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What's out there these days? 8mm, header resistant, what type of core?
To header or not?
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Shorthorse
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Firecore wires are the best IMO - member SunroofGTX
Sonny Black
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TTI....H...helped
Bruzilla
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If you ask the self-proclaimed Master of Mopar, Mark Worman, he says the HP manifolds are as good as headers when it comes to power... according to some new magical tests someone has done. As for me, I say that's BS as there's a lot of different types of headers out there and while the manifolds may be on par with a couple, they are not on par with all. 
If you want more power, and better sound, go with headers. Granted, they are a pain in the ***, but they are worth it.
If you want more power, and better sound, go with headers. Granted, they are a pain in the ***, but they are worth it.
mopar 3 B
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Has anyone seen a new car with cast iron exhaust manifolds?
Moparsmitty
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I would go with headers just because I like the sound of 'em. I would probably go with the Doug's ceramics myself. I like the TTI's if money's no object. Definitely keep the cast manifolds with the car.
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Sometimes we buy a few parts and forget to consider how they will work together.
In stock form, a 440 4 barrel car was usually equipped with a 3.23 gear in automatic cars. The stock 440 torque converter was rated at approx. 1950 stall speed. This is with a .450 lift cam. Stock 440 4 barrel had a Carter 580 cfm carburetor, 2 1/4" dual exhaust and an H pipe.
Take a look at what you have now. Much bigger cam, same size exhaust manifolds, similar exhaust with no crossover H or X pipe. Bigger carb, better intake manifold, bigger cam but not much better exhaust.
The engine isn't breathing. The 3.23 gears are not helping either.
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Mark Worman is clearly interested in stock builds. You can see him bitch when a customer wants anything done that deviates from a "factory correct" type part.
Headers in a stock engine do make a difference but as the power goes up, the headers become even more of an advantage. An X pipe has been found to quell reverberations, quiet the exhaust note while also adding power.
Headers in a stock engine do make a difference but as the power goes up, the headers become even more of an advantage. An X pipe has been found to quell reverberations, quiet the exhaust note while also adding power.
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Has anyone seen a new car that didn't?
Very few new cars came with headers/tubular manifolds. I recall the mid 80s Mustang 5.0L came with them.
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LOL!! But I think more cars now than ever come with tubes on them......especially the high performance ones but it's been awhile since I've pain (paid) much attention to the newer cars.Has anyone seen a new car that didn't?
Very few new cars came with headers/tubular manifolds. I recall the mid 80s Mustang 5.0L came with them.
lewtot184
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the best "header (heat?)" resistance is to custom fit the wires to avoid header contact. i use MSD wire and Taylor components along with factory looms. i never burn wires.
lewtot184
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lower rear gears (higher numerically) are grossly over rated in a street car.
HEMI-ITIS
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Firecore wires https://www.customwiresets.com/home.php, Tell Rick I sent you.
I prefer the X over the H. Your results may vary.
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I dunno....I've ran some deep gears on the street with relatively stock engines on the street and the dang things really woke up. Ran 4.56's in a 71 340 Cuda for a bit and it was pretty much stock except for headers and that sucker let ya know it was moving! Only thing is, running 55 sucked but doing that wasn't something I wanted to do anyways. 1st gear was pretty much useless so I just put the trans in 2nd and let it spin into the shift and then moved the shifter into 3rd and the 275-60's grabbed pretty good once it shifted into second. It didn't take any time to shift up and it beat a lot of other cars that were way more potent street light to street light. Not many wanted to believe it as nearly stock but they couldn't say much when they heard the very smooth idle lol
lewtot184
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is this a "your results may vary",....lol. the smaller engines can use a "little" more gear. the 440's on average don't need anything a 383 needs. i got "cured" of the gear disease when i blew a bunch of money on different gear changes and the end results were always the same. a chassis dyno told me why. i believe those old inline valve engines like olds, pontiac and mopar rb's are pure torque engines. gears are a crutch for torque weakness, but it is possible to mess up a torque engine.
Touching on the Doug's vs TTi again I really can't find a difference. I'm debating the 2 brands for my 383 right now and from everything I read I can't find anything saying TTi actually offers a better quality/performing/fitting header. For the price difference I think it's just a brand loyalty question. If anyone can chime in comparing the two I'd be really interested to read more.
Yes, I think the TTI's are overpriced. That said, they are 12 years old and live a hard life. I would buy them again in a heartbeat. Guy that installed them said they fit good. Just one ding-L- do ya for the pitman arm.
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Gotta say that my first engine, a mild 383 with a 3600 lb car ran the same 1/4 miles numbers with a 2.94 as it did with a 3.91 and traction wasn't an issue. It being my first engine swap and build, I'm sure my combo wasn't very good to say the least. Right after putting this car together, Uncle Sam got me and well, I wasn't expecting that but never forgot the build. It sure felt better with the 3.91's but the ET slips didn't say that. I guess what I'm saying is that you never know until you experiment.....
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That cam I wouldn't call mildish 240ish .600+ lift. 2800 stall converter. Headers yes whatever brand. I always thought gear were to get you into the power band and keep you there. If the car is a daily driver (with that cam?) you won't see much difference with 3.55's. Ohio isn't Texas so driving 80 mph doesn't happen as much. The higher stall converter probably make it ok off idle driving with 3.23's ok. Choosing the right gear because of the money is important. My opinion 3.73's or3.90's (better) would be the way to if not a daily driver. My 65 Dodge has a 246 /520 cam and a 4 speed/3.54's and off idle roll it what I call cam loped. Put in 4.10's gone, it's a toy and I don't care about mpg, it's about 8. Had motor it a 62 Dodge with 5.13's first time I floored it all I saw for a 100' was the head liner.
I couldn't afford the TTI's or even Doug's but I was able to get a set of Summit brand (Patriot) polished ceramic coated headers and I didn't have to ding anything. My wire's are a $20.00 set of universal cut to fit Accels (ebay) with some heat sleeves. This combo is working well for me. Oh yea, it's a 440 in a 69 road runner. I recommend getting at least 3.55 gears to get that thing moving.
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