HP Manifolds

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65 Dartman

65 Dartman

1 of None 65 Dart Sedan Delivery
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Got a friend who has a pair of HP exhaust manifolds - driver's side was from a 68 440 police C body and passenger side from a 73 B Body big block. We feel the passenger side should fit in a big block-equipped A Body. The question we're debating is whether the 68 C Body manifold witl fit the A with little or no mods. I've included pics for reference.
 

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Yup. It'll fit. You may or may not need to mill the exhaust face of the manifold so that the outlet will be a tad closer to the block. I think the angle was 1/16". oldkimmer has done it a lot. Maybe he will chime in.
 
................Yes they fit the low deck 361-383-400 pretty easily without power steering....440 can be done but is a real pita....1/16 is pretty normal,[on the angle] to go anymore u will have to grind a little off of the block by the starter and/or manifold........u have to be careful not to go too much as the flange gets pretty close to the starter...........kim.
 
Those that say that the "C" body #409 casting will fit a B or RB block installed in an a-body should post actual pictures of the installation. This would save a lot of speculation and time for those that will try this in the future.
 
I set a 68 driver side in my old 67 fastback with a 383 and it APPEARED that the pipe would not have cleared the steering column. To be fair, I never tried to install the column, though. I did have the steering gear in (power box) and sighted it down through the hole in the firewall.
 
Tom Swope said:
Those that say that the "C" body #409 casting will fit a B or RB block installed in an a-body should post actual pictures of the installation. This would save a lot of speculation and time for those that will try this in the future.
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There are pictures floatin around here somewhere if you search.
 
The left C body #409 casting will not fit without major modifications to the down pipe section.This was the casting used when we were fabricating manifolds to fit big block a-body applications 10 years ago. Big block "B" and "E" body left exhaust manifolds will fit by modifying the steering shaft housing but the C body manifolds are not even close to clearing the steering shaft housing as Jim had mentioned.
 

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When we say it will fit, we are taking for granted new pipes are part of the picture. The manifolds fit. Sometimes without modification. I've seen it done, oldkimmer's done it a few times, other people here have too. There's no speculation to it. They will work.
 
..............Yes, I took it for granted new pipes would be part of the equasion.....a good exhaust guy is ur best buddy when the time comes to fabricate new pipes.............don't forget that they just don't make the bend but can cut it off at pretty much any angle u need, then weld em up......manual steering and a b block is a very easy install...p/s and a b block still works.......a rb and manual steering is a ***** but I've done it.....and for the nay sayers, I say u gave up way too soon...kim........
 
How about posting the pictures of the installed "C" body left manifold in a big block a-body without modifications as the original poster was asking. Pictures are worth a thousand words.
 
Kim, I gave up because I already had the B/E manifold lying around and I think those flow better anyway. I got pretty good money for the C-body manifold and I think it actually wound up in a C.
 
................Sorry, I don't think I have any pics, its been a few years since my last install.....I think angle milling is a little mod as u get the b block installed for less than $100.00....Jim, I think the opposite on flow as the C body doesn't have the bolt going between the ports, although there could be the same or so...kim........
 
Tom Swope said:
How about posting the pictures of the installed "C" body left manifold in a big block a-body without modifications as the original poster was asking. Pictures are worth a thousand words.
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oldkimmer is a very respected member here. You have 20 posts. He's done it. His word to me and most everybody else is all we need. I don't like your insinuation here. I think it would do you well to settle in before challenging someone to a duel. oldkimmer is a very honest person. If he says he's done it, he's done it. I don't really care if you believe what I say or not, but lay off of oldkimmer. He's straight up.
 
Both guys are straight up. Tom may be new here, but he was was converting the C-body manifolds for a number of years to fit similarly to the original big block A-body shape. Tom has also been in the exhaust business for a very long time.
 
I would agree we have two members here with a ton of knowledge on the topic. Instead of puffing your chest up and picking sides turning this into an argument, we should be using the information from both members and have a discussion for the best of the forum.
 
