1962 Header Help

khryslerkid · Mar 7, 2017

Bought these at a swap meet and I thought I would give them a try. I plan on getting them blasted and coated if they work out.

Is there anything out there that has a bit more clearance before I break out the BFH?

No, I can't afford TTI.

One down tube is making contact with the starter. It's going to take about a 1/2" dent to square up the header flange and give it a gap. Maybe it's the starter? (I'm liking the large opening to access the starter terminals)

Is this too close? Will it hit under a hard load? Will it burn the paint on the inner fender?

Looking for comments from those that have been there with their 1962 dodge or plymouth big block transplants. TIA

malex · Mar 7, 2017

Those headers look to be in pretty nice shape. Worth using. I'd give that pipe that's against the starter a new look and you're good to go.
The #2 cylinder pipe is close but it will be ok. I don't recall your space between the pan and the draglink. On my 64 I made some shims that I fit under the mount insulator to get adequate clearance. That did the job.
Keep up the good work!

Rick62 · Mar 8, 2017

This could be a solution but it ain't cheap: http://www.jegs.com/i/Powermaster/713/9523/10002/-1
Perhaps there are other mini-starters with the solenoid in a different position?

lewtot184 · Mar 8, 2017

even if you dimple the pipe that's still too close to the starter for me. the 2" tti's on my 65 coronet have about 3/4" clearance at the #2 cylinder tube and the inner fender and i don't have any heat problems.

khryslerkid · Mar 8, 2017

Rick62 said:
This could be a solution but it ain't cheap: http://www.jegs.com/i/Powermaster/713/9523/10002/-1
Perhaps there are other mini-starters with the solenoid in a different position?

Thanks Rick.
I was looking at the design of this starter to see if it could be clocked at a different position. Doesn't look like it can. I've always thought about the terminal position and I'm liking the location on this one but I guess you can't have your cake!

Centerline · Mar 8, 2017

I bought Headmans for my Polara that had been sitting on the shelf for God knows how long and then sat in my shed for another 10 years. Installed them and found a number of places that needed "adjustment", especially around the starter (mini starter from Dakota).

I was worried that dimpling the headers, especially in several places might significantly effect power.... until I watched this Engine Masters test.

After that I just took a BFH and manufactured the clearance needed... starter, spark plug wires, torsion bars, etc. Bottom line... go ahead and make the adjustments and use them.

khryslerkid · Mar 8, 2017

malex said:
I don't recall your space between the pan and the draglink.

Thanks for the reply malex. I used a drill bit for a guage and came up with 5/16" between the drag link and pan. The factory pan on the original 361 was much thinner in that area. I was glad to see that this pan had that much clearance.

khryslerkid · Mar 8, 2017

Centerline said:
I bought Headmans that had been sitting on the shelf for God knows how long and then sat in my shed for another 10 years. Installed them and found a number of places that needed "adjustment", especially around the starter (mini starter from Dakota).

I was worried that dimpling the headers, especially in several places might significantly effect power.... until I watched this Engine Masters test.

After that I just took a BFH and manufactured the clearance needed... starter, spark plug wires, torsion bars, etc. Bottom line... go ahead and make the adjustments and use them.

Hey Centerline! I saw that video awhile back and had to laugh. I'm not too worried about a little massaging of the tubing. I'm wondering about having them ceramic coated or find something else to coat them with. The old school look was rust if I'm not mistaken? We didn't have ceramic coatings back when, IIRC

lewtot184 · Mar 8, 2017

it's my understanding that the less efficient the exhaust port is the less that dimpling affects flow.

malex · Mar 8, 2017

khryslerkid said:
Thanks for the reply malex. I used a drill bit for a guage and came up with 5/16" between the drag link and pan. The factory pan on the original 361 was much thinner in that area. I was glad to see that this pan had that much clearance.
View attachment 402660[/QUOTE

I have that same starter as you have on my 505. Lots of compression and it spins it easily. Stick with what you got and massage that tube. It won't take much and no one will ever see it.
I did a job on a 55 Chevy with a rack on it. Talk about having to massage a pipe to get the steering shaft past. The clearance you need is a piece of cake.

khryslerkid · Mar 8, 2017

lewtot184 said:
even if you dimple the pipe that's still too close to the starter for me. the 2" tti's on my 65 coronet have about 3/4" clearance at the #2 cylinder tube and the inner fender and i don't have any heat problems.

