1973 383 duster headers install

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44070dart

44070dart

How the hell did I get this old..
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my headers in my duster are shot ...what is the procedure to install new ones ..from below ..top ...remove motor mounts and lift engine a bit ??? ...it looks ugly in there #-o...thanks for any info
 
Ah, the good ol' "budget" headers. I have them on my B-engine Dart but I'm using a front motor plate. So while I had the entire front suspension including the K-frame off, I just slid them in from underneath! Real easy with the K-frame and torsion bars out of the way :D

I suppose you could support your engine and drop the K-frame... not really that hard to do!
 
No! No! No!

Drain the fluids and remove the radiator. Unhook the steering shaft and slide it
up (hook the steering wheel to the driver's seat headrest with a bungee cord).
Rest the front of the body on jackstands. Remove the upper control arms and
slide the torsion bars back.

Attach a cherry picker to the engine/trans assy. Remove the driveshaft, trans
mount bolts and the four K-member bolts. Lower the motor/trans/k-frame assy
down and swap the out headers under the car then pick the whole thing up with
fully tightened headers and bolt the K-frame and trans mount back in Reinstall
everything and refill the fluids.

Read it slowly. Might sound like more than it is but no hassle and no scratches,
dents or dings. Do it this way one time and you will never do it any other way
and notice that you do not even remove the hood.
 
So your "No! No! No!" is everything I suggested except you'd rather also remove the radiator, steering shaft, driveshaft, drop the entire drivetrain along with the K-frame, AND disconnect the upper ball joints??
That sounds like a lot more than it is.
The only thing all that extra labor makes easier is getting some of the header flange bolts started... I have big hands and didn't have any problem bolting them back up with the engine in place.
 
Following the instructions might be a start.
 
Cool it Dr. Charles!

My post was not in response to yours. I was typing and I didn't see it until I was
done and clicked "post reply". Then it was there above mine.

So my No! No! No! was not directed to your comments in any way but it was only
in response to those above that would suggest prying the headers in from above.

If your post was there before I started, I probably wouldn't have posted in the first
place.
 
DrCharles said:
What kind of headers? Makes a difference. Tight no matter what.
Click to expand...

Schumacher: unbolt starter, remove plugs. Install from top.

Pro parts: install from top

TTI: Good luck. Unbolt engine and starter and T-bars. Pray to the car gods. Cover everything they could scrape against.

My next try at these wll be from the bottom. If it ever need the starter replaced I'm selling the car.
 
I have hedman B body headers ($180 one's) for my 71 Demon 383 w/ TransDapt mounts- had to pound the F**K out of them to clear the steering box, cut off the column shift arm at the end of the column, here is how I get them in -

1. Drain fluids
2. unbolt the converter from flex plate
3. unbolt motor from trans
4. unbolt current headers from heads and exhaust (probably do this while doing the converter)
5. remove fuel line from chassis line/pump - remove the carb as well for the lift plate
6. undo all the engine wiring
7. remove starter/alternator
8. remove engine
9. remove old headers
10. install/lay new headers in engine bay routed around torsion bars/trans
11. lower engine back in, wiggle the headers while slowly lowering the motor in place to line up a couple bell housing bolts(get at least 2 started)
12. put it back together haha

BTW - like said I pounded the hell out of the driver side one and they clear everything BUT the steering linkage on my car, the 4 tubes that face the linkage need to be nearly flat to clear the pitman/idler/centerlink SO I am likely getting TTi's..

Helpful tip - use a spare cylinder head/head on your motor - outside the car to bolt the new headers on (no gasket) to pound on them, as I bent the flange on the DS one from free hand hammering, so it will need to be straightened before I can maybe use it.. you could also try a driver side slant 6 motor mount, as those are 1.25" tall and about the same stud offset as the small block mounts that come in the Schumacker/TransDapt
 
zac_F71 said:
I have hedman B body headers ($180 one's) for my 71 Demon 383 w/ TransDapt mounts- had to pound the F**K out of them to clear the steering box, cut off the column shift arm at the end of the column, here is how I get them in -

1. Drain fluids
2. unbolt the converter from flex plate
3. unbolt motor from trans
4. unbolt current headers from heads and exhaust (probably do this while doing the converter)
5. remove fuel line from chassis line/pump - remove the carb as well for the lift plate
6. undo all the engine wiring
7. remove starter/alternator
8. remove engine
9. remove old headers
10. install/lay new headers in engine bay routed around torsion bars/trans
11. lower engine back in, wiggle the headers while slowly lowering the motor in place to line up a couple bell housing bolts(get at least 2 started)
12. put it back together haha

BTW - like said I pounded the hell out of the driver side one and they clear everything BUT the steering linkage on my car, the 4 tubes that face the linkage need to be nearly flat to clear the pitman/idler/centerlink SO I am likely getting TTi's..

Helpful tip - use a spare cylinder head/head on your motor - outside the car to bolt the new headers on (no gasket) to pound on them, as I bent the flange on the DS one from free hand hammering, so it will need to be straightened before I can maybe use it.. you could also try a driver side slant 6 motor mount, as those are 1.25" tall and about the same stud offset as the small block mounts that come in the Schumacker/TransDapt
Click to expand...

WOW.. thanks ..I think ......I'll get a small block car next time #-o
 
haha ya pony up for TTi's I say, I found a used pair for $400 local they're said to fit great..

That list is just what I had to do the 6 times my motor was in and taken back out to make stuff fit, and I never tried to get the starter in yet it, get a mini starter from a newer 318/360 Jeep/Ram/Dakota..
 
Have you guys seen this? i found it on bigblock dart.com don't know if it will help you or not but might be a good read.

http://www.bigblockdart.com/techpages/BBody.shtml

I have the 2 inch TTI headers in my 73 dart with a 440 and it only took me about 15 minutes to install them. I even installed the engine/trans at the same time. but don't know how the tti would fit with a low deck.
 
roccodart440 said:
15 min?

Those headers on my 440 took about 2 days.
Click to expand...
I must of been really lucky.lol but yes 15 minutes.i had my brother hold one side out of the way and his wife held the other side out of the way.while I dropped the engine in. I thought I was going to be in for a fight installing them.at the time I couldn't be leave how easy they dropped in. I probably won't be so lucky when I switch this engine over to my 73 duster.lol
 
Just installing the bolts and the starter must have taken me an hour.
 
mopar65 said:
i think one thing that might of helped me was i installed the engine/trans with the starter allready mounted
Click to expand...

??

You can't mount a TTI header with the starter bolted to the engine. They trap the starter.
 
zac_F71 said:
I had to pound MUCH more than that.. I will post a pic.. it takes more than a few "dings"
Click to expand...

i would like to see the pics. i noticed one thing it didnt say is which year b body header to use? becasue a big block for a 65 plymouth takes a diffrent header than a 66 and up b-body. i think in 66 they moved the engine back a few inches compared to the 62-65 years.
 
roccodart440 said:
??

You can't mount a TTI header with the starter bolted to the engine. They trap the starter.
Click to expand...

well i put the engine in the dart over 4 years ago so i could be wrong, but i am pretty sure i installed the engine with the starter mounted.
 
here are pics, horrible pics but pics haha - the passenger side has more pounding on the bottom of them from the steering hitting them in the previous car they were in, so I didn't include that, just the pounding I did -







 
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