Many of you have read and some have responded to my thread about spark plug routing on SBC engines. I currently have Chinesium SS block hugger headers. During the three days this thread has been going on there have been several photos of engines with ram horn exhaust manifolds. While these didn't help me with the original question which centered around block hugger headers, they did get me to thinking about possibly reverting to these manifolds. I have given away the ram horns that used to be on Clarence so if I go back to ram horn manifolds I'll have to procure new ones. So here are today's questions: What are the best flowing ram horn manifolds? What are the best looking ram horn manifolds? Is it true or rumor that Corvette ram horns had larger internal passages? Can these be found? Have they been reproduced? The ones I used to have came originally on a two-barrel powerglide 1966 283 with the generator mount cast in. I now have the alternator mounted on an Allan Grove bracket so I need a "smooth" manifold. Also I want them to be center dump straight down. This, of course, is in the event I decide to go back to ram horns. The current engine is a GM crate 350 sourced from Summit Racing. Some pix that come to mind: RockyMtnWay's: Donut Dave's (I assume factory Chevrolet): rat bastad's (pretty much identical to Donut Dave's (again I assume factory Chevrolet): pic from eBay (probably Flowtech): Flowtech (chrome and plain): There are many more pix on the web but these show examples of most of what I've found.
Yes the Corvette’s are bigger. Yes they were reproduced. Might even still be. They are probably the best looking because they are straight down.
Try Speedway for the 2 1/2 in ram horns that looked factory. Parts store did carry Dormans version of them but they will need some cleaning up.
Witch 350 engine you have 260 290 330 ish ? What size China B-H you have ? My self under 365 hp ,maybe 400 the True Ram style should be a good choice by the way port flow are designed by looking @ pic . Only Dyno or times slips would tell. But to me Looks like same issue with Plug wires IF trying to run underneath With out going low near oil pan then back Up ?
IIRC 290 Don't know much about the block huggers since they were sourced and installed by someone else. This engine will never be raced; unless Ryan brings back the HAMB Drags. Clarence is a highway cruiser. Performance isn't the main criteria, but why not do what I can if I'm buying something anyway? I also don't foresee the wires running under the manifolds in your pic. b-t-w; since this thing probably will seldom turn more than 3.5K - 4L rpm I think I should be aiming for low end torque rather than high rpm horsepower. I have absolutely no idea how exhaust plays into that equation. b-t-w (again), intake and carb are Edelbrock but I'd have to go get the numbers to give more information on those.
Every single swap meet I attend has at least a dozen real Chevy rams horn manifolds. All the different directions, and all different conditions. But usually under $50 each. What’s your time worth?
yup, rams horns are great. the small hp ones are 2 inch outlet and the high HP factory ones are 2.5 inch outlet. you could use either. they look great and perform well and as @alchemy said there are a bunch at every swap meet for sale. I would imagine you will have to have your exhaust pipes re made but it will be worth it just to be able to remove the off shore made headers... also you can cut off and grind to remove the factory brackets if they are not needed
Read an article years ago about a dyno test between vette rams horns and block hugger headers. Block huggers won by around 5hp. And that showed up in the upper rpm range. manifolds look better and are worth the 5 hp
Yep....mine are 2.5"outlet repro Vette rams horns. Work great on my 283, the exhaust runs from 2.5"at the flange down to 2" under the car and out the sides. Gases have cooled by then so its plenty of flow on this combo.
Also a big plus is headers (especially cheap ones) will leak. Rams horns look great even better with the factory part numbers....I do believe the off shore ones have factory numbers on them.
Good post. Here's a part # guide. Sadly doesn't have pics. https://outintheshop.com/faq/casting/exhaust_man.html Here is a source, including bolts. You now know what new cost, so you won't pay too much for used. https://www.classicindustries.com/s....ds&msclkid=b8085fe7d109185d0ee237e6dc0bc315& Other threads here https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/sbc-rams-horn-manifolds.1144949/ https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/ram-horns.1188165/ https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/rams-horn-manifolds.1108661/
mine are 1970 Corvette ones, the outlet measures 2.25, some early ones measure 1 /78 and the vette ones are 2.5 but it all depends on your pipe size.
Also remember C10 ramhorns kick the flange back about 45 degrees if clearance is an issue directly below the flange. I used these on an O/T pickup truck because of that... The flange diameter was 2 1/4" if I remember right.
I have 3 sets of the 2" outlet ram horns manifolds that I've acquired over the years. I've spent less than $100 for all 3. I think one set was $40, sandblasted and primed. The others were in good condition but not cleaned up and were less. What size is your exhaust system? I've always found headers for street cruisers to be a bit dumb personally. Every bot of horsepower adds up, sure. But more heat and leaks under the hood for a few horsepower gain that you will never use? Just put a nice paint job on your manifolds and use them. The thing about the aftermarket manifolds is they may use the header-style exhaust connector that welds to your exhaust, where the factory rams horns use an external flange on the pipe, flared pipe end, and donut. If your factory manifolds had the exhaust flapper on the passenger side, you may need a blank spacer to connect to the pipe (or just gut the spacer). I am running each of those on two different cars.
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