Worth it to put headers on a 318?

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Yes. Air in, air out. However, I had Hookers on mine and they scraped on every dime in the road. That and I couldn't change the plugs without pulling the headers, which required pulling the motor. I have TTi's on my 408 and the plugs are accessible and I have 6 inches of clearance now.
 
I have had my plugs in and out at least 5 different times with no issues at all. I also use 45* boots on #5 and #7 , to keep them off the header.
 
I have this problem with every Hooker header I use. Other brands and fitment for other cars may be different, but you cannot even get a socket onto the rear plugs on the left side of a 73 Dart Sport 318 / 904 with Hooker Comps. One of the many reasons I love my TTi's is accessibility.
 
headers good...manifolds bad.i put headers on my challenger in high school and even with the 2 barrel carb...318... it was an instant hot rod...biggest power improvement for the money.tti and dougs are nice but i use hookers a lot too.
 
Mopar to ya said:
I have this problem with every Hooker header I use. Other brands and fitment for other cars may be different, but you cannot even get a socket onto the rear plugs on the left side of a 73 Dart Sport 318 / 904 with Hooker Comps. One of the many reasons I love my TTi's is accessibility.
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mine are on a 73 duster , 318/727 . I can get a socket on mine all day long. maybe you had an older set or something. I have changed my plugs and reset the gap numerous times without a problem.
 

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the duster and dart engine bays use identical sheet metal. besides, it has no bearing on how the header fits on the engine.
 
Headers improve a 318's performance just like any other engine. 318s react to performance mods the same as any other engine. Period.
 
I've always installed headers on all my project cars and sometimes regretted it (mostly b/c of ground clearance issues on a lowered car)....it's just one of those things where you could never quite imagine NOT putting them on. That's me. *****, yell, cuss, curse 'em when installing......but then have that stupid silly grin when you first fire it off with 'em wide open.

I'll always have headers.
 
id liek to chime in on this one if i may. i got a dodge 4x4 and im notorious around here for being cheap :thumleft: but i bought a set of full tube from summit. it was liek 35 degrees outside, but i had a ready heater and i kept staring at that box and welll.... common sense lost. it took 20 mins to instal the pasanger side the drivers side took two days, no i had to cut off the factory exhaust and remove teh starter to pull out the factory manifolds, and then i had to lift up the motor and finaggle the header into place and when i got it on, the gasket was a b***ch to hold still and then i had to buy cap screws and an allen wrench set and all that jazz. but when i fired it up and that 318 roared, it was awesome. till the tractor sound came in cause i hadnt fixed that sound yet but it was the intake that needed cleaning. so theres my headers, and now for an exhaust and since i have a truck the gas tank came out in place of a fuel cell but i have headers, straight pipes with glass packs and side exits and it sounds badass. so with you just having to do the headers and exhuast you have it easier and cheaper. go headers
 
absolutely use headers! of course they will improve performance. dougs or tti's all i would run.
 
Headers will improve performance . Back in the 70's headers and an intake on a 318 woke it up nicely , well worth it . Besides HP 340 manifolds will cost more than cheap headers . Some cheap headers are a pain to install and make one plug hard to change , that was years ago though , might be dif now . As to clearance , some claim no problem others pancake the pipes , I has hooker SS headers on my 70 and the pipes were pancaked so I went tight tube hedman . Find out what brand the guys have that don't seem to have ground clearance problems and use them .
Here is small block header comparision on a mild build
http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/...ers_into_300hp_crate_engine/dyno_results.html
Not a big difference between dif headers and manifolds
 
Burntorange70 said:
Dusters and Darts are the exact same car. :banghead:
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For certain header fitment, not necessarily!

1971plymouthduster06_zps3ecd0089.jpg
 
..i'm not convinced there would be a noticeable power increase,but you do get the "Bling"
i'd spend my money on a good custom converter first!
 
'73 Swinger 318 w/ power steering. I went with Hooker Comps due to budget consideration at the time But Im Extremely happy With them. I Can Get To The Plugs And At Less Than Half the Cost Of 340 Hipos They Outperform Them Considerably. Would I Make A Different Choice If Money Were Not A Consideration, Sure. But That Said My Combo Is Similar To Yours And All The Pieces Compliment Each Other And It Moves Better Than You Might Think.
 
If you went from single exhaust to dual, you've already doubled the capacity of your system. If you went from 1 7/8 to 2, 2 1/4 or 2 1/2 you've made additional improvment.

Factory spec says a 150HP 318 gets to 170HP (20HP gain) with duals.

From that chart, it looks like the factory hipo gives you a 5-7 TQ gain and 5HP over 318 stock, and the headers all were another 5-10 TQ and HP.

So the question is what ammount of price and headache is worth what gain.
 
Ive seen several dyno tests on mild 318's with headers, 20 hp is probably the most you will gain with headers on a mild 318 which is barely enough for the seat of the pants feel and only 2/10 in the quarter

as yy1 said is the headache, price, and frig factor worth it

a set that is a great fit on one car can be a nightmare on another even a 1/4 inch in difference can add a huge frig factor

340 manifolds give about 7-11 hp more than standard manifolds

http://www.moparts.org/Tech/Archive/exhaust/9.html

if you absolutely have to have that great crisp headers sound then go for it!!!!!!!
 
just add the headers and be done with it. most dont seem to undersand the full concept of what headers actualy do,they are not just a simple flow improvment device,the headers will be worth it and especialy when you decide to do more upgrades in the future..

sure it takes alitle more work to swap a starter with headers but who realy cares? starters are not items you will change every week anyway,same thing with taking out the centerlink,its not all that bad and you just have to do it once.
 
On a 318 your looking at a 4 to 8 horsepower increase with the cheap headers over the 360 log manifolds. To me it wouldn't be worth the extra cost and hassle over the manifolds.
I have a 3.58 stroke crankshaft in my 340 block and I had the manifold/ header debate too. I chose to put the 340 manifolds on my car. I'm giving up about 15 to 20 horsepower but to me it's worth it.
 
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