Trey, once the headers are built, I'd bolt them to a spare cylinder head, with a good gasket. The head must have exhaust valves and springs installed. You can also use a block off plate, designed to close up the exhaust ports of a cylinder head during storage, or shipping, but it's more probable that you have a set of heads lying around. If you don't, then you can make the block off plate yourself.
Cut up a piece of innertube, or similar material, and stretch it across the collector side, and well up the collector, then use a 3" hose clamp and snug it around the innertube on the collector. This will seal both ends.
Attach a pressure gauge using store bought fittings, to the o2 port, and put 10-15 lbs. on it, and monitor.
If you don't have an o2 port, you can integrate a threaded port onto your block off plate, on a tube.
Whatever you do, DO NOT use water inside the headers! Rust inside a header KILLS performance.
Coating used headers is no problem. The coater that you use will sandblast them before coating anyway. Lots of guys have headers re-coated many times.
Hope this helps...
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