tti header clearance problem

Rusty, Im with you.
Those TTIs had other fitment issues as well, on my 68 Barracuda 360A833. If they were $100 headers, a guy wouldnt complain. But for what they charge, a guy would think they would be engineered to fit RIGHT. Theres plenty of room in there to tweak that offending pipe into a more favorable spot. To their credit, the flanges have never leaked with the provided gaskets,nor come loose in 14 years.And thats my opinion.
BTW, I really enjoy your subtlety. No bs.