67-72 Header Selection

[BP68]

Hello all. A newbie here. Found this site doing and search and found it full of great info and pics.

I am building a 1968 C10 short bed 2wd that consists of the following.

1. 1971 or 1972 short bed frame with stock front discs
2. Small block TBI 350 and 700R4 out of a 89 Suburban
3. Cast iron Vortec heads from a 96 Tahoe 5.7
4. Edelbrock Vortec intake and 650 carb

I originally installed some long tube Headman Elites that fit good with some
frame grinding. But now I have the Early Classic 4/6 Drop kit and want some extra ground clearance. Plus I want the Ceramic coating to match the Endurashine intake and Chrome Valve covers

Most of what I am finding are Long Tubes. Early Classics sells some midlengh tubes by Sanderson and I found some Patriot's on Jeg's for about a 100.00 less. For some reason the sales dept at EC says the headers won't work properly with Vortec heads. I cannot think of a reason why. Unless they thought I meant 5.3 LS series Vortec heads.

Anywho, I need some help/advice/suggestions

Thanks

BP

[texascowboy593]

I don't know if this will help but I have Flowtech headers on my 71 w/ a 350 and they work great. Dont know if you can get those ceramic coated and to fit your app. BTW, Welcome from Tx. Lots of good info here. If you post it, They will come. How bout some pics of your ride. WE love pics...

[jamesi20]

the ceramic coated headers from Summit are a good bang for the buck

[Hotrod70C10]

3/4 length Chevelle headers from Dynomax work great.. They do not come below the frame rail even with the collectors bolted on. Summit carries them.. I've got a set of the painted ones on my 70'.. it's got a 4/6 on it..

[timamin]

Originally Posted by Hotrod70C10

3/4 length Chevelle headers from Dynomax work great.. They do not come below the frame rail even with the collectors bolted on. Summit carries them.. I've got a set of the painted ones on my 70'.. it's got a 4/6 on it..

w/o the drop would it fit fine? my headman headers suck since they use such a thin flang I blow header gaskets when I make a hard pull.

[ChevyDude]

Originally Posted by jamesi20

the ceramic coated headers from Summit are a good bang for the buck

And they fit!!! my truck is dropped 4.5 front and 4" rear...no grinding on the frame...tight fit but they do fit without touching anywhere.

[BP68]

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Here are a few pics

[Ron 586]

Welcome to the board from West Tennessee. You will find answers to all your questions on this site. We don't all think alike and answers may vary a little. But from the looks of things you probably have a few answers of your own. Keep us posted, you are off to a good start.

[BP68]

Originally Posted by ChevyDude

And they fit!!! my truck is dropped 4.5 front and 4" rear...no grinding on the frame...tight fit but they do fit without touching anywhere.

Got a part # ?

[ChevLoRay]

I have Hookers on my truck, and they have been there for a long time. I have the ECE 2.5 inch drop in front, with a 4 inch drop in the aft section.

Classic Trucks or Custom Classic Trucks (for July, I think) has an article that discusses headers and exhaust on our trucks. Seems like they're using Hedman headers and they have some explanations that help sway you in that direction. They used a tri-Y configuration on the headers that they installed.

Interesting reading. Check it out.

[BP68]

Well, I took the plunge and got the Sanderson midlength headers from Early Classic. Haven't had a chance to mount em up, but the coating looks great and they look like they will fit much better than the long tubes.

I will post pics once I get em on.
Thanks for all the info.

[BP68]

Here are the pics of the installed Sanderson headers.
I love the fit and finish.

[dirtball]

Those look sweet!

[SactoJim]

One thing to consider is that typically full length headers will give you better engine performance than shorter headers. It's probably nothing substantial, especially on a mild small block, but worth noting anyway.

A number of years ago, I bought some Doug Thorleys, installed them and they were too close to the ground (about a 5/7 drop). They were such nice headers (14 ga tubes and thick flanges) that I decided to MAKE em work. I heated the obvious areas on the tubes where I wanted them to bend and uses a floor jack to tweak em up a little. Worked great and managed to get a couple more inches of clearance. I've since had them ceramic coated and they look great. I only have to be carefull on the BIG speed bumps, so as not to rub the collector flange.

[jpkerley]

what summit headers are yall using, they are signifiganlty cheaper than others. I can only find them on their website for the big block. also what type of gaskets are recommended. In the past I just put high heat silicone on them and that worked.

[Hotrod70C10]

The dynomax headers are similar to thos sanderson's, the collectors exit at the same place / angle..

[incoma]

BP68 - Those headers rock. How are they for clearance around the brake line that wraps around the frame, and...how close are they to your tranny lines....and how close are they to your starter/solenoid? Its tough to tell in the pics.

