I got this 63 Galaxie and whenever i can do work on my car i do, i love it even when im not sure what im doing. i love learning about cars. Installing headers should be an easy thing as ive changed manifolds on the car a few times. So im in my small ass parking space in hollyweird and i get the manifolds off and im ready to install the headers - nice new headers, chrome, new gaskets , no more of this hissing, leaking, losing power shit. I spent about 3 hours or so trying to get these things to fit, by the end of it i wanted smash the shit outta something - when all you've got is a small space and a shitty jack it can get a bit frustrating I end up calling this muffler shop down the street and they say they will do it for an small reasonable fee, run new pipes with glass packs and all that. I try to drive it with the open ports and it was sooooooo loud i couldnt take it - it sounded like it was about to blow up. i have AAA and they tow it for free down there. The next morning the shop call me and say the headers aren't fitting, im already bummed and i call FPA and talk with them about it and they reassure me that i got the right ones.I get to the shop and the headers are on and they look good, but under the car the pipes are hitting the power steering cylinder and the transmission gear linkage from the column shifter, the passenger side is real tight too. I call FPA and they say that sometimes you need to move this and that, drop the power cylinder down, raise the engine a little etc.......... im just a dude in tiny garage with no lift , when i bought the headers they never told me that it wasnt just bolt on, maybe this is me being naive. But it would have been cool if they had let me know i might run into some issues, i was very specific about the headers fitting. Anyway im back to the old manifolds because i cant afford no custom shop to cut this and that, and i cant keep towing the car around hollywood going to different shops - THIS IS MY EVERYDAY CAR, im already broke with these gas prices !!@@#@!!!! So im back to square one, with these chrome nice ass headers in my living room - kinda bummed about the whole deal , getting ready to call FPA - or maybe i'll wait till the day when i have some $$$ Sorry if this is boring , but i had to vent, my girl is sick of hearing about it even though she pretends to be interested.
What kind of resources DO you have. I mean are you able to get some help welding your own? There are tons of links and tech on making your own and it's really not that hard. If ya wanna just take a beginners peak into some of whats involved check this out for starters, I found it pretty informative. There is prolly more on this site as well. http://www.headersbyed.com/bildbetr.htm
Maybe a little naive. Anyway, almost all headers will have some problems going in or, even if stated otherwise, will not go in at all. Unless you have something pretty basic like a VW or SBC in a Nova or....., chances are, you will have a bit of a fight.
Kick-back, relaxe. Gather your thought's. You are on a great board for helpful tip's. Header's are a pain. As you've found out. Some much worse than other's. Big Block Vega's! Anyway, learning the rope's and paying yer due's is part of the game. Tearing into your daily driver force's undue stress and pressure. Pre-plan the next mod. by asking some question's, having a check list and a long week-end. A back up plan: ride to work, a loaner car, ect.
Headers are one of the worst but I learned a long time ago that just about all aftermarket parts will need some sort of tweaking, grinding, cutting, notching, massaging, beating or all of the above to make fit. It used to bother me quite a bit but I have just learned to live with it. After you go through the trouble to make something work you can stand back and admire your accomplishments. The first thing you need to do is make sure the part number on the box is what the headers accually are. It won't be the first or the last time a set is mis-boxed. If they are correct make sure to look at the manufacturers catalog. There are usually lots of footnotes about fitment. Lots of times you will know what you need to modify and change based on the notes. Good luck
Yeah, I've been there. The term "bolt in" is often a damned joke. I remember putting headers in my '64 Impala. What royale PITA -- loosen engine mounts, jack up the engine, futz with this and that. One side still hung way too low once they were installed (didn't really notice it until I dropped the front end about five inches -- the collector ended up about three inches off the ground.) Since it wasn't really a performance car, and I was doing it more for appearance and cool factor, I wish I would have just gotten a set of shorty headers and been done with it -- they're designed to fit just about anything a stock manifold will. Maybe that's the way to go. Not sure if shortys are available for your engine (FE Big block, I assume). But maybe it's worth looking into. Dave
Installing headers sux. I think Mopars are the worst! They usually had you cut a hole in the inner fender and route one tube through the hole, around the frame and then into the collector. WTF?! A company FINALLY designed some that actually fit, but it took them like 30 years. Checking on a set of shorty headers is a GREAT idea. One way to gain some room is to install brand new engine rubber mounts--the old ones are often squished and worn out. Same with the trans mount. New mounts could raise the engine anywhere from 1/2- to 1 full inch, which, as you've found out, could be a lot of room. A mini-starter will get you a lot of room to work as well, but that's more money. I swear by Stage 8 locking fasteners for headers, too--sometimes a pain to install initially, but you'll never have a leaking header again. See if you can return your chrome headers, and get a set of painted headers for now: it sounds like you'll have to ding and dimple them with a hammer in some areas to get them to fit just right--they'll rust either way, but with painted headers you won't be spending extra money on chrome that's going to rust. (You said you only had a crappy jack--you do have jack stands, too, don't you? and since the parking lot you're working in is probably blacktop, a couple of plywood squares to put under the jackstands is a must) Good luck, and don't be discouraged--as mentioned earlier, "Mail Order Shit Don't Fit" are words to live by. Welcome to the learning curve! We've ALL been there. -Brad
I installed a set of Hooker Super comps on my Fairlane, and let me tell you something....THAT was a day to remember! shheesh. The Hookers fit just like they said they would (thank goodness) but getting them into the car was a trip. I spent 7 hours alone on the driver's side. The clutch Z bar runs through two of the tubes. Boy thats fun. After I got them on, I had to have my wife put the bolts in as my hands were too big to do it. It took a few hours just to get the spark plugs all back in and then when I did start it up and take it for a drive, I burned two plug wires because they were touching the headers. Was it worth it? YES.
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