Technical Looking for something that might not exsist

In the process of changing my 47 Lincoln coupe from a 350 SBC to a 302 Ford. I have already changed the steering box out to a GM Saginaw power unit and am using a GM column. I have set the 302 in place, but where it sits, the drivers side exhaust is right at the steering box. I can't go any farther back with the engine toward the firewall without cutting part of the center out of the welded in transmission/wishbone crossmember, something I really don't want to do for fear of weakening it too much since I am going to run the stock front end wishbone arrangement. The AOD transmission pan sits about 1" away from the front of the crossmember, and is too wide and deep to let it sit over it. Also, the oil filter is just in front of the steering box, but I guess I could use a remote filter set up there if I had too, but would rather not . So, I guess I'm stuck leaving the engine where it's at now. The drivers side exhaust looks like it will fit if I can find a manifold or header that goes upward away from the port and then back, instead of downward and back. It will then have to drop down and exit at the rear, clearing the steering. I have looked at some pics of factory manifolds off of late 90's Explorers that do that on the front two cylinders, but the rear two cylinders drop down in the normal way, they look like they might work, but I would rather find a manifold or header that all the tubes follow the upper routing so it would look better. I even thought about using a right side manifold on the left side and inverting it, but the outlet would be pointed upward instead of down, and would probably be hard to connect a head pipe to.

Any ideas? If you don't know what the Explorer manifold looks like, go to Rock Auto or somewhere like that and look at a pic and you'll see what I'm talking about. I don't know if Ford ever had a manifold that all the runners went up and back then dumped at the rear, if so, let me know where to look for one. Thanks

 

I've got a couple of sets of the Mustang style shorties that I though would work, right side they will, but the left is whats screwing me up.






Hard to see in the pics, but the flanges are sitting on the valve cover.

 

how does it look from the front view? hard to tell how high the steering box is, in relation to the exhaust ports.

How about using the pass side manifold from the exploder? oh...that would run into the steering pump...

edit: your new pic shows that an early Mustang manifold (straight back exit) might fit fine.

 

'96-'98 Ranger headers or manifolds. Here's a Dorman 674-334 $60 from Summit

 

Hi. Perhaps not the best cure but maybe it is so you could look at a heat shield, either fixed or a stainless wrap or both???
Fixed heat shields are bendable so it could be shaped to fit are sold at industrial maintenance supply houses and the wrap is in most auto parts stores.
If you chose either a wrap or fixed shield you could actually put one on manifold and another on the steering box.
On my 46 Coupe with the 235 inline engine the Shorty headers only clear the original steering box about 3/8" & while it is in now the shop I am going to either do the wrap or shield to see how that goes. Maybe wrap the header collector tube & shield the steering box. It has not been giving me any problem like it is but I am sure it will before long if I do not do something.
Good luck, Jim

 

Something similar: looong time ago when I was starting out ,I put a Y-block into a '46 Studebaker PU & had the same problem: Ex manifold hitting the steering column. Not knowing that it wasn't supposed to work, I fabricated a roughly 3" standoff out of 1/4" plate (for flanges) & short lengths of exhaust pipe tubing to move the Ex manifold out to the other side of the steering column. It worked fine & lasted until I swapped in a 289 SBF that didn't need the room for it's left side manifold. Judging from the pictures you would seem to have the room to do something similar, or at least until you can either find or fabricate headers to fit. My boss laughed & commented : "A broke-ass hot- rodder will always find a way!"

 

Phil1934, the top pic and the bottom pic are the Explorer style I was referring to, top is obviously tubing while bottom is cast. I think they might work, only place I see that might be a problem is the front tube at the collector, and it might be fine since there is a bit more room back there. For purely cosmetic reasons, I would like to find one that looks like the Explorer front all the way back, then dumps down, in other words, up, back, up, back, up, back, up back, down at last port to collector. Sorta like a ram horn, only rear dump. Don't know if anything like that even exists.
It has to go up at the front two ports anyway, going down runs right into the box. That's why even a straight style like a early Mustang won't work unless inverted.
Not sure what the center pics are, but they're not SBF, bolt pattern is wrong.
If nobody else comes up with anything, I guess Explorer manifolds it is.

 

Can you get another passenger side shorty, lop the tubes off at the flange, then weld them to a driver side flange so the exhaust dumps in front on the driver side? Kinda hard to visualize what you have.

