small block headers

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340 swinger

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What is the best "punch for the buck" headers for a small block A body with power steering? I saw one once with a removable tube back next to the rear cylinder by the fire wall. The guy told me he could remove and re- install the drivers side header in roughly 20 minutes. Sounds like a perfect world to me.
 
I used the Headman Tight tubs. They took some work hooking it up to the H pipe because of the drivers side collector location, but It is posible as long as you use a mini starter. I get the header in and out within a min. No clearance issuse I just pull them out form the top.

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I am very happy with my Hedman long tube headers. Yes the drivers side loops under the center link but in 20k miles I have not had any ground clearance issues. Plus these headers fit great and clear everything including the power steering box.

All long tube headers are going to be work to install but if you jack the car up at least two feet and pull the steering column (about 20 minutes extra work) it is straight forward.

I also recomend switching to magnum v8 plugs. These are the same thread and heat range as LA plugs but have a 5/8" hex which allows you to install them past the header tube on cylinders 5 & 7. It's also a good idea to use a spark plug wire with a 90 degree boot on the plug end for cylinders 5 & 7 and route the wires under the header tube.

CompleteLeftSide.jpg
 
buddyralf said:
I used the Headman Tight tubs. They took some work hooking it up to the H pipe because of the drivers side collector location, but It is posible as long as you use a mini starter. I get the header in and out within a min. No clearance issuse I just pull them out form the top.
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PLEASE TELL ME THOSE ARNT PAINTED EDDY'S
 
Yes. They are. Looks stock, but it's not. Well looks stock to someone who dosn't know A bodys like us.
 
buddyralf said:
I used the Headman Tight tubs. They took some work hooking it up to the H pipe because of the drivers side collector location, but It is posible as long as you use a mini starter. I get the header in and out within a min. No clearance issuse I just pull them out form the top.
Click to expand...

And this works with power steering? Looks like the collector in the pic would attach right where the power steering is.
 
340 swinger said:
What is the best "punch for the buck" headers for a small block A body with power steering? I saw one once with a removable tube back next to the rear cylinder by the fire wall. The guy told me he could remove and re- install the drivers side header in roughly 20 minutes. Sounds like a perfect world to me.
Click to expand...

Unless they were a different brand than what my Cuda had on it when I got it you couldn't get the drivers side out in any 20 minutes unless you used a torch. The back tube did come off which made it some easier to deal with but it still had the tube that wraps around the steering center link so the steering had to be disassembled to get it out. Mine also leaked where the back tube slipped together and sounded like crap.

BTW: I now have Hooker's on it. They are the usual PITA installing and removing but they clear everything and seal good.
 
It isn't an issue with the power steering, as the picture will show you. You just have to spend some time fabricating a 2 1/2" tub from the collector to the H pipe. I bought some mandrell bent U bends and cut & welded untill I got it. I like them, perhaps not the best for all out flow, but I got great ground cleance, and easy installation and removal.

103_0387.jpg
 
Anyone running the TTI's?? I have herd nothing but good things about them. Planning on a set myself when I get to that point....
 
340 swinger said:
What is the best "punch for the buck" headers for a small block A body with power steering? I saw one once with a removable tube back next to the rear cylinder by the fire wall. The guy told me he could remove and re- install the drivers side header in roughly 20 minutes. Sounds like a perfect world to me.
Click to expand...

Yes,those would be tti's..i'll never use another brand , tti's well worth every penny spent,theres a company out there Dougs headers they tried to copy tti's.but theres only one original,yes they are a little pricey but you get what you pay for...quality cost..
 
if you want a cheap headder that will hang low and hit the road at the shightest dip in the road,capture and burn #5 and #7 plug wire then go hooker or headman...


you want a headder that fits great, has thick flanges, doesn't hang low at all, doesn't capture any plug wires then TTI's are what you want...


i always though tht they were too much money. that was up until i finally broke down and bought a set. i won'r buy another brand of headder now. they are well worth the money. its nice being able to have the car sit low and not scrape the damn ground and crush tubs on every bump.




look how they tuck up there.

