get some mufflers meant for the correct pipe diameter.

[Bodi]

The muffler has a bigger ID than the header's OD. That's not unusual for aftermarket "universal" mufflers, and they come with the reducing sleeve visible between the muffler and header.
You should put a pinch bolt in the muffler and clamp it down on the sleeve/header.
But: it will not seal perfectly, the sleeve is slit so it can tighten down on the header when the muffler clamp is tightened. Exhaust will poot out through the sleeve's gap.
Maybe not a big problem? If it bothers you, you can get "muffler cement" at auto shops and goop up the sleeve before assembly and that seals pretty well for a while.