Just curious - I'm also trying to find a set of headers. I would like some that are stainless so they don't discolor, and I'm looking for something that will work with my A/C brackets. Looks like these will be close if I use a stud of some sort on the front bolts.

If I may expand this thread's topic - Have any of you also adapted your A/C brackets to work with headers?

[incoma]

BP68 - Were those headers for 67-72 trucks or the 88-95 model truck?

[Crank]

I'm in the market for a set of headers for my '86 GMC, and looking at those pictures BP68, does the bellhousing flange interfere with those headers at all? It doesnt look like the starter is in the way nor that flange, I'm just wondering how much excess room they have? Thanks. Also, what did they run if you dont mind me asking
Brandon

[BP68]

To answer some of your questions

1. I am using 89 Suburban Serp. Brackets, I trimmed off the part of the pwr/s
bracket that bolts to the factory manifolds.
2. I ran my own brake lines diff from stock, but the headers sit well above the
frame. Lines inside the frame should be fine.
3. These are made by Sanderson and I got them from Early Classic for around
400.00 shipped. They are like 379.00 plus shipping.
4. They exit close to the bellhousing at a inward angle, but do not touch.
the collectors come with em and they have a angled pipe that you can
turn in such a way that they point back toward the frame. Clearance
shouldn't be a issue.
5. I have the large GM starter off the Suburban with factory heat shield
around the solenoid, and the header does not touch it. Has about not
quite 1" clearance between tubes and heat shield which equals about 2"
total clearance from solenoid.

I will try to post a few more pics soon.

[incoma]

I've been doing quite a bit of digging for mid length headers and for the specs, I think these are the best even though the cost a bit more than the others. Ideally, I'd like stainless but I haven't been able to find anything that looks like it would fit quite like these do.

The reason I asked about the model these are for - there's a set on ebay in stainless for an 88-95 model. I think they sell for $150. I bet the flange is thin or they aren't really stainless.

[76bonanza]

Bp68 are those headers made for early classic or can they be had from sanderson direct? They look like what I want but kind of steep. Looks like you have good clearamce on both side frame rails. What would you think about auto tanny linkage? Think it will clear it ok?

How large are the primaries? Also how much of a power hit will you take over a long tube set up on say a 330 hp motor?

Thanks

[BP68]

Originally Posted by 76bonanza

Bp68 are those headers made for early classic or can they be had from sanderson direct? They look like what I want but kind of steep. Looks like you have good clearamce on both side frame rails. What would you think about auto tanny linkage? Think it will clear it ok?

How large are the primaries? Also how much of a power hit will you take over a long tube set up on say a 330 hp motor?

Thanks

Seems like I checked on Sanderson's website and you can get the same headers, but they cost the same or just a little more.
I had bought the Early Classic 4/6 drop and was pls with the online help they gave me via email before my purchase. Feel free to email em with questions.
The price is a bit higher than I wanted to spend as well, but I have done a lot of online research and asked around and came to a conclusion.
Headers are not something you want to skimp on. All the poor fitment, leaking, and corrosion stories I got were with cheaper headers.

This is not the rule. Some guys have made posts in this thread about less expensive painted headers that fit and seal good. Coated headers just cost more.

One other option you might consider is Patriot. Before I got the Sandersons, I was looking at a set of Patriots on Jeg's website. They look like they are shaped about the same, and they have the coating on the outside. According to Jeg's, they are not coated inside. They were about 100.00 cheaper. But I decide to go for the ones made for our trucks coated in and out. Early Classic even told me they would gladly take em back if I had any fitment issues, which I don't.

As far as the trans linkage, I don't see any obvious probs. But I haven't had the cab on the frame for a while or since the install.

As far as the primaries and torque questions, I am not sure, I would have to try to look thru my paperwork. But I recommend you email Early Classic direct. That is what I did, and they were very, very helpful. I have heard long tubes give you better low end torque, and my motor should be around 330 HP with the cam I installed plus the Vortec heads. However, I was willing to give up a little for better fit and more ground clearance for the 4/6 drop.

Anyone else have torque number for long tube vs. short tube?
Would it make a noticable diff on a street truck that isn't primarily drag racing?

I will try to get a few more pics up by tomorrow.

[76bonanza]

Thanks bp68 I think I will wait longer and raise more money to get those they really look sweet.

[BP68]

Ok here are the flange pics I promised, and one of how it clears the trans.








hope this helps

Anyone else need another pic from a different angle?

P.s. I got the stainless trans cooler lines made for 700R4 from Brothers Trucks, and they fit along the oil pan, wrap around behind the starter and look like they will come up the bellhousing with enough clearance from the header.