So I got this slightly used (1 day) set of Hotshot headers. The mating surfaces looked like some one had carved little valleys everywhere and when I bolted it up, it leaked a lot from one corner of the head and in other spots (It also caused the Cat to ride high and hit the shifter shield!?!?). When I removed it, I could see why. Some one building it did not notice that it needed planing. Off to the machine shop I went to damage this lovely ceramic coating on the mate surfaces all in the name of not getting sick from exhaust fumes. Picked the headers up and $60 lighter, I headed home. So they are bolted up with a little copper spray and tomorrow I will start her up. Sounds like fun, right?

And the good thing is... I could feel quite the power difference when they were on!!! :)


Cossie

You might want to purchase a exaust manifold gasket from a 2000 Sentra SE. That gasket is metal and will seal better than the older ones.

Also, make sure you tighten the bolts down evenly.

When tightening the bolts, start from the middle (between #2 and #3 exaust ports) and work outwards.
DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN!

UPDATE: I got it all installed and the machine shop did the trick. It has sealed up quite well. "Subculture" thanks for the advice. I torqued each bolt in the proper order. I'll check out this gasket you spoke of for a 2000. Now I have to figure out what this odd crackling noise is in the exhaust near the Cat (posted in tech forum).

Cossie

Probably the flex-pipe.
Check your exhaust hangers while you're at it. I had to replace mine. No big deal though.;)

ALSO, in a couple of days, go back and make sure everything s still tight.

And finally, don't be surprised if you get a MIL. If you do, it's prolly your o2 sensor. Outgassing from the header coating, that smoke coming from the header coating when you first started the motor, can coat the sensor tip.
If this happens, remove the o2 sensor, and using a M.A.P.P. torch, heat the sensor tip until it's red hot for a second or two, and I mean seconds, let cool and reinstall. Clear your MIL code and you're good to go.

all is pretty good with these headers. I need a good source for the copper gasket at the collector though. With the new flat surface, I'm not sure if the old one is sealing up properly. I love the smooth powerband that they give. The heat off of the primaries is pretty high though, so I used my turbo wrap kit to cover the primaries properly. Really keeps the heat in the right place.

Cossie