Header fitment

[FrozenMonkey 12]

Alright. The vapor lock at a busy intersection is the last straw. With these 110+ degree days and uncoated long tube headers the car just is not happy. Engine is a 351w with an Edelbrock carb and 1" Phelonic spacer and electric fuel pump. Trans is an FMX. Power steering and manual brakes.

 

I've eliminated all the other causes of vapor lock I was experiencing when I bought the car and am able to drive the car no problems in the cooler weather, but now it looks like its time to spend real money and fix the problem, hopefully, for good. I don't have a lot to throw at my car so I've been looking at the cheaper priced headers (yeah, no $1000 FPA headers) but want to know your experiences with them fitting on your cars.

 

I'm down to three different sets from Flowtech, Hooker and Headman. They all appear to be the exact same design based off of Summits photos but that can be deceiving, with the only difference being that the Flowtech's primaries are 1 1/2" instead of the 1 5/8" of the other two. All of them claim to be "direct fit" but which ones really are the easiest to fit? I obviously don't want to beat the living :shit: out of them to make em fit or have headaches with hitting the power steering, tranny mounts, ect. This is my only car and while I don't drive often, I drive enough that I can't afford to have my car down for weeks on end trying to sort out fitment issues. Taking off my current ones, shipping them out and having them coated and sent back would cost more than just buying any of those headers so that is out of the question. So is header wrap for obvious reasons.

 

Thanks in advance for any stories, good or bad, that you have.

[nhall80 10]

I have a 351w with Headman headers. They are fairly old so Im not sure if the design has changed, but I had to modify my power steering mount to get around them. I made a mount to drop the mounting location on the frame by about an inch. Also, my flanges are prone to hitting the pavement. I'm not unhappy with them, but I will seriously consider another design when I buy another set.

I'm also dealing with vapor lock and wonder what all you've done to fix it. I plan on getting the phelonic spacer and running a stainless fuel line. Did that not help with yours? I'm looking for less expensive fixes. What's the downside with header wrap?

[FrozenMonkey 12]

I've noticed that all the manufacturers have their own bracket to drop the PS down that they require to install. From what I can tell, mine doesn't have one so it seems odd that whatever headers are on there now didn't require it. Whatever the case, I'll be buying one for one less potential problem.

 

Biggest thing in helping with the vapor lock was getting the 1" phenolic spacer on there. It completely stopped the problem until these beastly summer temps kicked in. As far as the header wrap, it looks like crap and in many cases has caused premature failure of headers through rust, warping, cracking and so on.

[blueblood 26]

I fitted Hedman shorties on my 302W 70 fastback because I didnt want to muck around with drop brackets etc.

Had the headers and short front pipes HPC coated for appearance and longer life.

The hedman long tube headers hit the rack ram boot.

[j69302 11]

Stay away from flow tech headers. They are absolute crap. There is a reason why theirs cost less than even the summit brand. I picked these up at Autozone for 99 bucks several years ago...Which could have been part of the problem..

 

They will come out of the box rusted up, with thin bent flanges. I returned a set for another, they came rusted up, but the flange was straight so I put them on. They had exhaust leaks from every surface from day 1. Didn't take long for the very thin flanges at the head to warp, as well as the thin flange at the collector to warp. They also hung very low and scraped on everything.

 

Make sure that whatever you get, has ATLEAST a 3/8 inch head flange. And if possible, have a ball socket on the collector instead of the 3 bolt flange (Or a thicker flange)

 

The drop brackets are not a big issue. Simply bolt on. However, I did have an issue with mine coming loose, probably do to the extra leverage put on it by the slave cylinder. I ended up having mine welded. Then had it removed when I upgraded to TCP Rack

 

If the other brands are as similar in reality as they are as in the pictures to the Flowtech Headers, they will fit fine. Had no issues with fitment, only their quality.

 

I also recommend using some 12 point ARP header bolts. The use a smaller head so you can get a socket on them much better, and they wont strip out easily.

 

Also, you can always see about having your current ones coated. I beleive many of the mass produced ones only have the outside coated, if you send yours out, you can probably get the inside coated as well.

Edited July 4, 2013 by j69302

[miketyler 15]

Your current headers fit ok? If so, i would agree with the above advice and might consider getting them coated if you think ceramic coating will make a difference. I had serious issues with Hooker SC long tubes avoid them at all costs. i am curious though....how hot are your engine temps when you experience the vapor lock?

[fordguy69 24]

Have you tried insulating your fuel lines? I covered my lines with this: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hsp-204009

 

Covered it all the way from the inner apron where the line comes in to the carb. That coupled with a small insulator gasket on my carb stopped my vapor lock. I am in Florida and have a 460 stuffed into mine with long tube headers. One of the reasons we are all having vapor lock issues now is the damn alcohol they put into the fuel. It's 10% in my area, some other areas are higher and the gubbermint is going to make it mandatory 15% soon. So the problems are only going to get worse. A carbed, mechanical fuel pump setup suffers the worst. The lower pressure in the lines coupled with the engine compartment heat causes the alcohol to boil very easily.

 

I hate ethanol.

[FrozenMonkey 12]

To answer some questions; I have been putting in 91 octane pure gas all summer and have noticed how much better my car runs, although it obviously didn't prevent vapor lock. Not sure if its worth the extra 50 cents per gallon and the inconvenient location of the only station in the city that carries it though. Also, I put on a DEI heat blanket over the under hood fuel line. It used to be very hot to the touch but now I'd say its not over 90 degrees. The engine isn't over heating and according to the stock temp gauge, is right smack in the middle where it always is when it's at operating temp.

 

I've been wondering about doing the techline ceramic coating on my current headers. I've heard lots of good things about it. If I can inspect my headers closely and be sure they aren't warped at the flanges I may go this route. Total cost would be much lower than sending them out to get coated or buying a new set of headers that may or may not have problems fitting.