That's probably what the guy thought when he started mine, look at all those little pieces cut and welded together....lol
Yep, He did do a bit of engineering there didn't he. Gotta give him credit for hanging in there though. LOL I hope to stay out of the trans hump.
I like the bottom line but it depends on the cars ride height and also the tire height. drgrcr50 and I both cut ours at 32 inch diameters but his car sits lower so the cut is higher up the body. <center> </center>
I didn't want the cut to be too high. I'd rather raise the car up a little. I like the way yours sits. Now to make the cut.
Chevy II fit really well. That's what are on my car. And of the Chevy II headers, a pair of Cyclone headers would probably be your best bet. Even over Hookers. The collector on the Cyclones don't have the bend that the Hookers have.
It's probably in my Henry J thread but I researched it too and seemed about 10 different guys were running chevy ll. I bought a pair here on the HAMB and they didn't fit at all so they were sold to another hamber. Guess it depends where the engine is located and how modified the firewall is...lol I ended up buying some chassis headers from a roundy round car and a header kit and combined them together. they still hit the tire on hard left turn..lol
Speedway has a set in their catalog that says for 35-48 fat fendered vehicles and others. Looks like might be close.
Those stepped ones are the ones I used, bought them for 200 less than the list price. I had already bought the header kit before that so it was there. The clipster header was hitting the firewall on the passenger side but cleared the steering on the drivers side. Still pricey not knowing if they will fit or not if you're buying them new.
If you are looking to buy an off the shelf header the best thing you could hope for is to borrow one and try it before you buy it. I got lucky and did that with my 41, my friend had a set of Patriot fat fender headers on his 55. He had them off and I borrowed one for a trial fit and I'll be damned if it didn't fit like a glove.
Ok fellers, we're getting down to the nut cuttin' now. Or actually the firewall. It's sure got to be cut. I'm using the stock steering box and I think a 3 inch setback will do it. Take a look at the picture and see if I have the right idea on a cut. The marks aren't centered, just an idea. It's thinking time now.
Fenders and radiator support are back on loosely and everything fits. Something must be wrong. There is room for the tunnelram and to get the distributor out too.
Building a set of custom headers is not as tough as you may think, here's the ones I built for my J. I took a set of fenderwell headers from a BB Dart that were cracked at the flange, got them for free, and cut the pipes off about 2 inches from the flange, then cut the flanges into 3 pieces each, making them individual flanges on each end, dual flanges in the middle. That made it easy to repair the cracked one and gave me my starting point. Since they were fenderwell headers from a full bodied car they had lots of pipe to work with, I cut the collectors off, bolted one of the middle 'dual' flanges on each side and started cutting and fitting, putting the pieces together with duct tape until I was happy with where they exited. Then I put a couple tack welds on each joint, and fitted each end pipe the same way. Once that was done and I liked the way it all fit, I welded the pipe joints up and made them smooth and pretty with the grinder, welded the flanges back together, then welded the collectors back on. It was a fun project, not too difficult, but a little time consuming, I spent about 12-15 hours, my only cost was half a roll of tape and welding wire. I'm not an experienced welder, just been fooling around for about a year or two, and it was not beyond my scope. Just remember to plan for those spots you can't reach to weld as you assemble them. All the tubes ended up being within 1 inch of each other in length and they don't hit anything. Mines BB mopar with an Alston frame, but the principle would be the same with chev, maybe easier with the stock style chassis since you don't have to go up and over anything.
440Dave, Thanks for the info. I've got myself gassed up into thinking I can do the headers. So far today, everything has gone smooth. Firewall cut and the old engine is in place and ready to make the motor and trans mounts. It kinda bothers me when every thing runs smooth. I'm more used to blood letting. LOL I plan to get the headers fitted and tacked and get someone who can do a neater job of welding than I can to finish them. Thanks again, jackie
Motor noises are important to keep focused on the goal. If things are running smooth, that means its just setting you up for something big, watch your fingers. Remember that any car named Henry from the factory has got to have an evil sense of humor. I see you've been working on this since 2004(pic date), you might want to pick up the pace a bit.
Dave, I ain't got sense enough to redate the camera. LOL Yeah, it always worries me when things go right. I've only had the car a few days but I'm too old to waste time, ready to smell tire smoke.
Your firewall and clip look real nice. I think the guy that trimmed mine got a little carried away. I'm planning to make a new clip too. Blue
Jack how's the oil filter to steering box clearence ? That's where mine was tight at, I offset the engine to the right a 1/2 inch to be able to get the filter on and off.
Yes Sir, that was a problem. I will have to do the same thing. That was the only issue I encountered so far. I thought about a remote filter but I think a 1/2 inch move is easier. I haven't made the mounts yet but that's the plan.
Just keep it as tight as you can though, if you stick something out of the hood like a tunnel ram scoop it will not be centerd on that windshield divider. On a postive note the rear diff is offset to the right so the drive shaft lines up better..lol
Motor mounts are tacked in and now for the transmission crossmember and mount. Gotta machine my Chevy truck spindles to fit the GM rotors, weld up the front axle. and I'll be back up on wheels.
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