Header Clearance Issue

I just got Patriot full length specific fit headers(H8206-1) for my 318 72 Dart. I converted the car from power to manual steering. The bottom tube on the right side hits the top of the idler arm. Is this typical of patriot headers or is there a specific manual steering idler arm that i need? I am trying to avoid beating them in. Is that the only way or is there a simple trick to get better clearance? Thanks.

make sure your engine is sitting square with the k member. The engine has quite a bit of room to move on the mounts and sometimes you get it cocked setting it down on the k memeber

ditto Outlaw, often the engine is not sitting flat but rather tipped to that side. With a 40 + year old car you might need to shim the motor mount on that side to raise the motor a bit. I'm assuming that you only need a little bit. This may also show up under the car as one collector sitting lower on that side. If the motor is flat from side to side and you can get the header bolted in place, you might try CAREFULLY putting a jack under the collector flange and jack up just a bit to bend the whole header up to gain clearance. If you try this jack it up a bit and lower to check clearance, then again in small steps. If you need it to come down, put a baseball bat in the collector and pull down. All of this can still only gain you a bit here or there! Good Luck!

If your motor mounts are old I would replace them first, then tweak the headers if you have to.

Ok! I figured it out! The motor was sitting square so I moved the motor mount brackets to the front of the flanges on the block to move the entire engine back which gave me clearance on the idler arm. There was still a clearance issue on the steering box so I put a spacer between the k-member and left motor mount and we're good to go. The headers fit really tight, but they clear everything so I'm happy. Thanks for the quick responses as always.

It's probably not a concern, but I would check and make sure your slip yoke isn't bottomed out in the tailstock of the trans. If it is, that will be a problem.

Did you have to do anything on the trans crossmember mount?

I got my driveshaft cut to fit (it was too long anyway) so that isn't an issue.

All I did to the transmission mount was pull it down and put it back and it relieved any tension that it had.