Headers for 73 Duster with 451

[m79ded]

Hi

I would like to know what under chassy headers will fit a 73 duster with a 451 B-engine with TFS heads? I really don't want to cut the car at all to put headers the car is a real clean original car.The car has no P/S and No P/B to worry about. It is getting the spool type mounts as well. I would like at least 1 7/8 and if can put in 2" would be better. Engine right now is in the 650HP range and is going to be driven both on track and street. I keep reading about TTI's some say they fit others say they don't, not sure if Hookers work or Dougs work either. ?? Any B Headers work?
What choices do I have? I seen Schumacher but not keen on Tri Y

Thank you very much

 

[rumblefish360]

Go and check out Hedman headers.

I did B body headers on a 400 in a ‘71 Duster and I won’t make that move again. No way!

 

[Garys72Duster]

Yes, I've heard that Hedmans will work with that set up. May need a couple small dents here and there where it's hitting, for clearance. Pretty sure it's the B Body design that actually fits. Seems it wasn't planned that way, but that how it worked out. Haha. Looking at the various header shapes, designs and contours on Summit, you can see that the Hedmans have a unique design.

 

[m79ded]

Go and check out Hedman headers.

I did B body headers on a 400 in a ‘71 Duster and I won’t make that move again. No way!

Hedman only has B & E body headers, so you think they won't fit?

 

[Garys72Duster]

My 70 Dart, 440, was equipped Schumacher Tri Ys when I got it. Plenty of room for the power steering gearbox. Let us know what you end up with.

 

[rumblefish360]

Hedman only has B & E body headers, so you think they won't fit?

Perhaps I wasn’t clear.

I used B body Hedman headers on a low deck big block 400 in a 1971 Plymouth Duster.

They did fit. I would not do that again.

 

[rumblefish360]

Yes, I've heard that Hedmans will work with that set up. May need a couple small dents here and there where it's hitting, for clearance. Pretty sure it's the B Body design that actually fits. Seems it wasn't planned that way, but that how it worked out. Haha. Looking at the various header shapes, designs and contours on Summit, you can see that the Hedmans have a unique design.

Yes, steering linkage clearance is needed.
My Duster is a manual brake and steering car.
400/727.

 

[Garys72Duster]

Only other option, is the Bill Bagshaw design. I used his in a 440 Duster I built 20 years ago, and They fit pretty good. But number 7 and 8 pipes have to exit thru the femderwells, then they curve back into the collector underneath. They use a slip fit on those 2 pipes. I know you don't want to cut a small hole in the wheel wells, but not many choices other than the TTIs. Just isn't a lot of room under there.

 

[m79ded]

Only other option, is the Bill Bagshaw design. I used his in a 440 Duster I built 20 years ago, and They fit pretty good. But number 7 and 8 pipes have to exit thru the femderwells, then they curve back into the collector underneath. They use a slip fit on those 2 pipes. I know you don't want to cut a small hole in the wheel wells, but not many choices other than the TTIs. Just isn't a lot of room under there.

Thanks very much Gary, I really don't mind the TTI at all, I just read that one post said " Will not fit A body" and then I saw another post and saw on a few sites that said the 2" TTI would fit the A body. So I guess it's a good idea to call tomorrow. But getting real life experiences from the A-Body community is very valuable.

 

[hotrod360andy]

Here is my setup with a 440 with Victor heads, tti's with 2 inch primaries using a slant 6 k frame with spool conversion motor mounts. Everything fits like a glove without denting tubes.

 

[SLOPAR72]

Not having power steering is what paves the way for 2" TTI's.... No brainer IMO.

JW

 

[Garys72Duster]

Bill may have sold his design to TTI . NOT SURE .When your Google Bill Bagshaw, seems that TTI also comes up. He campaigned several cars called the Red Light Bandit, back in the seventies. A Challenger, Dart and he also had a big block DUSTER .

 

[m79ded]

Here is my setup with a 440 with Victor heads, tti's with 2 inch primaries using a slant 6 k frame with spool conversion motor mounts. Everything fits like a glove without denting tubes.

View attachment 1715294292

So those headers with a TF240 head on a 400 block according to TTI they won't fit. But the 2" stepped to 2 1/8 inch will fit. I'm calling TTI to get the final lowdown on this. I will surely report back what I found because I'm so sure there are people like me out there putting 451, 471 and 512 in street A bodies that need a good header solution. Yes I would like to find a more cost effective solution but I need at least a 1 7/8 and Hedman doesn't offer that and don't want the Schumacher. I do have a set of 5903 hookers super comp that are on my 79 Magnum, I wonder if those would fit???? Anyone try those??

