1973Kathleen
Active Member
I have a 1973 Dodge Dart Sport with a 318,904 column shift. i’m trying to install hooked header 5901 on the driver side. i have the passenger side already installed. any advice on how to make this any easier?
Hooker Header Help
- Thread starter 1973Kathleen
- Start date
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Divenut
Well-Known Member
Get the car up as high as you safely can. If you can almost get a straight up shot from below It should slide in with a little finagling. Can loose the motor mount too.
1973Kathleen
Active Member
if it helps the engine is just sitting in there, i have no rad hooked up the engine isn’t even bolted down. so i just raised the engine up as high as possible?
Scamp Rhonda
Well-Known Member
Like mentioned above having the car up as high as you safely can and being able to lift engine up will make things easier. Also if you still have the original starter, swapping in a mini starter can help a lot.
Removing the exhaust flange studs on each end might be necessary also. Those go into the water jackets so you will have to drain the coolant first.
Removing the exhaust flange studs on each end might be necessary also. Those go into the water jackets so you will have to drain the coolant first.
Divenut
Well-Known Member
Well, I raised the car with engine mounted in place. The key for me was/is getting that straight angle up into place. If you just need a little wiggle room, guessing you could loosen up that side motor mount.
Pics might help troubleshoot.
These headers having 3 tubes go under the drivers side steering linkage are the hardest to install. Without a lift, there a super PIA to put the drivers side in.
Normally I’ll do the driver side first since the passenger header can stop the amount of room available to tilt the engine over.
I suggest taking the passenger side header out and installing the driver side first. Remove the starter before installing the header.
The drivers header design is huge (as your finding out) and a massive PIA to fit in. What I have done in the past is;
Put the car up on the highest position on the tallest jack stand I had.
Keeping the passenger side motor mount bolted in to provide a pivot point, placing a 4X4 (or multiple 2X4’s) under the oil pan or balancer to use the floor jack to raise up the engine.
Since the passenger side acts as a pivot as the engine raises, this opens up the gap like a clamshell.
Leaving the studs in on each side of the cylinder head will allow you to hang the header and then use a nut to put on the end of the stud to stop the header from falling off. Loosely install the nut. Only a few threads are needed at this point. Just enough to retain the header on the stud. Turn the nut on the stud enough until the stud sits flush with the outside of the face of the nut.
Once both side of the header are on the studs with nuts installed loosely to prevent the header from falling off, lower and reattach the engine into its correct spot. Move to the passenger header and install it without the oil filter.
What are you doing for an exhaust system?
Woodys_Cuda
Ontario, Canada
Yep read 'em..the shop that put my headers in unbolted the steering box. I found this out when I was driving home and the steering was wandering. They forgot to tighten it back down.
I paid them to install the headers to avoid dealing with the stupid things..
Last edited:
Sawzall into several pieces.
Throw in trash
Buy some that don’t go around the steering linkage
Been through this one myself…..
Throw in trash
Buy some that don’t go around the steering linkage
Been through this one myself…..
1973Kathleen
Active Member
The Votech Class im in is building me a 2.5 Dual Exhuast
Have you read up on David Vizards exhaust recommendations?
Regarding the pressure wave cancellation boxes to allow maximum torque output?
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