Looking to see if anyone has knowledge of small block chevy headers in a 61 F100. I have to imagine that anything in the straight axle range of pickups might be close to what I have. Hoping for 1 3/4 primaries with a 3" collector (or larger). Im installing a 8000 rpm 327 in my unibody and would love not to need custom headers. Thanks in advance!!
Welcome to the HAMB. That's going to be luck, but the odds are with you. First, where is the engine going to be? Second, will there be changes from stock on steering, suspension and ride height? You can see that these will be different even from other people who have installed a SBC in a 61 Ford. I'd guess that many headers will work, if you have them in hand and allow for fit when making up the mounts. A quarter inch can be go or no-go. The block hugger style, a 2WD truck set and fenderwell headers will all have different obstacles. I'd say try to borrow some and see if you can find something that will work. There are a ton of old SBC headers just hanging in garages. Barring that, look at the stock headers for the truck and try to find a SBC set that has similar dimensions.
Might be something that could work in the Schoenfeld Headers catalog. You looking for a fenderwell style header?? No inner fenders to clear? Or looking for an in-chassis header? Desire for 1-3/4" pipes really narrows the potential pool of choices I'm afraid the crossbreed you are doing isn't common enough that you'll find anyone else online that has done it....hope I'm wrong though. Maybe search for a Unibody truck forum?? Schoenfeld Truck Fenderwell
Thanks for the welcome and response. I think you are probably correct in seeing if I cant source some sets locally to test fit. Looks like the steering box and cross brace that the original bellhousing bolted up to is going to be the areas that are going to give grief. I attached some pics of my set up now but not sure they are the best pics.
So the engine is already in and plumbed. Headers have been a mainstay of hot rodding for a very long time. The look, the sound, and yes the performance. However, they don't last as long, tend to rust, warp and leak much more, and the performance gains are not as wild as the hype. It's been mentioned many times here, take a look at where Frieburger dented up a new set of headers on a dyno to measure loss of power. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxFb7IcBFO8
So initially it was just going to be a crusier and does have a stock 350 in it now. But couldn't leave well enough alone and I always loved a high revving 327 so that's what I'm building. I did see that episode but really want to squeeze every last little bit outta this thing . If I cant find any bolt ons I will definitely just pony up for a custom made set. Thanks again for the input and insight!
Glad to help with what little I've retained over the years. I seriously doubt that you need to wring every last bit out of it. Headers tend to hurt down low RPM and help at top of the rev range. If you had a way to track how much time is spent driving a truck with the engine over 5500 RPM, I'd bet for most it would be less than 1%, even in a street/strip machine. That's not to say you gotta give up, keep searching for your wants. It's just that those pretty things aren't going to knock off a half second.
If all else fails, maybe a set for a 292 Y block would have the right bends to fit the chassis. The port spacing is fairly similar to a SBC. Maybe some cuttin' and weldin'?
I had a '57 F100 with a SBC. I know the '61 is a different generation but I would imagine it is still pretty similar for steering and suspension. I used full length headers from a mid 60s C10 and they dropped right in. 1 5/8” primaries though but might be worth looking to see what other headers are available for C10s
A set of headers for a Chevy C 10 with a small block should fit fine but finding a set that are 1-3/4 inch is either going to be a challenge or spendy. The Ford Frame is wider in the engine compartment than 60/87 C 10 trucks and the only issue might be motor mount clearance. This is how far the headers hung down below the frame on my 71 GMC when I had the 350 in it with headers.
Can you post a picture from down low, shooting it from the side?? Maybe a few different angles too, so we can see the spacing between obstacles?? Pic from the engine bay side shows a lot of room to work with, which is good, just need to know what it has to avoid down below. Might be more suggestions then. Upper half mimicking the rams horn layout, but what lower half, get my drift?
Hello, If you are not needing extra HP from whatever custom headers will give you, those stock cast headers are engineered to give plenty of power with what you have. A four barrel carb on your 327, even if is bone stock will give you enough power to conquer steep mountain roads and allow you to cruise at 70-80 mph on the straight-aways. When I bought my 65 El Camino, I wanted tons of horsepower with a dual quad set up or a 396 c.i. motor stock. But, the Chevy dealers said no 396 and no dual quad set up. So, I ordered a single 4 barrel carb motor and that gave me enough hp to cruise all over So Cal and into the coastal road trips to Northern California with plenty of hp and good gas mileage. (About 15+ mpg was the average) Since I could not order a 396 c.i. motor with the El Camino in that year, the HP race was moot and I got the 327 c.i. with the 4 barrel carb. The stock headers were fine and there was no worries about re-routing a set of custom headers. The local header company near our house told me that if I was to keep the El Camino for the long run, the stock headers were the best deal. The custom individual headers may have the racer look and modify the motor compartment, but they would stick out below the chassis. We needed every inch of clearance for our desert motorcycle ground clearance dirt roads. Plus the cast iron headers are designed to make the flow smooth with the “Y” pattern. And, they do not hinder any other items in the engine compartment or in your truck. The rear ward direction of the rest of the exhaust system can still be tucked into the frame to keep your ground clearance stock. Jnaki When my wife and I bought our 2nd 327 powered 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery, it had stock Chevy “y” manifolds. It was a tight fit, but every thing was perfect as far as the rest of the exhaust system. I can’t help if a custom individual header pipe system is what you want. That will take rerouting and some modifications. A lot more than the stock “Y” manifold will require. YRMV
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