Thanks lewtot for the reply. Yeah, I don't like that tube being that close to the starter either. Is your starter "clocked" different than this one?

Also I might have bigger problems. Where the shifter cable comes out of the trans, it is lower than the collector. These headers are probably a set of those which were designed for B and RB and not RB specific. The collectors are tucked up under there pretty good. Might be looking for another set...

malex · Mar 8, 2017

khryslerkid said:
Thanks lewtot for the reply. Yeah, I don't like that tube being that close to the starter either. Is your starter "clocked" different than this one?

Also I might have bigger problems. Where the shifter cable comes out of the trans, it is lower than the collector. These headers are probably a set of those which were designed for B and RB and not RB specific. The collectors are tucked up under there pretty good. Might be looking for another set...

Exact same starter. Not clockable. I have TTIs for headers with the starter like yours. It was good

I did a job on a Superbee. About 8 years ago. It had 2-1/8" tube step headers and it needed a clockable starter. The only type that would work. You know that damn clockable starter was one that you could position anywhere. While that solved that problem, the starter wouldn't secure solidly and it would work its way over time until the cable post would come up against the tube. Had to invent a way to keep it from moving by itself but can't recall exactly how I did that now. So being tucked up nicely is good, your headers might be too tucked!

lewtot184 · Mar 8, 2017

khryslerkid said:
Thanks lewtot for the reply. Yeah, I don't like that tube being that close to the starter either. Is your starter "clocked" different than this one?

Also I might have bigger problems. Where the shifter cable comes out of the trans, it is lower than the collector. These headers are probably a set of those which were designed for B and RB and not RB specific. The collectors are tucked up under there pretty good. Might be looking for another set...
View attachment 402668
View attachment 402669

i'm using a factory mini starter. the 2" tubes are a little close but nothing touches. you might consider selling what you have before dimpling and find something that's a better fit. the 2" tubes i'm using are probably over kill. i think i would have been just as happy with 1 3/4" tubes and a good 2 1/2" exhaust.

skicker · Mar 8, 2017

Just my .02 here but I just put a new set of Hedman coated headers on a friends 64 Coronet. They were for a 66 up car and everything fit and worked fine. I'm not sure of the specific differences for a 62 K other than the engine mounts. The price was right on them thru Amazon at like 400.00 or so. Only thing I didn't like about them was I can change the starter on my 383 with the Doug's 452 headers in a 70 B Body. This one the starter wouldn't slide in around the headers without letting the back end hang. No issues once everything was installed it's just that he will have to remove the header to service the starter...They also required a shorter bolt where the steering column connects to the steering box at the clamp. Someone could maybe get by this using the later coupler with the roll pin... .02

Centerline · Mar 8, 2017

khryslerkid said:
Hey Centerline! I saw that video awhile back and had to laugh. I'm not too worried about a little massaging of the tubing. I'm wondering about having them ceramic coated or find something else to coat them with. The old school look was rust if I'm not mistaken? We didn't have ceramic coatings back when, IIRC

Agree. Back in the day we just painted them with "header paint" which today would be about the same as BBQ paint. The stuff made for headers now pretty much all require curing, which might be tough if its a new motor and needs to go through a cam break-in. Mine is just that, a new motor going in from underneath and I have no intention of wrestling with headers once the engine is in.... so they'll be on when its installed. Therefore, I'm painting mine with.... you guessed it... BBQ paint. It's a "period" build so that's appropriate.

