Header Advice

[Palf70Step]

Well it was bound to happen. The long tube headers on my 70 with a crate 350 since before 1978 gave out. The collectors blew a big hole in the side. Not sure what brand they are other than long tube and the is no markings anywhere on either side. I am thinking of going with the Sanderson cc3-p Block huggers. They are supposed to clear my 3 on the tree and seem to have better plug access than any others I have looked at.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/snh-cc3-p

Any of you run them or recommendations?

I will be running a 2.5" exhaust behind them, Probably with some Flowmaster Delta 50s for mufflers

[MikeB]

The CC3-P models may work well, but I'd contact Sanderson just to make sure, since they have several models to choose from. I'd also contact Hedman, since they say all their C10 headers are still made in the USA. I have a set of their mid-length stainless headers, which are really well made. https://www.hedman.com/C10-Truck-Headers

As for your current headers, can you post a few pictures?

[LS short box]

I've have Sanderson shorty headers on my 98 Wrangler with a LS6 swap. Been 15 years and there have been zero issues.
I bought the mild steel type. Where I used to work has a nickel plating shop so I had them nickel plated.
Not a great pic but here you go.

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by LS short box

Where I used to work has a nickel plating shop so I had them nickel plated.

Man, that's nice. Gotta be better than ceramic coating, or at least most of the vendors that do it.

I heard that Jet Hot in Oklahoma did coatings that lasted, but they wanted around $800 (including return shipping) to do a pair of new raw steel headers that I had.

[72c20customcamper]

I used Headman 304 stainless 6210 shorties recommended by Blue Print . Excellent fit to the truck the plugs are a little hard to get at but not impossible. But YMMV as the heads on the motor have slightly different plug orientation than stock . They are pricey but they are built like a brick poop house

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by 72c20customcamper

I used Headman 304 stainless 6210 shorties recommended by Blue Print.

Exactly what I have. Passenger side collector flange is very close to the TH350 trans, but it's not a big deal. #6 and #8 spark plugs are hard to get to, unless you loosen the header bolts a little. But I'd buy them again in a heartbeat. Flex pipe in passenger side picture was temporary and replaced with 2.5" pipe at a muffler shop.

One of these days I'll try to polish the drivers side tubes. At least they will never get rusty or have rust pimples pop through a ceramic coating.

[72c20customcamper]

Originally Posted by MikeB

Exactly what I have. Passenger side collector flange is very close to the TH350 trans, but it's not a big deal. #6 and #8 spark plugs are hard to get to, unless you loosen the header bolts a little. But I'd buy them again in a heartbeat. Flex pipe in passenger side picture was temporary and replaced with 2.5" pipe at a muffler shop.

One of these days I'll try to polish the drivers side tubes. At least they will never get rusty or have rust pimples pop through a ceramic coating.

I used butt band clamps and some Magnaflow generic drops . Not to close on my truck but again the heads are different than stock . I did insulate the cooler lines with some header wrap just because

[PbFut]

This was at a local car show last month FWIW.
I used a basic summit header and wrapped it. Cost is ok but by the time you include wrap and DEI silicone paint, it does add up some. Many will poo poo wrap but I find under hood temp are much lower and you can bump the header with your hand and not get burned in very short time after shut down. Saved my hands many times in the pits.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by PbFut

This was at a local car show last month FWIW.
I used a basic summit header and wrapped it. Cost is ok but by the time you include wrap and DEI silicone paint, it does add up some. Many will poo poo wrap but I find under hood temp are much lower and you can bump the header with your hand and not get burned in very short time after shut down. Saved my hands many times in the pits.

I will admit Wrap was neat. It did keep my 350's underhood temps down in a '71 GMC Jimmy K/1500. Another factor was the noise reduction. It sounded like a Cadillac. In underground garages you could hardly hear it, unless you're a dog. And I thought I would get some longevity because I airbrushed on some Eastman ceramic coating on my Heddman Hedders and baked them for a few hours at 450*F in my Mom's old Hotpoint electric stove.
Add in the year round aridity of Southern Arizona and I thought they would last fovever. Not to mention how cool the Mummy Wrap looked.
So I was shocked when my Hedders burned out after only 7 years. Even more shocked when I found Heddmans had a lifetime warranty but mummy wrapping voided it.
I had Heddman p/n:69069 [I think]. I ordered the same p/n -- for a '71 [K/5] K/1500 w/Clutch and SBC. The new ones were not the same 3-bolt collectors. The replacements [under the same p/n] were a new type with a Ball-type collector -- held on by 3 long bolt sets.I was p!ssed I had to cut off my Muffler-side collector ends, and run open-pipes seven miles down to the muffler shop and pay for more welding.

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

I had Heddman p/n:69069 [I think]. I ordered the same p/n -- for a '71 [K/5] K/1500 w/Clutch and SBC. The new ones were not the same 3-bolt collectors. The replacements [under the same p/n] were a new type with a Ball-type collector -- held on by 3 long bolt sets. I was p!ssed I had to cut off my Muffler-side collector ends, and run open-pipes seven miles down to the muffler shop and pay for more welding.

Those ball & socket collectors are really cool. You can move the reducer around and there are no gaskets to mess with. Of course, I wasn't replacing old headers.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by MikeB

Those ball & socket collectors are really cool. You can move the reducer around and there are no gaskets to mess with. Of course, I wasn't replacing old headers.

Well as a brand new system, it would've been OK. I will admit I haven't had to tighten up the collectors, and it's been years.
But to have the same P/N as the old series was bad business practice, IMO... I got them mail order from Jeg's, I think.
And to rub it in, one of the parts guys at my local Hot Rod Shop, said, ''Oh Man, If you'd asked us, we could have gotten you the old 3 bolt style.''
The trick to using the old style was to splurge for the solid copper header/collector gaskets. Once tightened up, they didn't leak til they burned out.
I will have to pull the headers off this summer to replace a a bad header gasket. I also intend to spraypaint them with the cheapest white stove paint I could find. [$6 bucks a can.]

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

...to have the same P/N as the old series was bad business practice.

Yes, Hedman should have assigned a new P/N, even if it was just the addition of a letter, such as "B" for ball and socket, or "-1".

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

The trick to using the old style was to splurge for the solid copper header/collector gaskets. Once tightened up, they didn't leak til they burned out.

I used inexpensive Summit-brand aluminum collector gaskets on headers for another vehicle. I probably re-used them 2-3 times when I had to remove the headers for various projects. I can't see any way they would blow out or fall apart.

[MySons68C20]

I think it would be fun to cut those off at the weld and attempt to save them.
Nice pics btw!

['68OrangeSunshine]

The Clifford Research headers on my 292 L6 in the '68 C/10 Stepside were first mounted in that truck in 1978. They are on their second engine.
I did have a shop modify the head mating flange to a 3/8'' width -- voiding the lifetime warranty. When the down tube from #5 cylinder was crushed during some agressive off roading -- doing search and rescue -- they also welded on a section of straight pipe -- patching over the cut out of the damaged section.
The mechanic said they could get me a fresh set of headers under Clifford's warranty, but as it was my Daily Driver, and only rig, I couldn't afford the downtime. [That was in the late Eighties.]
I have only ever spraypainted them with VHT Cast Iron Gray, periodically.