Any one build their own Headers

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BLOW-DART

BLOW-DART

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Working on exhaust system for a 360 in a 64 barracuda. disgusted with the problems heard with spitfire headers and not crazy about spending 1000 bucks for dougs or tti. attempting to make my own headers now.


mocking up a couple ideas of tight bend spitfire style headers
and a small profile lake style old hot rod style header.


curious if anyone out there has done any thing like this in their early A. post pics or comments if you have!

also if neither of those styles seem to come out nicely ill be welding/brazing on my 273 manifolds and porting them, anyone done that?
 
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One of my ideas would be to make this shape style but that angles upwards off the heads to about the level of the brake booster that collects on the outside of the booster then running regular exhaust tubing down on the out side of the steering column. i know i have the room to do it im just not sure im going to be in love with the looks.
just trying all options before giving up and making the manifolds work.
 
Ill post a few pics when I get home. Im in the same boat, 402 in a '65. My idea was a little more inline with a traditional header: Believe it or not, the pass side is a shoe in for alot of generic 67+ headers. At least it is in mine as I have the steering linkage sitting on the floor right now :). the driver side is a different animal as you already know. Hedman Hussler's are the easiest design to clone. Basic angel-wing like header, upswept with one bend angles back outboard of brake booster and dives down outside inner fenderwell to a 3" collector that does a 45 out the bottom of the fenderwell. Crude but effective, but you lose tire clearance. Mine is a little different. Take '67 headers (hooker SC;s were mine) , tuck the 5 tube closer to the block and that'l clear the manual steering box with millimeters to spare. Youll have to replace the #3 tube with a new one that parallels the #1 tube, basically doing a hard 90 out the port toward the rear and then diving down between the 5/7 tube to link back up with the collector. Check all idler,pitman clearances and ding/massage/relocate to taste. These doner headers are huge 1 7/8 pipes so If I can get them to fit, 1 5/8 should be a breeze.
 
pishta said:
Ill post a few pics when I get home. Im in the same boat, 402 in a '65. My idea was a little more inline with a traditional header: Believe it or not, the pass side is a shoe in for alot of generic 67+ headers. At least it is in mine as I have the steering linkage sitting on the floor right now :). the pass side is a different animal as you already know. Hedman Hussler's are the easiest design to clone. Basic angel-wing like header, upswept with one bend angles back outboard of brake booster and dives down outside inner fenderwell to a 3" collector that does a 45 out the bottom of the fenderwell. Crude but effective, but you lose tire clearance. Mine is a little different. Take '67 headers (hooker SC;s were mine) , tuck the 5 tube closer to the block and that'l clear the manual steering box with millimeters to spare. Youll have to replace the #3 tube with a new one that parallels the #1 tube, basically doing a hard 90 out the port toward the rear and then diving down between the 5/7 tube to link back up with the collector. Check all idler,pitman clearances and ding/massage/relocate to taste. These doner headers are huge 1 7/8 pipes so If I can get them to fit, 1 5/8 should be a breeze.
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performance wise it would be ideal to stay more traditional but to make the more traditional i feel like i would need the car to be sitting in the garage for weeks in an un drive able condition. we all know more gets done if you can keep driving the car:) so im building these for the 360 while i still cruise the 318. excited to see what pictures you have.

about doing a fender well exit would make it quite easy but this is a street car and i dont want to burn up tires or cut holes in my fenders.

by the time im done, if i would pay my self 3 dollars an hour i coul probably afford dougs but whats the fun in buying something if you can make it.

ill start posting some pics of my progress as well.
 
I had to build one pipe on my drivers side of my duster headers because of the Big Block...and because i wasn't going to spend $1000 + on a set. i just cut it out, got a mandrel U-Bend (180°) and it wes all i needed. I cut some pieces, rotated them and such until they cleared the steering box, linkage and tie rods etc.. Then tacked / welded it up. I now have 1/2" clearance on everything and no damn exhaust leak!!! i will try to post some pics
 
My Pro-parts RB headers fit better than any Narrow A headers out there with only a few mods. I sold them when I lost the 451 but they were semi fenderwell, 2 tubes on drivers side and 1 tube on the passenger in the inner fenderwell. THere is a guy in South America somewhere in here that posted a pic of some OLD try Y's for a 65 A. weird looking, all tubes went up then straight down. 1 and 5 tied together and 3 and 7 together, then the 2 tubes went straight down and back to a 2-1 collector. Looked like an M I got it somewhere.
 
heres one mock up ive done with pvc. cant get the bends as tight as i want due to the elbows having a 2'' OD. this design is basically making fender well headers but cutting them short so they collect inside the engine compartment then just running exhaust tubing out side the master cylinder and steering column.

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I've been screwing around building headers, but doing them on the cheap. Meaning buying a cheap production set, then hacking them apart, and re-welding them back together. This is a very cheap way to make a 'custom set':

http://public.fotki.com/teddisnoke/bmw-2002/120.html
This first set, i made with a $150.00 set of Patriot headers.

