Early A-body Spitfire headers

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BLOW-DART

BLOW-DART

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Hi everyone, ive come to the conclusion that these spitfires look like the best option for what i want. I dont need huge headers to milk each little horsepower out of my motor but i want something better than stock manifolds.

1964 barracuda putting a mild build 360 rated to be around 350-370hp from a reputable machine shop. i have manual steering and manual brakes but i do have a double master cylinder, push button 904.

my question out there is anyone on here that has pictures of their early barracuda with these installed can you post them in a reply

and can anyone confirm that these are still being made? left harold a message this morning....just waiting to hear back, he is on the east coast?

thanks. zac
 
I used a set of them in the 340/65 Barracuda I built for my Dad.

Harold was easy to communicate with then, and I had no issues, but that was 2007. I had him send them C.O.D. as people had told me to do.

I have heard he is not communicating well lately, hopefully that has changed.

All the pictures I took are right here but it looks like that is when I was trying the Magnum manifolds on it.
 
thanks, car looks really nice. i love that red interior. did those magnum manifolds actually work or did they hit the steering? i think thats what the previous owner put on my car and the ds is milled down and still almost touches the steering and i think they adjusted motor mounts to push the motor off center, its killing me!
 
BLOW-DART said:
thanks, car looks really nice. i love that red interior. did those magnum manifolds actually work or did they hit the steering? i think thats what the previous owner put on my car and the ds is milled down and still almost touches the steering and i think they adjusted motor mounts to push the motor off center, its killing me!
Click to expand...
Thanks!
They could have worked, but I didn't like them as well as the Spitfires as far as hooking up the exhaust pipes goes. I didn't have any steering column or motor mount issues that I remember.
My only problem with the Spitfires, is the "imperial services" adapter cable interferes, that I got to adapt the late model 904, to the factory shifter.
The Magnum manifolds wouldn't have had that problem.
 
enlighten me on what an imperial service adapter cable is. i have a factory push button 904. will i run into a similar problem?
 
BLOW-DART said:
enlighten me on what an imperial service adapter cable is. i have a factory push button 904. will i run into a similar problem?
Click to expand...
Well that is a whole different issue than I faced. I wanted to get rid of the 1 year only 65, cable shifted (front u-joint name is escaping me, Detroit joint?) obsolete front u-joint tranny. I built this car like it was going to be for me, upgraded the weaknesses (7 1/4 gone in favor of 8 3/4, dual master cyl etc. ) but I wanted to retain the stock appearance as much as possible.

So I found that Imperial Services makes just the cable to go from the stock shifter ($175) to the later model 904. You need to make the call, are you wanting to keep your pushbuttons? They just may make what you need if you are wanting to go to a later trans.

Is your emergency brake on the end of the trans? I can't remember which year they stopped doing that.
 
Whatever you do, make sure you do COD. Paid for mine up front in 2005 & never received, just 1000 excuses. Harold is quite the liar, beware of anything he says.
 
Please keep us posted on how things turn out. I would like a set of these headers as well but based on Harold's track record as of late I am a little gun shy. Keep us in the loop. Maybe start a thread and hope it's a short one.
 
Don't deal with Harold. In my opinion, this forum should delete anything to do with Spitfire headers and Harold Johnson. He ripped me off as well as countless others. I hate to see anyone else get their money taken by an out right thief.
 
Commando66 said:
Don't deal with Harold. In my opinion, this forum should delete anything to do with Spitfire headers and Harold Johnson. He ripped me off as well as countless others. I hate to see anyone else get their money taken by an out right thief.
Click to expand...


i appreciate the insight, and i have read quite a few other notes on here about his reliability. the only bummer is they are the only ones out there that work with out tons of modifications(so i hear). maybe im missing something, has any one else come across another alternative besides dougs or tti? i really like the looks of the dakota headers-
sum-g9045_w.jpg


they look like they would work, pretty similar shape to a stock manifold and the spitfires but i dont want to be the guy to spend 180 dollars just to scratch up something i cant return.
 
HemiEd said:
Well that is a whole different issue than I faced. I wanted to get rid of the 1 year only 65, cable shifted (front u-joint name is escaping me, Detroit joint?) obsolete front u-joint tranny. I built this car like it was going to be for me, upgraded the weaknesses (7 1/4 gone in favor of 8 3/4, dual master cyl etc. ) but I wanted to retain the stock appearance as much as possible.

So I found that Imperial Services makes just the cable to go from the stock shifter ($175) to the later model 904. You need to make the call, are you wanting to keep your pushbuttons? They just may make what you need if you are wanting to go to a later trans.

Is your emergency brake on the end of the trans? I can't remember which year they stopped doing that.
Click to expand...


oh got ya. for now im keeping the push button. if i ever put the energy into a swap it will be for a four speed since i have a floor section cut out and the pedal assembly in the garage for this car. dont know about the emergency brake, previous owner of the car put in a cheap rear disc brake set up that does not accomodate a parking brake.
 
BLOW-DART said:
i appreciate the insight, and i have read quite a few other notes on here about his reliability. the only bummer is they are the only ones out there that work with out tons of modifications(so i hear). maybe im missing something, has any one else come across another alternative besides dougs or tti? i really like the looks of the dakota headers-
sum-g9045_w.jpg


they look like they would work, pretty similar shape to a stock manifold and the spitfires but i dont want to be the guy to spend 180 dollars just to scratch up something i cant return.
Click to expand...

