A C

Well, a lot depends on the rest of your motor. If it is fairly tame (close to stock heads, streetable cam, etc) I would recommend the Dynomax Ceramic coated ones. They are about 200 bucks. 1 5/8ths primaries. Not as nice as the Hookers, but they will work, and temps shouldn't be a concern. The ceramic coating helps with the temps. To be honest, I have painted headers, and the underhood temp isn't too bad. If your motor is more on the wild side, you will like the 1 3/4 inch primaries on the Hooker Super Comps, but they will cost you quite a bit more. Either way, I think you will need to find a different bracket setup for your A/C, although I am sure there are some brackets out there for use with headers.

AC

Golden80

Lot of guys on here like the Dynomax Cerama-coats. They look like a good value to me. My only reason for not getting them is they don't make any with smog pump inlets which I need for emissions here. Personally I'm going with a set of smog legal Hedmans that I'm going to send to Jet-Hot. My Hedmans ran around $200 and the coating will run something like $170.

Matt

73-454

Stay with the Stock Manifolds, Headers do not provide any perfomance advantage, "all you hear is marketing crap" I bought a vette with headman headers, Guess what ,Burnt spark plug boots, fried starter harness, fried AC/Heater box, fried speedo cable, fried Auto trans vacume controll etc etc. It is not worth the hassel. Stay with stock.

vcole@metrocast.net

I'm sorry, I disagree, I've never seen a car not benefit from adding headers. Though I do agree that they are often a hassel and all the things you mention are common problems when going to headers. Marketing scams only get so far before they have to be backed up with numbers and headers are a mod that has been well documented on most all performance cars including the vette. It sounds like you had a bad experience with the Hedmans. The quality of the header makes a world of differance especially in fit. This is in no way a flame towards you, just a difference of opinion. As far as what headers to buy, I say buy the best one's you can afford and insulate them to help with the problems 73-454 mentioned. I prefer Hooker headers, they often cost more but they have been around a long time and make a good product.

take care
VC
:cheers:

KenSny

What other engine mods have you done? If none, then that should be your first effort, saving the headers for last..... IMHO. Headers and exhaust system help your engine to breathe better. If you have not done anything in the way of cam, heads, carb, tuning, etc. then I'd do that first.

Gordonm

Headers are one of the best improvements for a motor. A motor is nothing more than an air pump. The easier it comes in and goes out the more power you can make. If stock manifolds were so good why are all race cars running headers. I am sorry you had a bad experience with your headers but you will never realize the true potential of any motor with restricted manifolds. I run Hookers with Jet Hot and can get the plugs out within 15 minutes of shut down. No burnt plug wires and the engine compartment is cooler.

Paul 75 L82

I love my cermanic coated Hooker headers!

gearheadz

I second Paul's recommendation. Hooker's are best fitting, quality & design. Ceramic coat looks great & keeps the compartment cool.

Paul your ride is looking nice! Now that you have all that stripping experience (paint that is), there's a very nice '70 not too far from you thats looking to change its color. :D

And 73-454....you are one paranoid dude! All headers are not created equal! It's a well-known & ACCEPTED FACT that is substantiated, documented & proven time & time again....headers improve engine performance, most notably torque & horsepower. It's a FACT man...get over it, live with it.

Mark


[Modified by mdsmith, 10:48 PM 1/1/2002]

redc3vette1

HOOKERS ALL THE WAY I HAVE HAD GREAT LUCK WITH THEM AND YES THEY DO ADD POWER ...... I WOULD RECOMEND THE CERAMIC COATING TO KEEP THE RUST AWAY :cheers: :cheers:

flynhi

Check with local Corvette clubs members and find someone who has exactly your engine bay equipment with headers. Check clearances at plugs, oil filter, flange bolts and AC evap box. Check mating surfaces at flanges. Check port match at heads. Don't go cheap on headers. You only want to buy and install them one time. Spending more on high quality ceramic coated headers will save you a great deal of aggravation later. Generally, smaller primaries are best for street torque and larger primaries are best for high rpm racing. I'd call Edelbrock, Hedman and Thornley tech for more specifics.
Invest the time to open your AC evap box and install bubble/foil insulation on the inside of the box that is nearest the headers to reduce heat transfer.
Street and Performance in Mena, Ark can fix you up with just about any bracket you need.


[Modified by flynhi, 7:05 AM 1/2/2002]

69er

Rick
I don't know if Dynomax ceramic coated are the best but I've been happy with them.
I also bought the $17 A/C bracket.




[Modified by 69er, 6:40 AM 1/2/2002]

72Shark

I use the Dynomax Ceramacoat headers on my '72, and I also purchased the $17 A/C bracket. Everything went together great and works great. I recommend the "dead soft" aluminum gaskets between the heads and header, and also at the collector, has NEVER leaked! I also used the "Stage 8" locking bolts for the header mounting as well, and this may also contribute to the no leak situation. BTW...I noticed a difference in sound and performance right off the bat, tuning the carb. afterward brought even better performance.