 

[QuickDart360]

Here is my setup with a 440 with Victor heads, tti's with 2 inch primaries using a slant 6 k frame with spool conversion motor mounts. Everything fits like a glove without denting tubes.

View attachment 1715294292

Hey hotrod360andy! How did you lift car that way? Where are 2 chain ends attached to? Also that color white is it factory white say spinnaker white?

 

[Garys72Duster]

Looks like he lifted the car with an engine hoist, you can see it there. Prob the easiest way to get the headers on the motor, and in the right spot, especially when things are tight. Must have attached the lift chains to the frame rails. Wow, the # 3 & 5 header pipes go between the steering gearbox, and block! So to install these on a car with the motor already in, you would need to remove the steering column, gearbox, install the headers, then re install the gearbox.

 

[m79ded]

I called TTI and I asked about different headers they have. For my application which is a "B" engine with TFS heads they said the ones that would fit nicely without any modifications are the 400SR-218N.
Those are 2" that step up to 2 1/8". I did ask about the headers that Hotrod360Andy mentioned and the person said those wouldn't work well and would touch in a few places. They are designed to go with the 440 with those heads or B1. I would think and I did mention the fact the "B" is smaller and he agreed. It's just that he said they were meant for the "RB" . I asked about the 1 7/8 and he felt it might have been small for the 625 to 650 HP levels that I am at now.
I will order them in a few days. Anybody use step headers? Are they O.K for a street/ track car in those power levels? Any Benefits to the straight 2"? Just curious

 

[Garys72Duster]

I think the step headers work better. At least dyno results I have seen say they do. The RB provides more room below the cyl head, since it sits a little higher.

 

[383Scampman]

Good for you ! I'm so glad you called TTI before pulling the trigger . Let us know how they fit . I have the 1 7/8" and IF you follow their instructions the inatall is fairly easy . Good luck . BTW, I put my engine in the same way . Raised the car up with an engine hoist . The Mrs. worked the hoist and I maneuvered the K . Took about 20 minutes with no drama . Later

 

[2BAD4U812]

Good for you ! I'm so glad you called TTI before pulling the trigger . Let us know how they fit . I have the 1 7/8" and IF you follow their instructions the inatall is fairly easy . Good luck . BTW, I put my engine in the same way . Raised the car up with an engine hoist . The Mrs. worked the hoist and I maneuvered the K . Took about 20 minutes with no drama . Later

 

[rumblefish360]

Good for you ! I'm so glad you called TTI before pulling the trigger . Let us know how they fit . I have the 1 7/8" and IF you follow their instructions the inatall is fairly easy . Good luck . BTW, I put my engine in the same way . Raised the car up with an engine hoist . The Mrs. worked the hoist and I maneuvered the K . Took about 20 minutes with no drama . Later

I agree with that method. I do it on my Magnum in a Magnum. I didn’t have a hoist though. It was “UP” on jack stands. I put the engine in the K-frame and that onto a dolly which simply rolled under the car. I couldn’t do it with the intake on so that was removed.

By myself it was about 30/40 minutes once I got to the meat and potatoes of doing it.

 

[383Scampman]

IMO , it would be greatly useful if T.T.I. would put slip connectors in their headers , OR , put 2 bolt flat flanges where the tight areas are . I don't t hink it would ad too much to the cost .

 

[AndyF]

Hi

I would like to know what under chassy headers will fit a 73 duster with a 451 B-engine with TFS heads? I really don't want to cut the car at all to put headers the car is a real clean original car.The car has no P/S and No P/B to worry about. It is getting the spool type mounts as well. I would like at least 1 7/8 and if can put in 2" would be better. Engine right now is in the 650HP range and is going to be driven both on track and street. I keep reading about TTI's some say they fit others say they don't, not sure if Hookers work or Dougs work either. ?? Any B Headers work?
What choices do I have? I seen Schumacher but not keen on Tri Y

Thank you very much

I used the TTI 1 3/4 inch headers with the 512 in my '72 Duster. I think 1 3/4 is big enough for a street car with mufflers. Guess it just depends on your pain vs. reward calculation. You should be able to run 10's with the 1 3/4 headers but if you think you'll be going faster than that then step up to the larger headers. I tried the larger step headers and they were just so big I sold them and went with the 1 3/4 tubes. I can at least work on the car with the smaller tubes. With the big tube headers it was hard to access things.

 

[AndyF]

Even with the smaller headers I needed to put the engine and trans in from below. It is a nice way to install the engine but it does require some tools and fixtures.

 

[AndyF]

The TTI headers do hang down under the car a little bit so we had to fabricate an S bend into the 3 inch exhaust. I used a Summit X pipe kit and a couple boxes of mandrel bends for the exhaust system.

 

[RustyRatRod]

The Hedman BB b body headers will fit. Sometimes with no modifications whatsoever.