TTI headers ready to go in....any advice?

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freshayr

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OK...I got the motor in today. I think the next step should be the TTI header install. Does anybody have any advice on the steps to take. I did not bolt the motor down because it looks like I will have to raise it to install the headers.

This is a 68 Barracuda. Which side should I do first? I guess my plan was to raise the motor, slide the header from the top down, hold them off the the side (somehow) Bolt the motor down and the install the header bolts. My headers have a removeable tube on the drivers side. One of the primary reasons I went with the TTI's is because I heard they were the easiest to install. Looking at it briefly tonight before I quit, nothing looked easy about it.
 
I put them on my Duster 340 a few months ago. It was a fairly easy one-man job as I recall, but you do have to get the car quite a ways off the ground. My motor and tranny were in, but jacked up as high as it could go off the motor mounts.

Warning: If you have the right angle oil filter adapter, leave it off during installation, BUT... before you tighten down the headers and bolt down the motor, MAKE SURE that the big bolt that holds the adapter to the block is TIGHT and sealed well. Once the motor is in place and the headers tightened down, there IS NO WAY IN HEAVEN you can tighten that bold down. Ask me... I know.

What kind of trans linkage you have? I have a floor console auto and had to flip over one piece to keep it from scratching the collector and jamming the shifter.

Be careful. Go softly. Those headers are works of art.

Is this a new rebuild? If so, you should know that TTI does not recommend using them ... in fact you'll lose the warranty if you do. On a rebuild, the headers can become red hot so that the coating peels off. I learned of this too late, but I compensated by having a big fan blowing air over the headers during break in, and even misted them with a garden hose while the motor ran.

You'll also find that the headers hang on the bolts rather sloppily. That bothered me a lot because I had exhaust port-matched the heads to the header gasket and I could see that there was intrusion of the header in the exhaust gas flow that would cause turbulence. I contacted TTI and they admitted the sloppy fit but had to manufacture the headers for a number of vehicles. They recommended I use 4 bronze bushings to fill the gaps, which I got and used. Also, my TTI's came with a gasket with bolt holes WAY oversized. They sent me another set with the smaller diameter holes.
 
some good info there. I have the right angle oil filter. I had to take the filter off to get motor in . Yes, I have the auto with the console. This is a new rebuild but I broke it in on the dyno last weekend and used old headers for the very reason you mentioned. I don't understand where you used the bronze bushings....inside the bolt holes on the headers? I paid a King's ransom for these ceramic coated , thermal coated blah, blah blah, bad boys. I don't like the sloppy fit you're telling me.

Do you put them in from the top or bottom?
 
The set I put on had to be put in from the botom. There was no way the collector would slip down in from the top and clear the inner fenders. They were Hookers though, not TTI's but I think you'll find the same.
 
I put mine in from the top down, but I had the motor off the mounts and as high as I could get it. It was a little tricky, but I got 'em in OK. I did not have any of the transmission linkage in place though. That came later.

The bushings I mentioned sit within the header bolt holes. 1 on each corner. I bought them on-line the exact thickness, ID and OD that I needed. As I recall I spent hours scouring the net and found only one place that stocked the exact ones I needed. In effect they reduce the size of the header holes to match the size of the header bolts. There's still enough wiggle room for the flanges to expand from the heat without warping. This is actually what the TTI people recommended when I called and complained about the slop.

Put a header bolt in one of the holes and jiggle it around. You'll see a lot of play. This makes the headers hang low, ie not centered precisely in the hot gas outflow. In fact, if you have the engine on a stand and hang the headers on with some marking chalk, you'll find that there is intrusion of about 1/8" - 1/4" of flange sticking in the exhaust flow.

Maybe you're not picky like me, but I figure if I'm gonna spend $600 on a pair of headers, they're gonna work right. I'm big on exhaust, there's a lot of horsepower to be gained there in a high revving small block.

I used a rotozip grinder to match the head exhaust ports to the headers. Just screw some studs into the heads, hang the gasket and trace the inside holes with a scribe onto the head metal. Then grind off (carefully - keep it clean) any metal that is in the way of a smooth transition from the heads to the headers. You can also do the same with the header flanges but be aware you are losing your warranty if you "adjust" TTI headers in any way.

This takes little work and $$ and you don't need to be a rocket scientist to do it.
 
freshayr,

If you have the right angle oil filter adapter, I would suggest you NOT reinstall it! Instead, get the plate and install a short filter directly into the side of the block. You'll have more room and oil changes/filter removals will be a lot cleaner. It's not easy cleaning oil off from between the tubes once it spills there.
 
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