your opinion on headers?

[lash]

Just started to build a stroker motor w/ vortech heads. I am not a real fan of headers since mine always seem to leak. I would appreciate any suggestions as to what brands you would recommend and info such as gaskets, flanges or not or any other suggestions. Thanks Lash

[Zkast]

I can tell you what im using.. Has worked great for me so far.

-Hooker Comp or super Comp, ceramic coat.
-regular mr. gasket header gaskets soaked in water then bolted on.
- E-clip fastner system.
mr.gasket collector gaskets.

The trick is the eclip fasteners and the way hooker does thier collector area. Instead of having a tiny lip to seal on, they use a full 3/8" gasket surface.

I know there are better and more expensive header gaskets out there but these work for me and only cost 11.00

[crazy longhorn]

I have hooker comp headers on the longhorn, & really like them. The flanges & tubes are heavier than the hedmans that I took off(16 guage tubing), & the collector rings are welded to the collector making them a little stiffer. I am running the gaskets that came with the headers at this time & havent had any problems. On the header to head gaskets, i have had good luck with MRG ultra,but some guys like the copper gaskets. I tried copper collector gaskets, but didnt like them. I think an aluminum collector gasket would be a better deal. As far as keeping them tight, I retork several times the first couple weeks of driving(after the eng cools), & its a good idea to have hangers on the pipes somewhere close to the collectors(it helps keep the weight of the system off the headers). Good luck......crazy AL

[CoryM]

Sanderson makes a hell of a nice header. VERY thick flanges. However, I can guarantee if you follow my directions with any decent header it will not leak.....

• buy decent headers with a thick flange and thick wall tubes
• cut a slice out of the flange between the exhaust ports, this allows the heads to warp all they want and they will not leak.
• use header gaskets not stock gaskets
• whether you use locking bolts or not you have to tighten the bolts once a week for a few weeks after you install them. Then once a month after that

As for the collector gaskets I havent had any problems with just normal mrgaskets,even after bouncing off a few speedbumps. Try the dead soft aluminum ones if you do.
Good Luck.
CoryM

[Longhorn Man]

hooker super comps here too...I love them. There is only one plug that you can not get to with a ratchet and need a wrench, they seal great, (manifold gaskets on top, and dead soft alluminum on the collecters), and the exit angle is perpindickular to the ground, not aimed down like the cheaper ones.

Driver side;

And the under side... no scrape. tucked up pretty good.
The springs will go into coil bind and rattle your teeth before the headers come close to the pavement.

[Zkast]

Heck ya! I think thats what impressed me the most about hooker headers. The angle is perfect. The pipes are perfectly level all the way back to the bed area before they go up.

And as Cory said, you have to stay ontop of tightening those bolts until the gaskets compress. The water trick seems to help less'n the amount of time it takes for that to happen though. IMHO

Here's a shot of mine, before the engine was put in. I dont have a shot of the headers in the truck yet. Man that ceramic coat finish really shines through the wheels/fender area too.

[Mudder]

I use manifold gaskets (about 7 bucks) and I cut my header flanges. I have stainless header bolts so u cant tighten them very tight without messing the heads up (3/8). I tighten them when I put them on and then forget about them. No problems with loose bolts or leaks. Cut the flanges on the arrows.

[chevyracing]

Just remember that different size header tubes make a difference in the way an engine runs. There is as much "tunability" in the headers that you choose as there are in some other components of the engine. Bigger header tubes are not always better depending on your application. Some cam and manifold manufacturers will recommend certain set ups. Chevy High Performance magazine did an article where they dynoed one engine and all they did was change the headers and had up to 20 horsepower differences and close to 50 ft. lbs of torque differences. Perhaps the best route to take would be to write down the specs of your engine and call the headers manufacturers and tell them what have and let them make some suggestions.
In my 72 Blazer I am running a 383 Stroker with a Weind Pro-Ram 2 and 2 Edlebrock 600's and 11.5:1 compression with world product heads with a Comp Cams 292 H cam. 1.5 roller rockers in the middle and 1.6 roller rockers on the corners. I use 1 7/8 primary tube TTI Exhaust Headers and 3 inch collectors run through 2.5 inch pipes, Flowmaster 50 Mufflers and I use an X pipe.
I like this setup and am real pleased with the sound. Thje TTI Exhaust Headers are a bit spendy but worth it. The "jet Hot" coating is worth it.

John

[Crank]

What is the water trick? Also what kind of headers to buy if you don't want them all corroded up? Get them ceremic coated or would the black be fine? Also, how long does it take to seat the gasket so you can leave it alone? And what about header studs? Do they work any better?
Brandon

[Longhorn Man]

Water trick... Some people swear by soaking header gaskets in a bucket of water. Persoanlly I have never seen any improvement from it...but some say they have.

Ceramic coated headers will look great and resist rust far better than anyother coating on a header.

The black ones resist rust and look good untill you startt eh engine.

Again...my experiances show to tighten the header bolts once a week for the first few weeks, then check every once in a while. (6 months or so...I check mine when the plugs get pulled)

Header studs....they make installation easier most the times, some times it makes it worse.

[Zkast]

When you soak them in water it loosens the fibers, "seems" to help the crush factor when tightening the bolts down. Lets you get a better seal on the gasket first time around.

LOL hell if I know whether it really helps but I read it in HR magazine years ago and have been doing it ever since with no header gasket blowouts yet. Lucky me I saw why F with something that works

[Slammed67]

I've got Sanderson headers and they recommend high temp RTV instead of gaskets. I did as they said and have had no problems so far. Of course I haven't driven it a lot. I'm also using those stage-8 locking header bolts.