At some point, you will want to just buy madrel bent parts. The cheapest I've found are from Speedway. You just cut piece, and mig weld together:

http://public.fotki.com/teddisnoke/the-rosedale-rocket/002-jpg.html

This way is a great way to start off. Not alot of investment, and you just tack and test fit. Eventually, you will either leave them in the welded look, or grind down the welds, which look like this:

http://public.fotki.com/teddisnoke/snokes-metal-shed/005-jpg-3.html

Its really not all that difficult. This how backyard mechanics used to build their own headers back in the day. But, just try to be patient. You will be rewarded.

Dale
 
Ya I'm doing the back yard job right now. I have two sets of mopar truck headers with lots of good bends and straight sections. My brother is a magician with a tig welder so I'm hoping to leave the raw welded look. I'm leaving the 360 mild right now but in a few years when I stroke it ill spend the bucks to do all large diameter manderl bent stuff. If you have any pictures of your work I'd like to see.
 
funnycar farmer said:
I've been screwing around building headers, but doing them on the cheap. Meaning buying a cheap production set, then hacking them apart, and re-welding them back together. This is a very cheap way to make a 'custom set':

http://public.fotki.com/teddisnoke/bmw-2002/120.html
This first set, i made with a $150.00 set of Patriot headers.

At some point, you will want to just buy madrel bent parts. The cheapest I've found are from Speedway. You just cut piece, and mig weld together:

http://public.fotki.com/teddisnoke/the-rosedale-rocket/002-jpg.html

This way is a great way to start off. Not alot of investment, and you just tack and test fit. Eventually, you will either leave them in the welded look, or grind down the welds, which look like this:

http://public.fotki.com/teddisnoke/snokes-metal-shed/005-jpg-3.html

Its really not all that difficult. This how backyard mechanics used to build their own headers back in the day. But, just try to be patient. You will be rewarded.

Dale
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if only my car was jacked up with a straight axle... i dont think i would have exhaust concerns :) nice cars
 
pishta said:
Those are going to get HOT in there, like blistering paint! Your design looks like a very shallow header mounted upside down, Check these out for a good starting point:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Demo...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
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ya my initial vision was to take basically a dakota style/spitfire style routing but go up and out alittle farther towards the inner fender to get wider bends and longer primaries. im hoping that with some good header wrap my hood will be fine. that is if i ever paint my hood, so much easier to work on with old scratched up paint. whats your take on how well header tape will keep the heat contained?
 
My 65 Barracuda had fenderwell headers with previous owner. He ran over a parking stall divider block and destroyed the headers so went manifolds, which severely choked the side pipes before he sold it to me. I've been making my own headers.
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those look nice. have you started on the drivers side? ive been working on my drivers side first, ill put up some pictures of what i have. im going a little different direction than the traditional direction.
 
look up a guy called smokey yunick. the way he built his exhausts and cars was on a different level than most guys.

for example when he did build his exhaust, he would spray paint on them and where ever the paint didn't not burn off thats where he cut the exhaust. this made the exhaust tuned for the car and that side of the motor.
 
Have you tried the fitment of a 89/90 318 Dakota manifolds?I hear they fit in the Early-A,s.My fenderwells are coated and don,t put off much heat,compared to bare ones.
car pics 66 Dart 205.jpg

car pics 66 Dart 205.jpg
 
Creed has been trying to collect the money on these circle track Chebby headers some one bid on over two months ago, look at all the bends that can be used to build a set

ebay 003.jpg


ebay 004.jpg
 
Thats an ideal way to build headers!

I was thinking build a tubing bender for cage,etc including headers. Modding a junked set is the perfect route.

I think that is now my path for big block a body headers. I have a few patterns to test out..
 
Ok so does anyone know which 67 and up style header will fit best on the passenger side of an early A? I would also be willing to try and modify a set of existing headers to fit a 360 in my 66 barracuda, sured would be nice if one side was already close to a good fit.
 
you might already know this but try TTI Headers. they might have some thing for you that will work. GOod lick with the header issue!
 
matarcher said:
you might already know this but try TTI Headers. they might have some thing for you that will work. GOod lick with the header issue!
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The issue is that tti etc is too expensive. I agree...
 
I got a set of Jegs headers before my plans went nuts.. So I am just going to cut them up and use them. But I am not doing fender-well headers.
 
tubing bender wont work with header tubes as they are a different OD unless you get the TUBE dies. Pipe is an ID measurement and tube is an OD so the pipe dies are too large and end up crushing the bend unless you fill and pack with sand and water. there was discussion about this elsewhere. Those circle track headers could be made to get a true collector by swinging 2 pipes to the opposite collector on each side, that would make the car sound like twin 4 bangers. That is the economical way to do it, prebent headers to cut up. The paint trick works on collectors, paint and cut at the transition line for the reducer. What did those headers go for, maybe someone could help him out.
 
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