Best Small Block Chevy exhaust options for tight frame clearance?

So in doing an engine transplant I am faced with some tight clearances between the exhaust manifolds and the frame that I'm not comfortable with. I'm wondering if my best bet would be to go to block hugger headers or to some different exhaust manifolds where the exits are at the rear.

Here's what I'm looking at now, kind of hard to tell how tight it is from this angle but the clearance between the ex. man. and the frame is basically zero:

As you can see here the frame pinches in right about where the current manifolds exit:


So my question is this, would block huggers (which seem to exit close to where the current manifolds do) give me the same problem as I currently have?

Would my best bet be to go for a manifold that's going to exit further back where the frame is wider like these off a later Camaro?:

Thanks in advance.

 

Block huggers would help with clearence. Looks to me from the first picture the engine needs to be raised a bunch. What kind of car?

 

Block huggers would work for you. They angle inward at the collector toward the V-part of the block to provide plenty of clearance where you now have almost none. Here's a diagram attached.

Another option might be raising your motor a couple of inches, if that's possible. Or using the straight rams horns.

 

What I have done a couple of times in the past, was cut the flange part off at an angle(couple inches up) rotate and weld back together. Gave me the clearance I needed in tight spot.

 

Yea I think those manifolds that exit at the rear will work well for you. Just judging from the pics..

You could also notch the frame a bit to get the clearance around the flange. Don't go more than 1/2" or so.

 

Engine will and can probably go up another inch or two from the first pic. As you can see the fuel pump was right on the frame when I took that picture too. I hadn't seen a picture of the block huggers from the front/rear like that miraclepieco, thanks for that, it makes a lot more sense to me now.

Motor is going into a '58 Dodge truck. Build thread is here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=590099

 

I had thought about notching the frame but I don't want to go that route when there are so many options available to me. I'll have to suck it up and buy some block huggers and see what I'm working with with those.

 

How about angle mill and spot face the manifolds you have?

 

Don't forget you will more so than not have to oblong the bolt holes as well.

 

Clearly use what fits the best. Or start cutten stuff out of your way. Why do things have to be so hard???

 

cheap chrome block huggers on the bay for about 70. stainless for about 170. just look

 

These might help;
This is a Patriot H8052-1. It is much shorter than most block huggers which might get the collector above the frame area so you can just run the exhaust pipe through there.

This is a Patriot H8065-1 - it has a flat collector where all four tubes are in line to give more frame clearance

 

If you don't require headers, 305 Monza manifolds are about the closest clearance ones they made and would bolt up.