how to install headers?

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duster731

duster731

young gun
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So I have hooker headers for my 73 duster 318 and it is very hard to install anyone have tips to make it easier like lifting engine up or removing torsion bars and steering link. I'm goin to get tti or dougs later but this is just for now thanks...
 
things you'll need, a first aid kit, beer......lots of beer, floor jack, or cherry picker to raise the engine, things you'll lose, your religion, when you feel like taking a hammer to the car, walk away and drink a beer, when you feel like taking a torch to the headers, walk away and drink a beer, good luck.
 
Jack the car up as high as you can get it (minimum of 18") and block it up securely. Pop the dist. cap loose and move it out of the way of the wiper motor so you can jack the engine up as far as possible then block the engine up so it don't fall on you. You have to remove the steering center link cause it routes through the drivers side header. Take the oil filter off and if your car has a 90* oil filter adapter you will probably have to take it off too so get new gaskets for it. Take the starter off. Take the engine to trans. braces off. It can be done without taking the torsion bars out but it does help a lot if you take them out. Make sure you have a torsion bar removal tool as they are nearly impossible to get out without one. Do the drivers side header first cause it's tighter but leave it kinda loose until you get the pass. side header in place. Hope you ain't got power steering cause that makes a bad job even worse.
 
fishy68 said:
Jack the car up as high as you can get it (minimum of 18") and block it up securely. Pop the dist. cap loose and move it out of the way of the wiper motor so you can jack the engine up as far as possible then block the engine up so it don't fall on you. You have to remove the steering center link cause it routes through the drivers side header. Take the oil filter off and if your car has a 90* oil filter adapter you will probably have to take it off too so get new gaskets for it. Take the starter off. Take the engine to trans. braces off. It can be done without taking the torsion bars out but it does help a lot if you take them out. Make sure you have a torsion bar removal tool as they are nearly impossible to get out without one. Do the drivers side header first cause it's tighter but leave it kinda loose until you get the pass. side header in place. Hope you ain't got power steering cause that makes a bad job even worse.
Click to expand...

Also, it wouldn't hurt to change out your starter and use a mini starter from a 90's Dakota. The stock starters are way too bulky and make it nearly impossible to bolt up the wires and the starter itself with the headers in place. I did this when installing my headers and used another stud on the transmission instead of the bolt so I had a much easier job of installing the starter because my starter hangs on the studs and it's easier to bolt the nuts on to the studs. Especially the top one!I also loosened up both motor mounts and raised the engine about 4"-7" on each side during installation to make it a little easier to maneuver the header around due to extremely tight clearance issues.
Once you get the drivers header in place, if your car has power steering you need to be very patient on getting the header bolts lined up properly. Do not try to force any of these bolts in as you will have issues down the road. As stated above, have patience on this one and you will be fine. I think the first time I installed headers on my engine it probably took me about 3 hrs to complete the job. I have since had my motor out a couple of times, and have gotten better at this task so I have narrowed the time frame down to about 1 1/2 hrs or so. Good luck and keep us posted.
 
Awesome this information helps out a lot thank you guys and good thing I don't have power steering...... so a stock 90's Dakota starter would fit fine?
 
Yes any stock Small block Dakota mini starter will bolt right in. No need for modifications. Remember to use some RTV sealant on the bolts that thread into the water jacket on your heads so you avoid any leakage of coolant.
 
Install is a *****!!! well easy but a *****!!! take out steering linkage. It may need a lil persuation to get back in. Oh yea wrap either the header or the linkage with thermo tape. It will rattle on your headers and make a tink tink sound out of the MUFFS!! Wrap your starter with a turbo heat sheild because the header will be touching or a cunt hair away from the starter. Now, if you ever have to change a flange gasket, I feel bad for you. Maybe spend a lil extra and get the PERCY"S Seal-4-Good Gaskets... Dead soft aluminum.. They work awesome and reusable!

