Stock exhaust sucks. Thinking about fenderwells for my early Dart. Looks like BIG holes need to be cut in the inner fenders. What about removing the entire inner fenders and installing 1 5/8" mild steel rollbar type tubes from the front of the subframe to the upper part of the firewall on a 1/8" steel plate welded to the firewall? Would this give the front end the strength and support that it needs or do I need to tie it to a cage?
fenderwell headers
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That will work if done correctly, you may need to have supports on the inside of the firewall to the floor, and tie the shock towers to the tubing.
Also, don't cut the entire fenderwell out, leave the top edge and the core support so you have something to bolt the front clip to and keep it aligned.
The down side of this is if you get caught in the rain, you will make a mess of the engine and can short out and corrode the wiring from the rain water.
Also, don't cut the entire fenderwell out, leave the top edge and the core support so you have something to bolt the front clip to and keep it aligned.
The down side of this is if you get caught in the rain, you will make a mess of the engine and can short out and corrode the wiring from the rain water.
Have you considered TTI chassis headers, that's what I run after years of using fenderwell and semi-fenderwell headers. If you are planning on the ride hieght of your car being low at all you will fight turning radius issues.
George R
Mopar Nutcase
I cut my Hooker Fenderwells up, made the necessary modifications to the pipes, welded them back together. I have a 27" tall front tire that won't hit the headers now. Car has a slight raised ride height, but I like em that way.
Fenderwell headers are COOL!
George
Fenderwell headers are COOL!
George
They have their advantages, I just got tired of the turning issues. I had a set of Stahls that I could remove in about 15 minutes leaving in the spark plugs, that was great. I also run a 27" front tire, and when I decided to lower the ride height 2" the fenderwells just wouldn't work at all. I agree if you don't care for the low ride height, the advantages of maintenance ease are very beneficial, but a shorter tire also may be needed. There is a cool factor when you look under the hood and see all those pipes too!
The Shocker
Well-Known Member
Here are the Hedman fenderwells on my 64 Dart Dragcar .They fit pretty well IMO ,and look cool .I love them and no issues with the front tires rubbing them .Just a litlte triming on the back of the inner fender to make them fit ...
yellow68runner
Banned
=D> :toothy7: :roll:
'64 Cuda
Well-Known Member
Hey yellow68runner, what brand are those headers? They look a lot like the 30+ year old Cyclones I have. Hole in the fenderwell looks about the same too. Any pics of the collector area or of how they fit under the fenders?
Here's a couple of pics of mine. The one with the engine in the car is about 30 years old. The one without the engine is recent.
Thanks for adding the pics. Any idea of the brand?
Here's a couple of pics of mine. The one with the engine in the car is about 30 years old. The one without the engine is recent.
Thanks for adding the pics. Any idea of the brand?
Anyone running the Hedman fenderwell headers on a big block Duster? Any pictures? I ran Hooker fenderwells for a while. Now I am running Stahl fenderwells, but they will need replaced soon and I am thinking about trying the Hustler's.
The Shocker
Well-Known Member
No problems with clearence on my Dart .The starter ,dual master cylinder ,etc ,have plenty of room.The only thing that is kinda bad is changing the oil filter .Its like running a mouse through a maze trying to get the filter out between the primary tubes from the top,but its doable ...
Are you running a small block? I am running a 440.
Guitar Jones
aka Angry Johnny
I saw a pic of an early A with fenderwells on a LA engine. The guy filled back in around the header tubes with sheet metal and finished it off real nice, cut real tight to the tubes. It looked really good. Can't remember where I saw the pic though.
Well, I have an aftermarket Kmember and a removable steering column so its not bad for me, but if you have a stock front end and column, that does look like a bear to get too. Additionally, my application being a race only car I would not have good input on that for a street application, but my application has not had issues degrading starters.
My car is race only as well. I do have stock K member and steering column. Running Stahl fenderwell headers now. What K member are you running? Are you running coil overs on the front, or do you still have torsion bars.
yellow68runner
Banned
66 340 sedan ,on this site
It's an all day affair. No easy way to remove the starter.
Ptdartfreak
Mopar freak
glad that i can post a pic of this from a car thats actually mine holes arent that big and the headers come out easy
sorry bout the dirtyness that will be taken care of
sorry bout the dirtyness that will be taken care of
95teetee
Well-Known Member
the headers on one of my Mustangs (I had a '66 with a 289, and a '68 with a 351C. Can't remember which one was the problem, but I'm pretty sure it was the '66) used to cook the starter fairly regularly. Knowing white paint doesn't absorb as much heat, I finally painted a new starter white before putting it in, and that solved the problem (as unlikely as that sounds).
M347,
AlterKtion, coil over no torsion bars. I can remove the driver side header in about half an hour, less if I thrash on it. The passenger side is in when the motor goes in and comes out only after lifting the motor but it doesn't need to come out for anything so it works well for me.
AlterKtion, coil over no torsion bars. I can remove the driver side header in about half an hour, less if I thrash on it. The passenger side is in when the motor goes in and comes out only after lifting the motor but it doesn't need to come out for anything so it works well for me.
The Shocker
Well-Known Member
I like the "dirtyness" on mine.Nothing makes me happier than to have my Dart laughed at when i unload it ,and then watching people wipe egg off their face when im loading it...
The Shocker
Well-Known Member
Yes ,im running an LA motor .I can see where the BB might cause more issues on header clearence .I thought you had a SB as well ,sorry ...
It looks like fenderwells may cause some problems with the master cylinder overheating and boiling the fluid. Has anybody thought about moving the master and pedal assembly up and over? Would probably have to remove the dash to get at everything needing to be fabbed. Just a thought.
'64 Cuda
Well-Known Member
I never had any problem with the master cylinder boiling fluid on my car. It was a daily driver for 3 or 4 years that way. Single circuit cylinder.
I haven’t had any problems either, and I’ve had three early A’s with fender well headers. I did have my headers Jet Hot coated and I run silicone brake fluid in the fish though just for extra caution.
Header wrap would be a good idea also if you‘re concerned about the heat.
Header wrap would be a good idea also if you‘re concerned about the heat.
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