59 Chevy truck, choosing a set of headers

Well, here we are again;)

I get to reflect on mistakes that I’ve made along the way~ whoopee! Live n learn eh!

Choosing a set of headers for my very nice looking small block Chevy engine proved to be an ordeal in itself. Trying to stay least expensive is a problem. I want the best for the least amount of money! Sound familiar? Or I hear, “I’m on a budget!” Give me a break! 😉

 

 

 

 

 

First we have to review my upgraded engine compartment. I had already installed my engine supports and boxed in the engine compartment frame. I’ve installed my Ididit steering column and the shaft leading to my Saginaw steering gear.  My worry was clearance for the headers!

 

 

 

 

So I went safe, and cheap! However I like to say, “a lesser expensive route”!  I felt that going with shorty hugger headers would be my best bet, and for right at 100 bucks, I knew I couldn’t go wrong!

 

 

 

After spending a fair amount of time making these shorty hugger headers work with my Alan Groves AC and Alternator bracket, finally it’s time to install the engine! Look how much work I’ll be saving installing it this way!

 

 

 

 

 

After having the new engine bolted up and hooked up to the Th350 transmission, I had to re-think these headers. Guilt kind of hit me, should I buy another set of headers? Should I take a chance on another set and lose money? Darn!

 

 

 

 

 

Of course I did!;)  I bought a set of long tube headers off of ebay, where else! These were ceramic coated, long tube type designed for an early Camaro. I paid 269.oo IIRC.  I took this picture cause I was fascinated how nice they looked! Finally a neat set of headers!

 

 

 

 

 

Installing headers on this truck is not difficult at all except for refitting the Alan Groves brackets to fit again, and of course not scratching the headers as well.   Not a biggy! What is a biggy, the headers weren’t level down below! That is a Biggy!

 

On the passenger side, the collector was smack dab in the middle of the transmission crossemember, not the original, the new tranny crossmember for the TH350. There is no way an exhaust is going to be coming off of that without looking dumb!

 

 

 

 

However, on the driver’s side, it lined up OK!  How the heck! I started rechecking my engine mounts thinking that maybe I had the engine in crooked! There is no way that my engine is sitting crooked~ that was a horrible thought! Maybe my level was off when working with the mock-up engine, and I welded the engine supports in incorrectly!:(

 

 

 

 

So, pull the headers back out~ yeah, poof! 😉  Having the headers just laying on the ground next to one another, they looked fine, but bolted up to one another revealed a problem!:(  Actually I felt a sigh of relief!

 

 

 

 

My educated guess (yes, I’m educated), was the right side is the culprit! The Chinese working on the left assembly line must not have been communicating with the people making the one on the right! haha! I’m happy I found the problem, but now time to get a little PO’d at the makers and sellers. I had to bring my husband in on helping get a refund as the seller on eBay did not want to uphold the warranty despite pictures with circles and arrows pointing at the obvious problem! I opened a dispute through paypal and eventually received a refund, but I didn’t really come out ahead due to re-shipping the headers back! Ah life! 😉

 

 

 

 

OK, so this time, I bought a set of a known brand of Hedman headers. There is an obvious difference in quality here. These are heavier metal and I like the ball on the collector instead of a flat flange, plus the Hedman header badge is rather neat too!

 

 

 

 

I was bugged by some of my peers on www.67-72chevy.com truck site to remove the remnants of the original transmission supports, but I chose not to and left them be. I like how the steering shaft misses the headers by at least an inch or so!

 

 

 

 

Headers just look cool!  I do wish they had dropped down a little further, but I won’t complain, I’m complaining? No I’m not!;)

 

 

 

 

The collectors were just a tad high relating to the new TH350 crossmember, but I knew that my muffler man at Affordable Mufflers would have no problem making my custom exhaust!

 

 

 

 

I know I know, I should have removed the old crossmember! The collector just missed it! Darn that’s a neat picture!

 

 

 

This is a little off topic, but I may as well include the entire exhaust system! While Manny, owner/operator of Affordable Mufflers on Dairy Ashford was doing his magic, I was taking pictures, and examining the underneath of my truck! I had considered making my own exhaust, but by the time I would get all the pieces and make them fit, I would have spent probably more money and done a not so nice a job.  This was the way to go!

 

 

 

 

The Magna-flows mufflers look as good as they sound. Wasn’t long now to drive it home with a nice sounding exhaust!

 

 

 

 

I chose to have my tailpipes come out just behind the wheels for a “hidden” look.  Gag, there’s my rear axle~ that’s another story soon to materialize on Classic Cars and Tools!

Well, that sums up this blog! We live and learn along the way! Bottom line, don’t be cheap and do a little more research before plopping down hard earned money! 😉

dne’