TTI or Doug's headers for 69 340 4 speed car?

-
dano

dano

Evil Handy Man
Joined
Aug 22, 2005
Messages
4,725
Reaction score
2,707
Location
Gresham, Oregon
Now that my 340 took a dump with a wiped lifter, I'm cleaning up and repainting the engine bay and would like to replace my Flowtech headers with something better in fit, finish and ground clearance. I did a search and read a bunch. I like the Doug's and TTI's but which is best for a 4 speed set up as per clearance of the z-bar and linkage? Will eaither require a mini starter?

Thanks,

Dan
 
ROTFLMAO...

Seriously, I have cars with both brands of headers and four speeds.

You better have a welder handy because both of my cars needed the lower z-bar arm cut off and moved. The Dougs were slightly better than the tti's for the amount needed to move, but, both sucked you know what for as much as they cost.

If you have a local pick n pull boneyard, get a junkyard mini-starter for $20. I have about 6 of them and none have ever failed me. A mini starter is the way to go.

BTW - I have a very twisted sense of humor.
 
crackedback said:
ROTFLMAO...

Seriously, I have cars with both brands of headers and four speeds.

You better have a welder handy because both of my cars needed the lower z-bar arm cut off and moved. The Dougs were slightly better than the tti's for the amount needed to move, but, both sucked you know what for as much as they cost.

If you have a local pick n pull boneyard, get a junkyard mini-starter for $20. I have about 6 of them and none have ever failed me. A mini starter is the way to go.

BTW - I have a very twisted sense of humor.
Click to expand...

Oh come on!

I've got a brand new set of TTIs waiting to be installed and already heard that I will have to grind down the Lakewood bellhousing on the drivers side and now this!

Got the mini starter just to make things easier even though TTI says I can use my stock starter for a 67 cuda.

Do you have late model A-body or early model?
 
I have the TTI's on my Dart. I didn't have to grind the Lakewood housing. I did have the problem with the z-bar. But I didn't have to cut and move the arm.

Fred B
 
mullinax95 said:
crackedback,

Oh yeah I remember now... you like the Hooker Super Comps.
Click to expand...

Only on Race cars. tti's, nor dougs, will be anywhere near a race car of mine. The dyno results have proven that to me 3+ times now.

I don't recall having to notch my Lakewood shield with my tti's. Maybe it was already done as I got it second hand. :cheers:

Hopefully, you won't have the nightmare I had with both brands of headers and z-bar. tti's were worse than dougs to work around. Nothing like getting the down leg to swing in a narrowing triangle... it's a joy.
 
I had to cut and relocate the dog leg on my z-bar too! It was a real narrow corridor to work in too! The bottom leg cam right into the one tube,( I think it was number 3) and so I had to move it over towards the engine side about 3/4 of an inch to be able to get full pedal travel. Not to mention what a pain it was getting the mini starter up in that small area just right in order to bolt it in. Yeah I'm double jointed LOL so getting a wrench in there to tighten the thing up was no problem!! SURE!
 
Thanks for the feed back, I do have access to a welder and can weld it myself for all that matters.

What application in a Junk yard would I be looking for a Mini Starter? Did these come on the Magnum truck engines? I thought Mini-Starters were an aftermarket only thing.

Thanks, Dan
 
416stroker said:
I had to cut and relocate the dog leg on my z-bar too! It was a real narrow corridor to work in too! The bottom leg cam right into the one tube,( I think it was number 3) and so I had to move it over towards the engine side about 3/4 of an inch to be able to get full pedal travel. Not to mention what a pain it was getting the mini starter up in that small area just right in order to bolt it in. Yeah I'm double jointed LOL so getting a wrench in there to tighten the thing up was no problem!! SURE!
Click to expand...


This is BS!

It says plain as day that the headers fit floor shift and column shift A-bodies on TTI web page.

Manual and Automatic.

Isn't that false advertising?
 
mullinax95 said:
This is BS!

It says plain as day that the headers fit floor shift and column shift A-bodies on TTI web page.

Manual and Automatic.

Isn't that false advertising?
Click to expand...