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and look how easy those plugs are to get too.. and no burn #5 and #7 wire... gotta love that.

DSC06178.jpg
 
abodyjoe said:
if you want a cheap headder that will hang low and hit the road at the shightest dip in the road,capture and burn #5 and #7 plug wire then go hooker or headman...


you want a headder that fits great, has thick flanges, doesn't hang low at all, doesn't capture any plug wires then TTI's are what you want...


i always though tht they were too much money. that was up until i finally broke down and bought a set. i won'r buy another brand of headder now. they are well worth the money. its nice being able to have the car sit low and not scrape the damn ground and crush tubs on every bump.




look how they tuck up there.

DSC02553.jpg



5-17-05002.jpg

5-17-05001.jpg




and look how easy those plugs are to get too.. and no burn #5 and #7 wire... gotta love that.

DSC06178.jpg
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Joe,if i was'nt already sold on tti's i be buying a set today after your fine description..lol...love my tti's too...:-D
 
Joe,if i was'nt already sold on tti's i be buying a set today after your fine description..lol...love my tti's too...
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lol.. i still cringe and tense up when i hit a dip in the road because of all the years with the hooker and headman junk i had on the car in the past... its like ahhhhhh when i don't hear that smash...
 
that's what I was wondering. anyone know how much closer the engine is to the steering box on an early A? I'd guess power steering would probably be out but a manual set up might be ok.
 
Dougs and tti are the only full length headers that fit decent and don't hang below steering gear.

Either are good choice for a street car and not wanting the cheapo headers dragging all over the place.
 
I have a set of DynoMax headers on my Demon and they don't hang to low. If they were any higher they would be hitting the floor.

Jack

headers1.jpg
 
crackedback said:
Dougs and tti are the only full length headers that fit decent and don't hang below steering gear.

Either are good choice for a street car and not wanting the cheapo headers dragging all over the place.
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So what's the best headers for track use (90% track/10% street) on a stroker?
 
ramcharger said:
So what's the best headers for track use (90% track/10% street) on a stroker?
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Some will argue that the bigger tube hedman and hookers are better for racing,but i'm running tti's..and very happy with the results,i don't drive my duster nearly as much on the street as i use too,but i can with the tti's,if i was running the bigger tube headers they be getting smashed-up on everything....
 
FWIW, here are some rules of thumbs regarding header design;

1. The diameter of the tube determines the rpm at which the torque peak occurs. Larger diameters give higher rpm torque peaks and visa versa.

2. Tubing lenght rocks the torque curve around the torque peak. Longer tubes increase the torque below the peak and visa versa.

3. Larger diameter collectors favor the torque above the peak and visa versa.

4. Longer collectors favor the torque below the peak and visa versa.
 
abodyjoe said:
those two low tubes on the drivers side are the ones that always end up being flat.
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The drivers side have never hit anything Joe. The only time that these have hit was when I broke a T-Bar on the passenger side and had to limp home. They touched a couple of times and I did not like the outcome. So much for my nice ceramic coating and no dents or dings.

Jack
 
340srule said:
Some will argue that the bigger tube hedman and hookers are better for racing,but i'm running tti's..and very happy with the results,i don't drive my duster nearly as much on the street as i use too,but i can with the tti's,if i was running the bigger tube headers they be getting smashed-up on everything....
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This is good info 340s.

dgc333, this is good info too. This information is covered in detail in the 468 page book "The Design and Tuning of High Performance Engines" by Phillip Hubert Smith. I think the last printing was in 1971. I found it at the library in 1979 and read it cover to cover 3 times by 1982. I paid a lot fines to library, lol! Awesome book and the information still applies 100%.

I would like to see a header dyno test on two separate engine, one a 360 in the 350-400 hp range and another on a 500+ hp stroker. Then I want to see the author of the test install the headers, tell us the ins and outs, then drive 'em on 50 miles of city streets and show before and after pics, lol! I would really like to see what the real life increases on hp and tq really are. Is it 20 hp? 5 hp? Where are the increases in the rpm range, etc?
 
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