Hedman #68460 Camaro Headers Installed on 77 C10

[TrailerTrash]

I have done alot of searching for headers for my 77 C10 with a 350/350. i had a set of no name long tubes on it for a few years now but they hang down way too low and with a single hump crossmember they just dont work at all if you want to keep the exhaust tucked up above the bottom of the frame. i have no idea what brand they are or what they are from. so i started looking around and found several people saying that Camaro headers will fit or Nova headers or 67-72 headers ect. then i found a few posts from a guy(i cant find the thread) and he posted a few pics of OBX stainless headers for an 82-92 camaro installed on his truck. they are pretty expensive so i looked for alternatives and found these

http://www.jegs.com/i/Hedman/500/68460/10002/-1

not a bad price at all so i wanted to give them a try. worst case i just return them. Hedman makes a set that are made for Chevy pickups i think 67-87 that look similar to the Camaro ones but they are $100 more.

here are the headers i had on my truck. they fit the truck perfectly but hung down too low and i had to run both pipes under the crossmember which gave me about inches of ground clearance at stock ride height


the Hedmans have the ball and socket collectors. i wasnt too sure about it because ive read bad reviews but i was willing to try it. they came with the collector reducers, bolts for them, header to block bolts, and gaskets. i reused my all but new Felpro gaskets but the ones Hedman supplied do seem like good quality. not at all like what is in the picture on Jegs website


old vs new. hard to see much of a difference


here is the real difference



both went in just fine from the bottom. i only had to take out 2 spark plugs on the passenger side and they slid right into place.
only issues were where they were too close to the frame on the passenger side and the lower control arm on the driver side. my engine mounts are several years old so im not sure if new mounts would raise the engine up enough to clear these spots or not
this wasnt hitting but it was too close for comfort


this was hitting but just barely


easily fixed with a few smacks with a hammer



here you can see where the old headers were and how much better the new ones sit




The driver side was extremely simple. the header pointed straight back and a straight section of exhaust pipe cleared the crossmember with space on all sides.

the passenger side just needed a slight upward angle then a downward angle to get it back level with the frame. i actually used the angled pipe that used to go under the crossmember i just cut it down a little and flipped it over. worked perfectly




all in all i am very happy with the purchase. one issue i ran into was i had no idea how tight to make the bolts on the ball and socket collectors. they didnt come with lock washers just bolts and nuts. i searched around online and found nothing but people complaining about them loosing nuts and bolts and not staying tight. so i tightened them untill i have 5 exposed threads on all the ends of the bolts. i wasnt super tight but i didnt want to go too tight. them i double nutted them and after alot of driving today and several heat cycles they are still nice and tight and the collectors do not leak whatsoever

I hope this helps some of you guys looking for a decent long tube header that sits above the frame.

[bbbc10]

Why buy headers that end up hitting stuff an end up jus taking a hammer to them to solve the problem.....

[Jake Wade]

Thank you for the really nice detailed review. I have been looking for headers that exit a little higher as well.

I will have to pass on those due to the two interference spots.

[TrailerTrash]

Originally Posted by bbbc10

Why buy headers that end up hitting stuff an end up jus taking a hammer to them to solve the problem.....

I couldnt find headers for a C10 that looked like they exit above the frame. other than shorty headers. all the ones that i could find for these trucks look really long like they drop where my old ones did so i took a chance on these. im fine with 2 dents ive seen worse done to make something fit

[crazyjim]

I have a 1977 swb and I have 79 Camaro on it fit fine.

[TwinTurbo]

The OBX headers can be had on ebay sometimes for as little as 250 dollars or so, including the Y pipe. They are 1-3/4 not 1-1/2 like often listed in the auctions. The collectors are stepped down to 2.5" but can be easily cut off to any diameter up to 3" I have installed quite a few sets of those on thirdgens. PRetty damn nice headers for the super low price. And a perfect sized primary for some serious engine upgrades. the hedmans are only 1-5/8 primaries

[cheap]

header bashing causes nearly zero loss in horsepower, not anything anyone could ever notice while driving. Thanks for the info, a good alternative to shortys for tucked exhaust

[1redbowtie3]

Originally Posted by TwinTurbo

The OBX headers can be had on ebay sometimes for as little as 250 dollars or so, including the Y pipe. They are 1-3/4 not 1-1/2 like often listed in the auctions. The collectors are stepped down to 2.5" but can be easily cut off to any diameter up to 3" I have installed quite a few sets of those on thirdgens. PRetty damn nice headers for the super low price. And a perfect sized primary for some serious engine upgrades. the hedmans are only 1-5/8 primaries

For 90% the 1 5/8 will be much better, more torque ... and torque is King.