Jim Lusk said:
Both guys are straight up. Tom may be new here, but he was was converting the C-body manifolds for a number of years to fit similarly to the original big block A-body shape. Tom has also been in the exhaust business for a very long time.
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Good deal. Maybe I took what he was sayin the wrong way. Tone of voice is kinda hard to get through the internet. My apologies if I took it the wrong way.
 
been there done it, 30 years ago, they work and so do ford front hub and drum to adapt to large bolt pattern, forgot which year mustang. lol did alot and found alot that worked during my 383 fastback swap, over 30 years ago. I wonder if that junkyard still exists in
Athol, Idaho. sorry for going off topic, had to rant, as many things work. no use arguing about it.
 
........Thanks for the support RRR...there will always be a difference of opinions on any subject.........but like the saying goes "seeing is believing" and right now I don't have any pics.........and until you have done it u will always have doubts.............kim..........
 
Being a member here since 2006 this forum has been one of the best places to get a-body information. It is true that I do not post much and only post when I feel I can add to the discussion. I apologize to anyone that feels that I have
questioned their experience and skill level because this was not the intent. A-body guys are the most innovative group there are in our hobby and they do make things work when others give up. Maybe the members that were successful at making these manifolds work have some tricks that can be shared?
For many years I have tried all of the tricks (plus others) mentioned in this thread. I also have got these manifolds to fit but not with the clearances that I felt comfortable with being so close to the steering shaft. A broken engine mount under torque could cause the manifold to rotate into the steering shaft which would not be good. Being an exhaust manufacturer we have to take all of these factors into consideration before recommending to a customer what will fit and what will not weighing in the safety of the installation. Anyways sorry for the upset and hopefully we can get some more ideas on using these manifolds.
 
Tom, I understand being a vendor worrying about clearances. There is a wear mark on the column on my son's Dart (440 with 69 B-body HP manifold). There is also very little clearance between the manifold and master cylinder. I worried about this when I put the first car together (I built myself a car with these parts, but my older son had a mishap with it and I gave the parts to my younger son). Some people have gained clearance with an angle mill (I don't own a mill) while others have slightly relocated the steering gear. This combination of parts has something close to 40,000 miles on it over the last 16 years without a related failure. I do understand why you wouldn't want to sell that to a customer, though.
 
After being gone so long I remember now This A body group is a lot of fun to read. Accurate built a superb exhaust system for my 69 dart V8, and it is a very high quality fit. I also remember reading years ago about Chrysler in 1968 telling everybody a 440 would never fit in an A body. So, an Inventive dodge Dealer from (Mr Norm's?) Chicago showed them that it could be done, took it to Detroit, and showed them. Chrysler built it, and there you go!
 
This has been a very interesting thread. I am building an extremely low budget 67 Valiant with a 440. The exhaust is not purchased nor planned at this stage. The sheer cost of swap headers scares me frankly, and it destroys the 'budget' plans. So all the previous being said, does anyone sell the needed cast manifolds, with appropriate mods completed or not, and is the price difference worth the effort? I would love to find a way to get the fumes outa the motor to somewhere under the car for a couple hundred bucks or so.
 
cgray521 said:
So all the previous being said, does anyone sell the needed cast manifolds, with appropriate mods completed or not, and is the price difference worth the effort? I would love to find a way to get the fumes outa the motor to somewhere under the car for a couple hundred bucks or so.
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I was talking to my friend if he were will to liquidate these manifolds since he has a 78 mil spec truck with a small block. If he ever went to a big block he'd use the truck big block manifolds he has in storage. Problem is - no idea as to what these are reasonable worth. The driver's side is still stock and uncut.
 
Thank you Dartman. I'm all the way out in Oregon so the shipping could suck but if you find out anything please let me know. I don't know whats out here but if you need anything I'm willing to keep my eyes open out here. number is 5412061529. Hope its ok to post that to ya. Thanks again.
 
No matter what you do, the exhaust is likely to be fairly expensive. Let's start with HP manifolds. 68-69 (the better looking of the bunch) B-body HP sets are worth $250 or more. Head pipes will probably cost $100.side. So, at least $450 for something that fits ok or $750-ish for headers (yeah, $300 is $300, but for what it costs to build a car...). The rest of the exhaust if the same.
 
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