Use of TTI headers

My '70 E-Body had 2 1/8" Hooker Headers on it when I bought it in 1978. They always leaked at the flange. One day my buddies dad, and aircraft builder, welded up the flanges and welded 1/4" square stock to them to help stiffen the flanges. I remember the sound each tube made when he was grinding the gasket flange surface flat. It was the exact same sound on each tube, as they were equal length. Hence the name tuned-headers.

Back then the Hooker flanges were thinner and tended to warp if over-torqued, same as today too, but the flanges tend to be thicker these days.