[TrailerTrash]

Originally Posted by 1redbowtie3

For 90% the 1 5/8 will be much better, more torque ... and torque is King.

thats why i wanted a set of long tubes like this. if i wouldnt be planning a 4.5/4 drop i would have kept the old headers

[KQQL IT]

These work. No smashing

D310c dougs

[blazer2007]

there was a episode on motor trend with the guy from roadkill and they bashed a set of headers up good and put them on the dyno with nothing significant

[KQQL IT]

I'd rather not smash new parts.

[Pyrotechnic]

I've run Hedman's on my truck for years now, and I can guarantee you will eventually have issues with the ball and socket flanges and loose bolts. For the first few months I kept losing nuts and bolts while I was driving.

The solution was to use long bolts with springs, and also to install two nuts on each bolt and tighten them against each other to prevent them from loosening. This is how ball and socket flanges that come stock from the factory are fastened together. After I did this modification, I never had a bolt come loose again and I've never had any exhaust leaks.

You can get the springs from auto parts stores in the Dorman HELP! section.

I don't have any pictures of my headers, but here's a picture of a factory style ball and socket flange with springs:

[TrailerTrash]

Originally Posted by KQQL IT

I'd rather not smash new parts.

if i would have paid alot for them i wouldnt want to smash them either. i was looking for a resonably priced alternative to what i had.

Originally Posted by Pyrotechnic

I've run Hedman's on my truck for years now, and I can guarantee you will eventually have issues with the ball and socket flanges and loose bolts. For the first few months I kept losing nuts and bolts while I was driving.

The solution was to use long bolts with springs, and also to install two nuts on each bolt and tighten them against each other to prevent them from loosening. This is how ball and socket flanges that come stock from the factory are fastened together. After I did this modification, I never had a bolt come loose again and I've never had any exhaust leaks.

You can get the springs from auto parts stores in the Dorman HELP! section.

I don't have any pictures of my headers, but here's a picture of a factory style ball and socket flange with springs:

my Civic has that style flange with a doughnut gasket. somehow it doesnt leak and remains flexible. im going to get some longer bolts and some springs like you suggested it never crossed my mind thanks for the input

[MikeB]

Many years ago, I used a set of DynoMax 3/4 length 67 to ??? Camaro headers on my 69 C10 small block. I had a clearance issue with one (or both?) of the front header tubes coming very close to the frame motor mt. bracket, but it was very minor and I don't remember how I resolved it. However, they actually fit better than a pair of Hedmans supposedly designed for my truck!

Turns out the Hedmans worked fine on a 67-68 truck or 69-72 4WD truck where the engine was mounted in the rearward location, but not on a 69-72 2WD truck where a couple tubes on each side hit the frame rails. Of course Hedman told me my motor mounts were sagging or improperly installed, etc, etc.

They eventually sent me a new pair of headers, but they had the same issues! I see where sometime later they added a new P/N for 67-72 2WD. The good news was I ended up with a free set of headers that I sold to a guy with a 68 C10, and I returned the original set to the place where I purchased them.

DynoMax 67 Camaro headers. No longer available.

[jjzepplin]

I put some I had laying around on my 72 Blazer that I think were off a 78ish Malibu or something. Don't really know cuz they came on a 265ci engine I bought for a hundred bucks for the carb and intake and a few other goodies. They fit well and tucked up into the frame real nice. A few clearance spots were tight but free is good. I used newer aluminum gaskets on both trucks I own and no leaks at all. Wish they had them a long time ago.