Really obscure exhaust part

[OldMercs3]

A medal to anyone who can answer this one: My 73 450SEL has multi-piece exhaust manifolds; that is, they're cast iron sections connected together with stainless steel bellows and v-band clamps (to handle heat expansion w/o cracking).  My obsessive nature compelled me to disassemble these manifolds and refinish them before installing them back on the engine, with one hitch.  There seem to be extremely thin copper gaskets between the bellows and cast iron parts that were damaged during the course of refinishing, 1) is it possible that anyone knows what I'm referring to, 2) could these thin gaskets still be available and 3) do I even need these?

[koan]

I can't help you with info on the copper shims but I have packets of shim brass and I think one of copper purchased from one of the model supply shops, several thickness in a packet. You could attempt to fashion your own if M-B parts can't supply the correct bits.

I'm after a couple of what you call V-Band type clamps, where do you find such things?

koan.

[OldMercs3]

Before reading the last post I stopped at a local model train store and bought two 4" x 6" sheets of .006" copper and went to work (carefully) on the drill press with a circle cutter.  This is probably wayyy more trouble than anyone in their right mind would go through but I seriously don't want to have that manifold leak once the heads are bolted down and the engine is running.  Band clamps are the coolest things ever and they're the only thing I'd use for custom exhaust or turbo applications.  They are also next to impossible to find, being that I'm in the U.S. I was lucky enough to find a vendor called Detroit Flexible Metal which sells three types of v-band clamps and flanges as well:

http://www.hosenow.com/

If you have no other option and are ok with the shipping charges I'm sure they'd have no problem shipping anywhere in the world.

[koan]

The thin shim stock is very handy, a little frustrating to work with sometimes. There are also sheets of gasket material of assorted types and thicknesses around that I intend to get a variety of.

Thanks for the V band clamp link.

koan.