Headers vs. Exhaust Manifolds ~ 'Let The Debate Begin'

In late '73 I bought a new '74 B300 van with a 318, auto and 3:73 gears. It was not very peppy. In the summer of '74 I got a custom dual exhaust system with turbo mufflers installed on it which did nothing to change the performance of it, but it did sound a little better. In '75 I installed some Cyclone brand headers on it, wow, what a difference, it had a lot more grunt.

It turned out that the manifold outlet was maybe 1 1/2, 1 3/4 in. diameter so that's why the headers were such a major improvement. Of all the vehicles that I have put headers on over the years none of them showed such a dramatic change like the van did.

I also found out through personal experience that some brands of headers are much better than others. My van saw use year round so after 3-4 years the headers rusted out. The replacement headers were a different brand. After installation I could tell I lost power. In physically comparing the two it was obvious that the Cyclones had a lot more thought put into their design. It proved to be a classic example of you get what you pay for.

In another 3-4 years I needed to replace the headers again so this time a bought another set of Cyclones, after installing them I could tell that the lost power had returned.