Exhaust Manifold Help

I recently bought a Crown exhaust manifold for my 258. The ports are craggly and not at all the shape of the ports on the head. On the first start up it has a leak (ticking). I have retorqued it 3 times with no improvement. I am ready to bite the bullet and buy another one.

My question is which brand to buy? I don't want another Crown or any other that would be as poorly made.

 

Could you take it to a machine shop and have it decked flat? I doubt any other brand new ones will be much better, if there is even an option other than OMIX or Crown.

The other option would be to find a used original or a performance header.

 

Seems like Dorman still makes one.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/rnb-674-237/make/jeep

 

Maybe give it some time, re-torquing periodically. It seems to me the cast iron in manifolds is somewhat able to move under heat and pressure.

 

I think DrDantelll has the best idea about taking it to a machine shop to be surfaced. I have used a couple of the new castings for the L134 exhaust manifolds and both had to be decked along with the intakes to get a good sealable surface. Should not be very expensive to have this done.

 

If you remove the manifold again, you can lay the flange surface on a piece of plate glass, or granite counter, to see how flat the gasket surface is. This may determine where the leak is.
-Donny