 

Can't dump in front due to oil filter and PS pump there.

 

You could re-locate the oil filter. Besides, who needs power steering?

I just went on Sanderson's site. Thought for sure they'd have center-dump block huggers...guess not

 

I learned how to build headers, because I could not find any that fit my needs. It's not hard, just a few days work. Give it a try.

 

What ever you use, don't try to mount them upside down. The bolts are not in the center of the port, they are offset to the top. Mounted upside down, the opening on the manifold blocks of a big chunk of the port. Look at the gasket picture above to verify what I'm saying.

My eyeballs might be wrong but it looks like one of these might work. Early Mustang parts:

 

I checked middle exh. manifold was 4.6. Bad info on Ranger site

 

Squirrel, if all else fails, I may have to build my own set.

Onetrickpony, you are right on the bolts not being centered in the ports, I had totally overlooked that. I just went out and measured, there is 1 1/4" between the block and the steering box, but the highest point of the box closest to the block is level with the bottom of the exhaust port. So, the early Mustang ones won't work either. Front two ports have to be on top, so it's looking like Explorer or custom built are my only choices. May go to pick a part this weekend and see if they have any V8 Explorers I can get a used set off of.

Just part of not following the herd and using a SBC I guess!

 

Ford Ranger NEVER came with a V8 - I think you meant Explorer

 

I figured he did. I knew of what he was talking about by the pics, I had already looked at those before.

 

Explorer , may only work with GT40 heads . The plugs are angled differently than standard 5.0 heads . I know standard 5.0 headers will not work on GT40 heads


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http://www.redline360.com/manzo-headers-mustang-twin-turbo-TP-116?gclid=CMvym4mpn9ACFQ6CaQodIyUB3w

 

those turbo headers point up

 

Why put a ford in it? All Deluxe Fords and Lincolns came with Chevy's in them!

 

Of course! All the easier to get the exhaust out through the hood!

 

Could also offset the engine a little to the pass. side to gain a little more room. Won't hurt a thing! An extra inch or so might help a bunch.

 

Not that easy with an x member frame. Had a 34 Dodge in here, the builder offset the motor 2" to clear a big PS box. Too bad the tranny was still centered in the X member, boy did that look goofy. Luckily the new owner saw the problem, we did some re engineering.
I'd build custom headers, little time consuming but not that difficult especially if your not worried about long tubes and matching leanth tubes, ect like the racers do.

 

I think that was on the GT40P heads that have the different angled plugs.

Those are nice! I've got plenty of room between the firewall and the rear of the engine for a turbo.....naw, too rich for my blood.

Just keeping the bloodline pure! See Chevy's in Fords all the time, I like to be different!

I already have it offset about 1.5", all I can go and keep the trans straight.

 

Well, then I guess you are SOL, and it is time to DIY.

Building your first set of headers will seem like an impossible task, until you finish, and realize that it was not that bad, after all.

 

If I was a little better welder, building my own would be a no brainer. I'm a better grinder than welder. I can weld the stew out of thicker materials and look pretty decent, but thin stuff I always screw it up. I have modded a few sets through the years, but they were mostly hidden so my ugly work didn't show.

Going to pick and pull tomorrow, they have 20 Exploders and about 4 Merc Mountaineers to chose from in the right year range, maybe I can score a set there.

Question? Why did my post above put a line through the words? Never saw that happen before....

 

This may sound a bit off, but why not move the motor an inch and a half to the passenger side? the factory did it on quite a few cars..........

 

you do kind of need to have a little bit of welding skill, using either TIG or oxyacetylene welding techniques. I use the old gas torch to do mine, I can butt weld reasonably well, although it doesn't look too nice. I took a community college course for gas welding many years ago.

 

See the bottom of post 24 above......

No torch or TIG welder, on the "I want" list. I have a old Lincoln buzz box I've used for years, and a Lincoln Handy Mig with flux core wire. About the time I was going to buy a bottle for the mig, Tractor Supply quit handling the gas, and it's almost impossible for me to go to a welding supply through the week, so I haven't been able to get one yet. Another thing on the "I want" list....

 

You might want to look at the 90s truck shorty headers,they dump at the third cylinder and you might be able to get a pipe between the motor and steering shaft.