Has anyone tried these Dakota headers? I would put them on my 273 ('64 Dart) if they fit. I agree with you, man, don't spend the money and find out they don't fit. Resale is never what you paid....:angry2:
 
I don't own a set but they were designed to fit the tight clearance in the early A's. They are not equal length tubes so not the most efficient for maximum horsepower but they have got to be better than the factory manifold on the drivers side.
 
poisondart64 said:
Has anyone tried these Dakota headers? I would put them on my 273 ('64 Dart) if they fit. I agree with you, man, don't spend the money and find out they don't fit. Resale is never what you paid....:angry2:
Click to expand...

Nothing beats trying but based on looks the right one would go right into the oil filter & the left one into the master cylinder. Very little wiggle room in the early A's, I have the Dougs but even they are very tight.
 
They look to be too long out the back. YOu only have 3-4 inches past the stud to work with and you only have 3" off the driver #7 port until you hit the steering shaft. But other than that, I would consider taking some measurements off a pair, they are the all important "up and over" style on the driver side.
 
ya they look like they would be really tight. currently working with my brother on some ideas of just making my own. i will start a forum with pictures once the building begins, probably what harold did years and years ago.
 
BLOW-DART said:
ya they look like they would be really tight. currently working with my brother on some ideas of just making my own. i will start a forum with pictures once the building begins, probably what harold did years and years ago.
Click to expand...
Yeah, Im in! I got my own set of mules Im cutting and novice welding myself. Based on an old set of Hooker SC's for a 67. Pass side fits like a glove (tight glove) but looks like itll need the collector to be dropped under the trans mount. Driver side, not so much. lots of shallow dings to get around torsion bars and frame rails..#7 kick out hits the steering column zone, #3 need to be rerouted from the flange as it dove right into the steering box as all others do. #5 was tucked closer to the block and I got it past the steering box. Centerlink and idler/pitman arm clearances are next. Glad I got time!
 
pishta said:
Yeah, Im in! I got my own set of mules Im cutting and novice welding myself. Based on an old set of Hooker SC's for a 67. Pass side fits like a glove (tight glove) but looks like itll need the collector to be dropped under the trans mount. Driver side, not so much. lots of shallow dings to get around torsion bars and frame rails..#7 kick out hits the steering column zone, #3 need to be rerouted from the flange as it dove right into the steering box as all others do. #5 was tucked closer to the block and I got it past the steering box. Centerlink and idler/pitman arm clearances are next. Glad I got time!
Click to expand...


post some pictures if you have any!
 
BLOW-DART said:
Hi everyone, ive come to the conclusion that these spitfires look like the best option for what i want. I dont need huge headers to milk each little horsepower out of my motor but i want something better than stock manifolds.

1964 barracuda putting a mild build 360 rated to be around 350-370hp from a reputable machine shop. i have manual steering and manual brakes but i do have a double master cylinder, push button 904.

my question out there is anyone on here that has pictures of their early barracuda with these installed can you post them in a reply

and can anyone confirm that these are still being made? left harold a message this morning....just waiting to hear back, he is on the east coast?

thanks. zac
Click to expand...
...................................................................................................
Here a couple of photos of the ones I have on my '66 Barracuda 360/727. I have a B&M cable floor shift and manual steering box. There is nothing rubbing anywhere even though it may look that way in the photos. Nor is anything rebent or dimpled for clearence either.
Thanks, Mark

100_0515.jpg


100_0516.jpg
 
cudamark said:
...................................................................................................
Here a couple of photos of the ones I have on my '66 Barracuda 360/727. I have a B&M cable floor shift and manual steering box. There is nothing rubbing anywhere even though it may look that way in the photos. Nor is anything rebent or dimpled for clearence either.
Thanks, Mark
Click to expand...
Mark what headers ar these?
 
cudamark said:
...................................................................................................
Here a couple of photos of the ones I have on my '66 Barracuda 360/727. I have a B&M cable floor shift and manual steering box. There is nothing rubbing anywhere even though it may look that way in the photos. Nor is anything rebent or dimpled for clearence either.
Thanks, Mark
Click to expand...

those look great, not sure its worth the hassle of harold from what i hear. thanks for the pictures though
 
Did the Dodge Dakota Headers ever work correctly? I was considering grabbing a set of those and trying to modify them myself. I have a 66 Baracuda and had a set of D453 Doug's, but the Idler arm would not clear them, and I did not want to dimple them up to bad, so I sold them.
 
Gandy Dancer said:
Did the Dodge Dakota Headers ever work correctly? I was considering grabbing a set of those and trying to modify them myself. I have a 66 Baracuda and had a set of D453 Doug's, but the Idler arm would not clear them, and I did not want to dimple them up to bad, so I sold them.
Click to expand...

You had the wrong Dougs. You need the D450.

http://www.jegs.com/i/Doug's+Headers/776/D450/10002/-1

the D453 fits the newer Valiant's and Darts.
1967-72 Valiant
 
Harold un-plugged his phone, folded his tent, and moved in to his cave about 18 months or so ago.......again. Left several people hanging, yours truely included, again. I was luckier then most 'cause I had no cash invested. The man just can not keep his act together. I would not do business with him. Period. There have been some pic's of a Hedman-style block hugger header with the front tube on the drivers side modified to clear the steering box floating around and that may be the way to go if you do not want to go with underchassis headers.
Bob
 
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