Can't get Pro Parts headers to fit.

-
rr4406pak

rr4406pak

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2014
Messages
135
Reaction score
56
Location
Marion, NY
Doing a 440 swap in a Slant 6 1969 Dart.

I purchased a set of Pro Parts headers from Mazzolini Racing. The passenger side was easy but I'm having a hard time with the driver's side.
As shown in the images here, I'm trying to get the middle two tubes to fit but they keep resting on the shock tower metal. I keep cutting away metal but the tubes want to rest lower. My question is, how much of the metal can I cut away or how close to the shock tower can I remove metal before I have to worry about the structural integrity of that area?
It is almost like the tubes needed a much taller bend to get over the shock tower area. Seems like these tubes were not made very well and a feeble attempt was made to put a just slight bend in the tube to avoid this area.
I also tried raising the motor mount on the driver's side as high as I could until I ran out of adjustment to try and help things out, but this also failed.
Might I need to put a 1/4" or 1/2" spacer under the motor mount to raise the engine even higher to try and make this work? Not sure how high I can go with the motor mounts without having the transmission hit the trans tunnel metal.
I also tried leaning back the engine towards the rear of the car but that didn't help either.

I have had the engine in and out literally 100 times trying to fit these darn headers. Been working on it months now with no luck. If you could look at the images and offer any advice at all I'd be very thankful.

Also the last photo shows how the headers want to sit (forward side wants to tilt up). You can see how they want to sit crooked when I try to mate them with the head. When I try to bend or shift them up they hit under the car. Almost no wiggle room.

Fender image 1.jpg


Fender image 3.jpg


Fender image 2.jpg
 
What you have the arrows pointing to is not the shock tower. It's the inner fender. Look on the back side and you will see the shock tower. You should be able to cut the inner fender right up to the shock tower.
 
Last edited:
RustyRatRod said:
What you have the arrows point to is not the shock tower. It's the inner fender. Look on the back side and you will see the shock tower. You should be able to cut the inner fender right up to the shock tower.
Click to expand...
And clearance with a carbide on the tower if needed.... just a little. But rrr is right you should be good
 
The actual shock tower is under the inner fender - you can see where, too. It's under the raised up part of the inner fender. You can even cut the inner fender over the shock tower, so long as you don't cut the part that's spot welded to the shock tower, or the shock tower itself. That said, cutting any part of the inner fender will weaken the front some, as the inner fender is part of the structure of the front end. But you've already done that. A little more won't hurt. :eek:
 
pretty sure tti makes those these days. are you sure the engine is in th eproper position? over the years i've installed a few sets of proparts (well before tti started making them). mine weren't step headers like that. they were the same size primary all the way. driver side was always pretty easy to install. i could put the headers one and off without moving the engine at all. it is possible they their bend isn't exactly correct. years ago after installing a set for a friend i went to put a set on one of my cars and the one that loops over the steering column (#7) wouldn't fit. i couldn't figure out why because i had just installed a set not long before.. turns out that they had a bad batch where that one pipe was aflatter turn then the set i installed on my friends... i ended up contacting proparts, they had me mark where the tube was hitting and send it back. aure enough the pipe was wrong. they sent me a new properly bent pipe.
 
Like the others have said that still part on the inner fender. Look on the underside of the inner fender you will see the shock tower mount is beefy, not just a piece of sheet metal. I have no experience with Pro Part headers, but do double check your engine placement as well.
 
Don't forget that the engine will torque to the passenger side under load, so you need just minimal clearance on the drivers side...
 
Is your engine in the correct location? I have plenty of clearance on mine, although they are older actual pro parts headers, not the TTI remakes. I'm using a DC spool mount K-member with factory B/C body motor mounts.

FB_IMG_1653174422927.jpg
 
72Duster440 said:
Is your engine in the correct location? I have plenty of clearance on mine, although they are older actual pro parts headers, not the TTI remakes. I'm using a DC spool mount K-member with factory B/C body motor mounts.

View attachment 1716158092
Click to expand...
I notice that you've cut the inner fender away from over the shock tower, leaving the tower exposed. The OP could certainly do that also. I.e., see my post #4 above.
 
Ahh, good catch! Mine used to have fenderwell headers on it, pretty much everything from the tower back has been cut off.
 
Cut the hole bigger and shim mount. Schumacher mounts on a 6cyl K frame, no problems

proparts2.jpg


propartsBOB.jpg
 
heres my pro parts in my 69 dart 440.not step headers.last owner had to ding them at the torsion bar drivers side,nothing was done to pass side

304539953_792966135171129_1046145815467603214_n.jpg


IMG_0245.jpg


IMG_0240.jpg
 
1968rt said:
Cut the hole bigger and shim mount. Schumacher mounts on a 6cyl K frame, no problems
Click to expand...
I'm using the Schumachers on a 6cyl K-Frame as well.
How can you shim the mount? You mean go up with the engine by throwing a washer under the motor mount (can you do that? does that weaken the mount?)? I can't do this anyway because the header tubes that wrap around the driver's side frame rail will also go up and hit the frame. Thus no room to go up with the engine.

I guess my only recourse would be to keep on cutting or call ProParts to see if my header bend is messed up. (if they even exist anymore).
 
rr4406pak said:
This chart doesn't make sense. I don't understand B and C.
Click to expand...

That's a chart we've been using here for years.
Mopar engines aren't centered, they are offset to the pass side, by differing amounts listed there.
I've just looked at the chart, I can't see how I can explain it any better.
Good luck.
 
Last edited:
So for B, do you have to find the centerline of the K-frame and then find the centerline of the engine to see how far it is offset towards the passenger side?
 
Yes, some of your issues may be solved having the engine in the right place, I think the first pic didn't have the mounts in (iirc), so I was trying to get you to stop cutting and start measuring, lol.
The headers are made for stock engine offset, I would imagine?
Keep at it, you will get it.
Cheers

@roccodart440 . lol
 
Last edited:
Those headers have fit very well in the past on several Darts and Barracuda's. Check engine placement and check it twice.
There are measurements available to help.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top