Any of you old guy's remember Doug Thorley ?

Were there any Mexicans at the Alamo? Oh hell yeah we remember him.

 

Doug Thorley Headers and Headers by Doug (aka Doug's Headers) are two different companies. Headers by Doug was the first name that he used making headers out of his muffler shop. As the header business grew it became "Doug's Headers". Then Dough Thorley Headers
After a divorce Doug's wife Betty ran Doug Thorley Headers, it was a different company and Doug was not really involved too much. They made a few of the original designs, but really went after the motor home and truck market. In later years he did invest in it a bit but Doug's Headers was still his company and the name that he used. When Betty passed on her partner eventually sold the company to Summit Industries who also owns the Jardine brand, Jerry Jardine's old company. Doug continued on as Doug's Headers eventually deciding to retire and sold the company to PerTronix who continues to build the Original Doug's Headers using his designs and tooling as well as adding new design of the same theory and quality that Doug always adhered to.
The chrome plated headers are Doug Thorley's which really have nothing to do with the man himself.
Here's a picture of the Original Doug's Chevy II Much at Lion's- the car in the museum and now for sale is a clone that Doug had built as the original was destroyed.

Confused? it is pretty convoluted but that's the story.

 

Hookers??? OH !! Those kind of hookers!

 

You know, I think I had Hooker headers on my First car a red 66 Mustang coupe 3sp 2v 289. What a hot rod. I put the "Headers by Doug" decal on the fenders like the racers did just cuz it looked soo fuq'n cool. I know I paid 110.00 1971 dollars for them.

 

Cool pics Mazooma

"Headers by Doug" was probably the first thing I scribbled onto one of my car drawings as a wee laddie!
....although my Uncle's race car had a big HOOKER headers decal in the window....

 

Doug Thorley will always be rememered as the first Funny Car driver to win an NHRA race after a class was added for AA/FC...the '67 US Nationals at Indy. He did it by beating the Hemis and Fords in his Chevy powered Corvair pictured above. Doug came to many of the reunions I organized back in the '90s. At one year's reunion I told him I was building a early Chrysler Hemi powered '53 Studebaker Coupe and about 2 weeks later I receive a package from him. It was a set of custom made headers. The invoice had a 0 balance due. They fit perfect. Doug Thorley is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet.

 

in my youth it seemed every gasser had "headers by DOUG" at the bottom of the front fenders as if by law
pass on best wishes,he,s part of my psychie

 

uncanny timing Jalopie Junkie

 

^^^That makes a great computer wallpaper.

 

I went to the H.H.R. in 94. On saturday morning it was freezing cold. While standing in line at the McDonalds truck to get a cup of coffee, the lady next to me introduced herself as Ms. Doug Thorley. I have no idea which one she was. Wasn't the "Bronco Buster" his creation? That was one of my favorites.

 

Doug is still alive and well, I speak to him frequently. His wife Dorthy has health problems and he has had his share as well, and they stay pretty low key these days. They are wonderful people and his contributions to the industry were many. As with all of us age catches up sooner or later and we must slow down, even though we don't want to. He still gets out to some of the nostalgia drag events. He is a great guy to talk to and very willing to swap old racing stories, say hi if you get the chance.

 

To bad he doesn't still have his patterns,I'd like to get a set of his 65 A/FX Hemi headers made.

 

My friend used to work here, fabricating headers in the pit under that roof over the t-bucket. He says the place looked like this pretty much every day...race cars all over the place. Hank also built headers on many, many famous cars while at Doug's, dating all the way back to the days when they were building "weed burners" for the fuel cars. He said the employees almost fought daily to get there early so they could pull the race cars in/out of the shop bays in the morning.

While thumbing thru the "Drag cars in motion" thread, i was really surprised by how many famous cars have "Headers by Doug" on the fenders. Hank said he was bummed when he caught Chevy Two Much in the museum and it had a set of Camaro headers on it...if the owner only knew that the original fabricators were still out there building headers.

He's got a lot of stories, such as them repo-ing a set of headers right off of a racer's car after Doug caught the guy with decals from a competitor on his fenders...Jungle Pam out in Doug's parking lot distracting the guys...the blowover of the rear motored car...

Granny

 

I remember his headers and shop in Minnesota. Thinking he was in Mps,Mn near Lake street and was building engines after he sold his shops.Wonder if this is same man.

 

they let you out of riverdaves

 

Pretty sure Doug was and is a Southern California Man

 

I see they let you in at ardy's place ..............did ya have to throw my name around to get in over there ?

 

I still have a set on my pickup

 

Doug was born in Cedar City, Utah, moved to SoCal in the late 40s. Bought a muffler shop which became Doug's Headers in Whittier, 1958. Currently lives in Hemet, California.

 

Think that was "Headers by ED".

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^


Doug was in that location when I met him in 1963. The shop was on Whittier Boulevard just east of Goodrich in East L.A. I worked farther east on Whittier Boulevard a couple of miles. It was always a treat to drive over there after work to see whose car he would be working on. I watched Hubert Platt in his injected Falcon doing dry hops in Doug's lot after they finished up a set of headers. I watched Doug doing short blasts across the same lot in his Chevy II Much Nova a few months later. Pete Everett owned a Chevron gas station on Goodrich (as I recall) and I watched his '62 Plymouth gradually change from a Super Stocker into an injected Hemi "Half-Breed" and then into a topless funny car over a period of a few months. Those were good times!


The above story was posted by Chuck Norton in response to the pic with Butch Leal in the Drag Cars in Motion thread.If I knew how to post and quote together life would be easier.

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Way bitchin' pic by Mazooma1.
Doug's was the first decent set of headers I ever bought and I remember his shop well. Good memories

 

Damn I haven't heard his name in a while! Had a set of his headers on my 1970 340 Duster. Had to "caress" one tube a bit to clear the clutch cross shaft, but other than they were well built and a good price. Glad to hear he's still at it.

 

My 55 454 powered Cameo is still running a set of Doug's Headers. I had to cut and weld the LH header to clear the steering box, but I was able to do it without changing the length. Great headers.
Bob

 

Yep. I currently have them on my FWD GMC Motorhome.

 

Bought my 1st set of headers; Doug Thorleys' at Hi-Gear. Anyone remember that speed shop?

 

Oh yeah!

Had a set of Doug Thorley's on my Ford in the mid 70's.

Those and Hooker are the only headers I've ever had....

 

I remember his cars well, they were all very well made. Do i remember right that he was married to Shirley Shahan? The Drag-On Lady? And another name you don't hear mentioned.

 

No, Shirley and her husband H.L. are close friends of Doug and Dorthy. They still see each other frequently. Doug built all of the headers for the Dragon Lady cars and H.L. did a lot of the motor work on Doug's race cars. They are also very nice people.