Hey they are what they are,and what they are are the BEST headers made,i've got a column auto shifted a-body and all thats needed to install them was flipping the bar that the shifter rod attaches to,this is my second set and for my money nothing comes close in fit,finish,and wear..mine have been on 3 seasons now and all i do is polish them about twice a year,and they still look great,if needed i can have them off in less then a half an hour,bottomline is you get what you pay for...
 
its funny you guys say that about the z-bar. a friends car has tti's from like 2000, and they only barely hit the z-bar but still give alot of travel. they are great headers though. for a street car that needs ground clearance, they seem to be best choice. although i need to see for myself a pair of dougs and hooker sc just to see how they fit the same car. i have heard positive and negative feedback on all 3.
 
redfastback said:
its funny you guys say that about the z-bar. a friends car has tti's from like 2000, and they only barely hit the z-bar but still give alot of travel. they are great headers though. for a street car that needs ground clearance, they seem to be best choice. although i need to see for myself a pair of dougs and hooker sc just to see how they fit the same car. i have heard positive and negative feedback on all 3.
Click to expand...


Well i can comment on the hookers,theyr're a pain in the arse my previous duster had a set they would hit everything on the road,something you'll NEVER have to worry about with TTI'S,when i finally had enough of the hookers,i had to beat and sawzall them off..the TTI'S are a dream to put on or take off...
 
well i know that my eddy heads hang off the block a bit more than an iron head and in turn push the exhaust out about 1/4 or so, that may be the issue that comes into play with a 4 speed?
 
redfastback said:
well i know that my eddy heads hang off the block a bit more than an iron head and in turn push the exhaust out about 1/4 or so, that may be the issue that comes into play with a 4 speed?
Click to expand...

Steve,

I have stock headed 340-360's in both cars. The z bar tags the tube almost dead nuts at 12 o'clock on both cars. It would have required a bend of nearly 3/4 to 1" in order to clear.

As far as ground clearance, you can't beat Dougs or tti.
From a power perspective, tti and dougs are not the best choice.

Everything in these things is a trade off. You have to choose which you want. Max power = limited ground clearance, just the way it is. This isn't the thread for my 25-40 hp gain from only a header change from tti's... 8)

Rob
 
mullinax95 said:
This is BS!

It says plain as day that the headers fit floor shift and column shift A-bodies on TTI web page.

Manual and Automatic.

Isn't that false advertising?
Click to expand...

Doesn't say anything about the clutch assembly, just the shifter... it's what's not written that make the difference. They fit, but, you have to make modifications to get the stock stuff to work.

If you call them they'll tell you to just "S" bend the downleg. In some cases, easier said than down with 3/16 plate welded to a tube that you don't want to distort or tear.

Unless they've redesigned them, or, you get lucky like Steve did with his one set up, you'll be busy with the clutch linkage.

BTW, Hooker Competition headers, and any other brand that hang below the steering gear on street cars SUCK!!! Unfortunately there isn't a header designed for a-bodies that does everything well. Each choice has serious compromises.
 
Ok I'm done complaining.

I looked at my z-bar this morning and notice that someone has cut the lower z-bar arm and welded it I say a 1" toward the bellhousing.

So my question is for TTI headers did it get moved in the right direction and maybe I lucked up?

crackedback?
 
I had to move mine the other direction. Closer to the drivers fender, IIRC. Mine wasn't the only one that I knew about, but, the only one I had real world experience with. I spoke with at least 5 others that had similar issues, so mine isn't an isolated case and tti was well aware of the situation.

Before getting worried about this, I'd install them and see what you got. You may get lucky and not have an issue. I would have much rather been told before hand that I might have an issue than find out later, have someone tell me "yeah we know about that". Prefer the upfront approach.

Maybe I need to build a set of headers for SB A's that don't hang below the steering gear and aren't a length that are desirable for motorhomes.
 
Can't really tell much about it but here is some pictures. I stuck the driver side header in place and lined up the dented place where the torsion bar needs to be near the header and the z-bar touches just a little bit. I was looking at the exhaust inlets also to get the header level. Anyways I want know for sure until the motor is installed.

DSC01401.jpg


DSC01402.jpg
 
dano said:
Thanks for the feed back, I do have access to a welder and can weld it myself for all that matters.

What application in a Junk yard would I be looking for a Mini Starter? Did these come on the Magnum truck engines? I thought Mini-Starters were an aftermarket only thing.

Thanks, Dan
Click to expand...

I got my mini starter off a mid to late 90's dakota.
 
Vans, last couple years of M-bodies (prime pickings for the right angle oil filter adapter and power trunk release,too), Dakotas, and full-sized p/ups (until the advent of the 3rd gen Hemi). I love me some scrounging!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top