For Your Street Motors: Who Here Chose Manifolds And Who Here Chose Headers?

[dvw]

It's funny the answers posted " headers aren't worth the hassel, trouble, worries". Take you pic. But the first answer everyone gives on hop ups is "stroke it". Yet installing headers is to hard? Really? Aftrer doing just about anything in the car hobby (or general repair for that matter) headers are FAR from the top of the list of difficult jobs. Price? OE style performance manifolds and headers can be about the same. Headers don't leak if the flanges are flat. Yes it's extra work to flat file them. So the bottom line is? Lots of money spent on machine work to get perfect valve jobs, cylinder finish, valve train geometry. Then there's expensive engine parts. And let's not forget stuff that really doesn't help much. Dollars spent on fancy race distributors, under drive pulley's, gasket matching, fancy plug wires. And headers are now to much of a hassel? It all boils down to what you want. A cruiser? Or a street car that runs better than average. Nobody said this hobby didn't require effort.
Doug

 

[flyingfeathers]

here here I tolly agree with dvw little effort goes a long way

 

[TorRed]

flyingfeathers' recent post caused me to pull this thread back up and reread everyone's posts. First thing I want to do is thank everyone for their responses!! I really value other people's knowledge and experiences and there's no better place for that than right here. That said, I'm still wrestling what I want to do with this car. It will be my last project for sure and want to be happy with it when I'm done. Whichever way I go, now is the time to get the thing running and I'll make decisions when I have to I guess.

 

[33 IMP]

flyingfeathers' recent post caused me to pull this thread back up and reread everyone's posts. First thing I want to do is thank everyone for their responses!! I really value other people's knowledge and experiences and there's no better place for that than right here. That said, I'm still wrestling what I want to do with this car. It will be my last project for sure and want to be happy with it when I'm done. Whichever way I go, now is the time to get the thing running and I'll make decisions when I have to I guess.

Unless your plans have changed, look at post 36&37 again.
And if you want it to run on pump premium, I wouldn't build it with any more than 9.5 to 1, with a mild cam. Just my opinion.

 

[hacksaw]

made some upgrades to the hornet. had to put headers on it. giant pain but without doing it. i would have just wasted the money. ya think building a mopar is costly.

 

[6PKRTSE]

I have headers on four of my eight classic musclecars on the street. I have never really been able to feel the power advantage of headers of exhaust manifolds by the butt dyno except for maybe this one.... However, headers do make the exhaust louder and sound better. They also make access to spark plugs more difficult in most cases as well as making starter r&r more difficult.

 

[WileE]

I haven’t run stock manifolds since the 80’s

Me, since the 70's.

It's funny the answers posted " headers aren't worth the hassel, trouble, worries". Take you pic. But the first answer everyone gives on hop ups is "stroke it". Yet installing headers is to hard? Really? Aftrer doing just about anything in the car hobby (or general repair for that matter) headers are FAR from the top of the list of difficult jobs. Price? OE style performance manifolds and headers can be about the same. Headers don't leak if the flanges are flat. Yes it's extra work to flat file them. So the bottom line is? Lots of money spent on machine work to get perfect valve jobs, cylinder finish, valve train geometry. Then there's expensive engine parts. And let's not forget stuff that really doesn't help much. Dollars spent on fancy race distributors, under drive pulley's, gasket matching, fancy plug wires. And headers are now to much of a hassel? It all boils down to what you want. A cruiser? Or a street car that runs better than average. Nobody said this hobby didn't require effort.
Doug

Could not have said it better. If you think headers are a hassle you shouldn't be working on cars. Same goes for changing plugs with headers.

 

[Cranky]

Me, since the 70's.

Could not have said it better. If you think headers are a hassle you shouldn't be working on cars. Same goes for changing plugs with headers.

I've had a few cars since the 70's that never got headers....usually ones that were bought and didn't need anything but to just jump in and drive but the majority of them weren't that way and got headers including more than a few pickups. At the bare minimum, headers and an aluminum intake with a decent carb.

 

[RJ Squirrel]

I personally like the HP manifolds and am looking for a set for the Charger that is not priced so high it is cheaper to buy headers.

 

[BSB67]

… If you think headers are a hassle you shouldn't be working on cars. Same goes for changing plugs with headers.

You’re painting with kind of a wide brush.

 

[TorRed]

Unless your plans have changed, look at post 36&37 again.
And if you want it to run on pump premium, I wouldn't build it with any more than 9.5 to 1, with a mild cam. Just my opinion.

Thanks again, those posts kind of wrap it up don't they!

 

[Koenig1425]

Manifolds for me. 64 Ply Sport Fury.

 

[WileE]

You’re painting with kind of a wide brush.

 

[Some Car Guy]

If my car weren’t all stock I’d have another set of hooker 1 7/8 coated headers again. Those were great. Run a mini starter and get some wire holders that hang off the valve cover. Worked awesome. I’d really love to coat the manifolds I have now. I’ll never do a teardown and put back on uncoated headers or manifolds. It’s that much better.

I’ve looked at Doug thorley headers for years with intrigue. I think those might be pretty good at 1.75 size.

The headers felt much lighter than manifolds too. They are actually mostly for ore torque, not hp.

People couldn’t believe the power gain I got on a 79 d300 with a 360 by ditching manifolds for dynomax 1 5/8 coated headers. It was CRAZY how much it picked up. I’d jam people in the seat taking off with the 4.10s and the comments were basically “WTF!!!???”