commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Why do you want headers on your C-body?
Discuss, please. :argue:
Discuss, please. :argue:
Headers. Why?
- Thread starter commando1
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68plymouth383
Senior Member
Because cousin Joes brothers uncle used to race and said it makes it faster...
Fratzog
Old Man with a Hat
If you go to the track and are taking it over 4500 rpm they are pretty much a necessity. Otherwise HP manifolds will do the trick. My .02.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
"If you go to the track..."
Thank you, Fred.
Thank you, Fred.
LocuMob
Fluid Technician with a hat
I got them because I was sick of the ill fitting pipes after the manifolds. I knew what I was getting was a quality product and got the whole works, all the way out the back. I'm sure the engine will be modified down the road with more compression and multiple carbs and a rowdier camshaft. Figured I'd get the exhaust out of the way as that was what really drove me nuts the most. If I had a proper functioning stock exhaust system I would have kept it that way. So it's the previous owners fault.
LocuMob
Fluid Technician with a hat
By the way Stan, I have headers for all my old vehicles!
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In my opinion I see no use for headers on a street car.
I've had headers on other cars and even though I bought good quality headers... They were a pain in the *** most of the time and any gain was offset by that pain.
They could cook a starter and changing them (before the mini starter) involved taking the header out. Then there were the leaks... and if you've ever ripped one apart on a railroad track ( I did.. twice) you'd give up on headers.
The biggest thing that got me away from them was my buddy showing how there wasn't more than a tenth or so gain in the quarter with a mild street engine.... I always (still do) respected his experience and opinions. BTW, he went on to building some of the top FAST (Factory Appearing Stock Tire) Hemi engines
They could cook a starter and changing them (before the mini starter) involved taking the header out. Then there were the leaks... and if you've ever ripped one apart on a railroad track ( I did.. twice) you'd give up on headers.
The biggest thing that got me away from them was my buddy showing how there wasn't more than a tenth or so gain in the quarter with a mild street engine.... I always (still do) respected his experience and opinions. BTW, he went on to building some of the top FAST (Factory Appearing Stock Tire) Hemi engines
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Do headers add in anyway to a C-body that sees only street use?
Looking for the advantages here.
Looking for the advantages here.
I don't see as they would.
IMHO, most of the C-body engine builds I see are really wrong for the car... People make cam, intake, carb, head etc. changes without thinking that they have a big heavy car that they need to build low end torque for. Unless you can get a header made with small diameter and very long primaries that will help that bottom end, you are just spending your money on nothing.
Now... There are some guys that will tell you how much faster their car is after they did "X and Y". I don't believe the "seat of the pants" dyno most times. Unless they show an honest to god time slip I seriously doubt they are going that much faster. It may sound better... It may go rumpty rump... but chances are it's not faster.
My experience with headers was good and bad. On the cars that I took the track headers was a benefit. Down side was collector gaskets failing, header bolts coming loose and burning up the manifold gaskets, occasionally burning up plugs wires, bottoming out the headers on the street and defeating the HP gain from the headers. No need for headers with a Formal....
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
So, for street use, the attraction to spend money on headers in most cases is psychological?
Like most speed parts, yes, that is very true.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Where do people get the logic where they get a car with 137,450 miles on it and immediately want to put on an aftermarket intake, carburetor, and headers on it?
68plymouth383
Senior Member
I made my car faster with the Rev n nator.... LOL
furyus 67
Senior Member
For me its just personal preference. I was born in the greatest country on earth and because of that I can do what I want with my car. Although you may not see massive gains on a mildly built street car there's always that little boy in me that goes "Ooooo" when i see a well built exhaust system in a beautiful engine bay. So maybe its just aesthetics for me. Just my personal opinion but life is too short to stay stock. Stock sucks for 95% of the cars in the world. now there are cars out there that just shouldn't be touched, and yes some of those cars are Mopars. I mean why do women wear high heels? Why do people buy raised letter tires? Why do we put sprinkles on our cupcakes. I don't know about you guys but I'd rather see a nice set of unnecessary headers than a lifted Cutlass with 96 inch wheels! Just my opinion.
68plymouth383
Senior Member
That logic comes from the ford, and Chevy guys mainly. Give em a 5.0 or a Chevy 350 they'll buy all the speed parts at pepboys... that's why all these auto stores have gm, and Ford speed parts on hand. .. They move fast...
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Sarcasm is now frowned upon here.
polara66hardtop
Senior Member
I don't go to the track. I like performance, but I don't like raising the hood of the car after driving awhile when headers are on the car. They are hot, and they make everything else hot as well. When customers brought them in to be worked on, I told them the car was going to sit a day extra, as I refused to mess with the car if it Involved working around the drivetrain. When I worked in phoenix and Houston, it was already over 100 degrees in the shade, at least 9 months a year. I see no advantage to them on the street myself, and not on a C body. I have had excellent luck with the quality of Accurate exhaust,as They fit the first time, every time.
Now, my views here refer to the headers that aren't ceramic coated, as I will also say the only exception to the above Is when for a year I owned a Hemi GTX with the TTI ceramic coated Headers. They definitely are a superior header, regarding heat dissapation, and if I really wanted another header, that would be my choice.
Now, my views here refer to the headers that aren't ceramic coated, as I will also say the only exception to the above Is when for a year I owned a Hemi GTX with the TTI ceramic coated Headers. They definitely are a superior header, regarding heat dissapation, and if I really wanted another header, that would be my choice.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Very well put.
My last Harley which finally was a brand new one, I came to understand was a VISUAL masterpiece of art to me. Everynight, I would park it in the garage, wipe off the road tar adhered to the pipes, and just sit on a milk crate for an hour staring at it and listening to the ka-klinking of the pipes cooling down.
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