hi, does anyone have any advice on what type of headers to use on a 49 merc with a 350 and stock steering box and master cylinder? and what length lake pipes work well on a 49 4 dr. (70 in.?) thanks for any help with my project.... colorado elvis "you miss 100% of the shots you never take"
Hey man. For headers? None. I had long tube headers on a SBC powered 51 and what a freakin tragedy. There was NO clearance and tune ups were sweet! Pulling the plugs with a box wrench bashing my hands a few times each side. I did tho use shorty headers on a 302 powered 50 though when I put that together and that fit beautifully. If you can get your hands on something like that, its golden. As for the lake pipes I am 99% sure I ran 80" on one of mine. They got ripped off so many times making sharp turns I gave up.
When I had the 283 in my 51, it was running stock manifolds. If you go this route, try to put in a swinging brake pedal and booster/MC combo (S-10's fit like a glove). the exhaust dumps out really close to the stock MC. It makes for some scary stopping after the MC gets hot.