Flowtech Headers ??

[packman]

Yup, Flowtechs are cheap headers that are only good on a temporary racing motor. Like stated above, my Silverado has Flowtechs and they're all rusted and they leak at the collectors, and I wouldn't be surprised if they started warping and leaking at the primaries.

....A lot of guys on Full Size Chevy like Thorley Tri-Y headers, they're stainless and ceramic coated so they hold in heat well and last forever.

I got a set of Flowtechs for the 390FE in the old '73 F-350. They had 1-3/4" primaries (which I think are quite large for a truck motor) and woke the 390FE up. It could move the bedless truck in the mud with 3 siezed brakes. Loud as hell too. If they work in the '53 F-250, I'll pattern some home-made headers off of those.

The Thorley Tri-Ys I had on the Malibu were awesome. Not only did they make that crappy 305 sound like the 496 BBC that once resided in the engine bay, they also boosted the fuel mileage considerably.



Packman

[gadget73]

I have Hedmans and I had to have the flange milled flat so it would stop blowing gaskets every month or so. I got them used, then I had to get the things machined to work. By the time it was all said and done, I could have just gotten BBKs or something that fit and worked the first time, and they wouldn't be all ugly looking by now. The BBKs and the Ford Racing ones are also a heck of a lot easier to bolt up than my Hedmans are. Good access to all thebolts with just a standard socket on all the bolts. If you want to cheat on the bolts a bit, you can get standard allen key stainless bolts from someone like McMaster-Carr for a fair bit less than you'll pay for actual header bolts. I think its 5/16-18x 1 1/4" that you need, but my memory is slightly fuzzy on that detail.

There is a 351 swap header for Mustangs that works on these cars. They move the flanges inward somewhat to allow use of a 302 H pipe, but more importantly they keep the clearance between the collector flange and the bottom of the AC evaporator box as wide as possible. It might be that 302 headers on the wider 351 would get uncomfortably close to that plastic box.

[tamalpass]

There is a 351 swap header for Mustangs that works on these cars. They move the flanges inward somewhat to allow use of a 302 H pipe, but more importantly they keep the clearance between the collector flange and the bottom of the AC evaporator box as wide as possible. It might be that 302 headers on the wider 351 would get uncomfortably close to that plastic box.

Something like this? http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BBK-1511/

[P72Ford]

What brand would you reccomend?

BBK. I did the research for you. I don't believe there is a better unequal length 351W shorty...

[tamalpass]

BBK. I did the research for you. I don't believe there is a better unequal length 351W shorty...

I found it just after I posted. Thanks!

[P72Ford]

I found it just after I posted. Thanks!

Anytime. I like to make sure that the parts I buy are quality, before I buy them.

[gadget73]

I've installed BBKs (the 351 swap headers on another Nate's vic oddly enough) and I've installed Ford Racing headers. I'd reccomend either as a good quality piece. If you're not running GT40P heads, BBKs are a little less money than the Ford Racing pieces.

[1987cp]

I found it just after I posted. Thanks!

LOL, I was gonna say, Nathan and I were both just throwing that part number around a few posts back .... :p

The BBKs and the Ford Racing ones are also a heck of a lot easier to bolt up than my Hedmans are. Good access to all thebolts with just a standard socket on all the bolts.

Is that just on the FRPPs? My experience with the BBK 1511s is that it's not at all convenient to get a standard 1/4 or 3/8 drive socket in there even with the fancy ARP header botls with the 3/8" hex, but you're probably cleverer with your wrenches than I am.

[88Vic]

When we removed the head on the Escort dirt track car to replace the gasket, the team decided to make a custom header (which in the end didn't hold up, had to buy a manifold from the junkyard) because the stock manifold was cracked. So I used the flange off a wrecked Mazda (that had an aftermarket header) we had at the shop waiting and we welded the pipes to the flanges. Now the flanged were warped and wouldn't sit on the head right. It wasn't too bad, I just sanded down the flange and used stock manifold gaskets. That made them seal right up, no leaks after we wamred it up and took it out for some redline driving, but after a few runs the tubing developed a hole, piping was too thin and we replaced it all.

Kinda pointless story, but manifold gaskets seal the best. I have Fel-Pro manifold gaskets on the flanges of my rusty Flowtech headers on the Silverado and they don't leak at all.