Welded up a set of Roadster headers for my Deuce and had them coated by Jet Hot. Wasn't happy with them so swapped them out after about a year. The coating was fine... I just decided to go with block huggers instead. Ceramic coating is really good but sometimes just isn't correct for the build.

khryslerkid · Mar 8, 2017

skicker said:
Just my .02 here but I just put a new set of Hedman coated headers on a friends 64 Coronet. They were for a 66 up car and everything fit and worked fine. I'm not sure of the specific differences for a 62 K other than the engine mounts. The price was right on them thru Amazon at like 400.00 or so. Only thing I didn't like about them was I can change the starter on my 383 with the Doug's 452 headers in a 70 B Body. This one the starter wouldn't slide in around the headers without letting the back end hang. No issues once everything was installed it's just that he will have to remove the header to service the starter...They also required a shorter bolt where the steering column connects to the steering box at the clamp. Someone could maybe get by this using the later coupler with the roll pin... .02

Funny you would mention those two headers. I was researching headers this morning and they are what I narrowed it down to.

My header in the car.

My header out of the car.

Headman 78038 1-3/4" primarys

Doug's 452 2" primarys

Now I'm looking at the #1 tube and you can see where mine and the Headman both end up at the collector at the same place, crowding the starter.
The Doug's #1 tube goes to the outside of the collector, opening up the starter cavity.

The only problem I'm seeing with the Doug's, is the #7 tube runs long to the collector, blocking the shifter cable pathway. That's the way it appears to be. Without having any measurements I'm not sure if it's going to work.

You can see in this picture that the hole in the trans, for the cable, actually sits lower than the collector but there is somewhat of a pathway. Will the Headman's collector be at the same height or lower. Will the Doug's header block the cable's pathway.

Oh the drama! :realcrazy:

khryslerkid · Mar 9, 2017

Whoops, I had the cable routed wrong. Took the cable off of the shifter to mock it up. It goes this way. Easy to fab a bracket off of the lower starter bolt and use a protective sleeve to keep it in place.

I called Hedman and asked if they could give me a overall measurement on their 78038 header. The person told me they didn't have that info. They make them up in fixtures. I guess they don't have a QC department either?

So useing the picture of one, I just transferred some numbers and it measures the same as what I already have.

I'm going to make these work for now. The Doug's 452 looks like the way to go but I'll just hang onto the $700 for now.

Thanks gentlemen for your replies :thumbsup:

Fran Blacker · Mar 9, 2017

Could you remove starter and port-a-power against block and push headers out? Put a foot long piece of !/4" or thicker 3 or 4 inches wide between block and p/o/p head to spread the pressure? You don't need much.

Maybe it could be rigged to pull header out threw the camber adjustment hole? Safer.

khryslerkid · Mar 9, 2017

Fran Blacker said:
Could you remove starter and port-a-power against block and push headers out? Put a foot long piece of !/4" or thicker 3 or 4 inches wide between block and p/o/p head to spread the pressure? You don't need much.

I'll probably just mark that contact spot, remove the header, throw a little heat to the spot and squeeze a piece of pipe on it to get a nice shape. Like you said it won't take much for it to clear. I want enough gap to place a rap on the starter.

I have the 452 heads and they have a ridge just below the valve cover. So I need to bevel the top of the header flange just a little bit to clear it.

I'm thinking at least two more times, in and out, before I can bolt them on for good. Not having the steering shaft there makes it a breeze!

Thunderlugs · Mar 10, 2017

khryslerkid said:
Whoops, I had the cable routed wrong. Took the cable off of the shifter to mock it up. It goes this way. Easy to fab a bracket off of the lower starter bolt and use a protective sleeve to keep it in place.
View attachment 403151
I called Hedman and asked if they could give me a overall measurement on their 78038 header. The person told me they didn't have that info. They make them up in fixtures. I guess they don't have a QC department either?

So useing the picture of one, I just transferred some numbers and it measures the same as what I already have.
I'm going to make these work for now. The Doug's 452 looks like the way to go but I'll just hang onto the $700 for now.

Thanks gentlemen for your replies

Kid... If you are considering dropping $700 0n headers TTI is right in there in price. I have never heard a complaint on their ease of installation and fit. I slid some big tube TTI's into my Hemi Coronet and was quite impressed. I will be ordering a set for my 65 soon. Just my 2 cents.

1962 Header Help

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