Brian
 
remove the front right hand exhaust bolt stud and replace it after your headers are on. It takes me almost an hour to do the header swap
 
I’ve installed just about every kind of header made on small block A-bodies. They are all a real pain to install. TTIs are a little easier than others but, even with them, the job is far from easy.
Disconnect the battery. If you drop a socket between the starter’s positive post and a ground, you will have a major short on your hands. Don’t ask me how I know.
Drain the coolant first. This includes draining the block as well. If you don’t drain the block you will end up with coolant everywhere once you remove the front and rear exhaust studs.
Get the front end of the car up as high as you can and securely support it.
Drop the center link.
Drop the down pipes off the exhaust manifolds.
Pull the starter.
Remove the manifolds.
Remove the distributor.
Jack up the engine as far as you can but pay attention that you don’t pinch or bend anything.
Take a break.
Clean the gasket surfaces on the heads.
The passenger side header typically goes in from the bottom. Just install the front and rear bolts and leave the headers loose.
Now for the fun part, the driver side. If you’re using TTIs, #7 tube is a slip fit. The other three tubes go in from the bottom. Hang them by the front bolt only.
Slip #7 tube in from the top. It helps to put a little anti-seize on the tube to help it slip into the rest of the header.
Snug all the bolts but don’t torque them yet.
Put the starter back on.
Reinstall the center link.
Slowly lower the engine making sure you don’t get the headers in a bind.
Take another break.
Tighten the header bolts using Loctite with Teflon on the front and rear header bolts.
Put the distributor back in.
Fill the engine with fresh coolant and fire that mother up!
Make sure you check your plugs. You’ll probably have to richen the carb up a bit.
 
If I could add only one thing to all this great info is maybe you might want to twist the torsion bars up a little to help raise the front to it help with the drag factor with the hookers,then have another beer.
 
First, if you've been following other recent threads, you would realize that the Melvins rule, and that you are wasting your time since your motor is a 318. But if you are like most of us real Mopar guys, you've gotten past that and understand that your 318 will respond well to a few simple, and not so simple mods. The headers will be tough.

The 340 833 Dart reply has good instructions, but he forgot to mention beer...and you may add raising the car for extra clearance to install header from underneath.

When I put hooker comps in my 69 318 barracuda notchback, I used a cherry picker to pick up the front of the car about 3' off the ground, and lifted the motor a few inches higher (via come-along tied to garage roof truss). This provided plenty of extra clearance and made the whole installation easier.
 
Remember the cardinal rule through out this whole process..... Be careful and take your time. If you pace yourself you will not get aggravated. Take it from someone who has traveled down this road.
 
Oh yea..... Oil Filter!!! Need a small one or get the relocation thing. and a BEER!!!! BEER and more BEER!!!

JUST DO NOT BOTTOM OUT IN DIPS!! I have headman... bone crushing bottom outs... and forget about going over speed bumps!!
 
Speedotann said:
Oh yea..... Oil Filter!!! Need a small one or get the relocation thing. and a BEER!!!! BEER and more BEER!!!

JUST DO NOT BOTTOM OUT IN DIPS!! I have headman... bone crushing bottom outs... and forget about going over speed bumps!!
Click to expand...

I have headmans on my scamp, and mine don't bottom out or scrape on speed bumps, but I'm sitting high and dry, like a 68 SS:-D
 
Speedotann said:
Oh yea..... Oil Filter!!! Need a small one or get the relocation thing. and a BEER!!!! BEER and more BEER!!!

JUST DO NOT BOTTOM OUT IN DIPS!! I have headman... bone crushing bottom outs... and forget about going over speed bumps!!
Click to expand...

it can help alitle to drive slow over the speedbumps at some angle instead of just straight over them :)
 
By far the best thing to do to install the drivers side header is to remove the steering column. To get it out everything is accessable and will only take 20-30 minutes but will reduce the frustration factor 10 fold, you won't even need to jack the engine out of the mounts. Also, it you have power steering un bolt the box from the k-member but leave in place. Once you have this done you can slide the header up into place from below. Bungie it to the block until you have the steering box bolted back into place.

Another thing to use the reduces the frustration factor is to get header bolts with a reduced size head. The ones I used have a 3/8" hex. Most of the bolts you can access with a 1/4" drive 3/8" socket, the rest with a 3/8" combination wrench.

When I put the 360 in my Barracuda I used the gaskets that came with the headers, these were leaking in less than a week, Mr. Gasket lasted about a month. I tried copper but they wouldn't seal at all. I then went with two Fel Pro header gaskets per side with a coating of high temp silicone seal on them. That was 45,000 miles ago and no leaks.
 
I did raise the torsion bars... but to get it to where I felt comfortable, They went up HIGH!! Pre-runner style! Reverse Stink Bug! I have it to where it is level with the back. Still have to go really slow and attack everything at an angle.. This is also in a 73 Duster 360 W/ hedman.
 
I have been running Hedmans for 45,000 miles now and they have never touched down while driving. I did touch down once going into the garage to fast (4" step from the driveway to the garage floor).

I don't have the car sitting high in the front either, it's just that the Headmens tuck up nice and tight and I don't go over speed bumps fast.

NewTires007-1.jpg
 
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