Tips for denting header to clear steering shaft?
 

I am going to finally dent one of the primaries to clear my steering shaft. It has been rubbing for a year and it's time I stopped being lazy.

Any tips? I was thinking torch and ball pin hammer, but I would rather get more experienced input before a trial and error approach.

Mark it then remove it before you try to dent it, if they are stainless they are going to be harder to dent then you think.

They have a solid mark from a year of rubbing. And yeah, they're stainless (Lpp headers). You think the torch will help much?

I removed my header, torched it, layed a large deep socket on top if the header, and hammered the socket. Makes it nice and clean, 1 mark from the socket instead of multiple marks from a hammer.

I actually just dented mine a little more the other day. I just took the steering shaft apart moved it out of the way, and used a long crow bar thru the inner fender (didn't remove inner fender) just went between it and the frame. Put the tip of the crow bar right on the header where my shaft has been rubbing and gave it a few good hits with a 3-5 lbs hammer. Just massaged it enough to almost get my finger between the shaft and header. I didn't use heat either and mine are stainless. Hope that helps! No more rubbing or weird vibrations I was always trying to find!

Both great ideas, thanks guys.

I will likely pull the header as I also have a broken bolt that I want to see to see if it's recessed.

My rear bolt is broke to just below the surface.. We tried welding a nut to it a few times.. So we just used copper high temp rtv on both sides of the gasket. It's leak free.

I covered the gasket in copper rtv, and that did the trick for a bit, but I am hoping for a permanent fix.

+1 on this idea, my buddy that does custom exhaust does similar, but the use a large round punch or roll pin that allows them to roll it side to side and have better grip on it and save damaging a socket, but does wonders, and looks much better than just ball-peening the primary tube.

My Cal-Speed headers were a bitch to dent for the passenger side frame rail. I tried the torch and it didn't seem to help. I just used a framer's hammer and tried to be as accurate with every heavy blow. Stainless headers are tough to massage.