Ok... so I went to check how much longer bolts I needed to buy for the used V&H header I just bought.  When I went to put it into the exhuast manifold (side of the motor) it didn't fit anywhere near as snug as my stock header did.  Is this normal?  the space between the bracket that the bolts go through and the actual threads in the motor was like an inch.  The two ends of the header that fit into the motor go in ( i would assume) as much as the stock ones did but it just doesn't seem to fit the right way!  Anyone else been here... did I get swindled for the wrong header or something?

The space from the bolt eyes to the head is long, but it should all seal when you tighten the bolts. You might need new exhaust gaskets too, they can burn up over time. But to answer your question, yeah, the V&H header doesn't seem quite right the first time you put it on!