Curious if someone could shed some light on a few things for me. I just picked up a stocker '54 Bel Air post and I'd like to start peeling away the layers of Grandma-ness. I've already got the Fatman uprights and arms, tires, etc. on the way but I'm somewhat stumped on engine stuff. I'd like to use those tube headers from Speedway to split the exhaust but I don't really want to upgrade to a multi carb intake just yet. 1. Will the Speedway tube headers work in a '54 with a stick or will I need to use the cast manifolds? It looks like space could be an issue on the rear. Any interference from the e-brake or motor mount? 2. Can I make a block-off plate to cover the heat riser area on the bottom of the intake and retain the original manifold for the time being? Also any other experience anybody can share would be greatly appreciated. I haven't delved into tearing the front suspension apart yet but I'm sure the learning curve will be fairly steep on that too. Thanks, -JK
The header you are talking about will work just fine. I put that in my 51 chevy 2 dr sedan. You will need a very good exhaust man, (not a commercial shop) but a good experienced shop that deals with the older cars. There is quite a bit of tube bending to get around the e-brake and pitman arm. Also take a very close look at your throttle linkage from the gas pedal at the fire wall, you might have room issues there as well. The header will not hit your firewall at all the bolt right up and you will be fine but the gas pedal linkage will rub. As for the intake heat riser you don't really need it however it should come with a plate you can bolt on. As for body ans suspension, hell leave it as is cut a coil or two in the front and look into night prowlers for some lowering blocks for the rear. Great looking car by the way
On mine blocking the heat risers made it unbelievably cold blooded and that was when I lived in Miami. It will drive you nuts trying to drive it that way. My dad bought mine new and it was my first car. I had split factory manifolds on it with 2 -1s on a Fenton intake. Sounded good, didnt run much better then stock though
Fenton headers seal better than tubes and the exhaust dumps are more in the center of the engine - away from the e brake. Definately DO put heat to the intake with a heat plate. Call Patrick's Antique cars and trucks for the goodies and answers: 520-836-1117.
There are two ways to go with the intake: exhaust or coolant heat to keep the manifold warm. The exhaust route is easiest, and as mentioned, Patrick's has the kit. The other method uses an aluminum plate to flow coolant through, and some say that's the better method, but I've yet to try it. You can find those kits on eBay for around $80.
What RF and the Miami lad said, mine ran so much better after I added the heat plate and I live in the stinking hot jungles of Florida.
Hi RF - I agree 100% with you on the aluminum plate route. I might consider that with a stocker cast iron intake that has been heated with exhaust since 54, it might be best to keep the aluminum deal for the dual carb set up that is sure to come his way and use the $30 heat plate off the exhaust for now. But you are right - I have rerad that the water heat is more uniform. Nice car, by the way. I love it. Dump it, spilt the pipes, put a vintage 2 pot intake and drive it!!!
Thank you all for your help and comments. I stumbled across Patrick's online today. Those boys look serious. Great resource. There's a great exhaust guy here that custom bends and smooth-seam welds every pipe for every car on the rack. And he's cheaper than Midas! I'd planned on using the tube headers into 2" pipes with chambered tube (power sticks) mufflers very close to the front. Exit below the rear bumper under the guards. I'm really only looking for the sound, it's just a cruiser. I talked to Night Prowlers yesterday (where the uprights came from) and he got me hooked up with a set of 3" blocks and bolts for the rear too. I think with the 2" dropped uprights and a coil in the front I'll be where I want height-wise and it shouldn't get too weird on the bumps. How can you keep heat in the intake with split exhaust? It runs like a champ and I really don't want to screw that up. Also, any of you ever fool with the whole king-pin deal? I'm kind of one of those "while it's apart" guys. Do those ever really wear out if they're maintained properly? This thing's an ex-granny car with 93k and she'd owned it since it was new. I can't imagine there were enough corners between her house and church to wear out the frontend. I think I have the slips from every service visit she made with it too. That stuff has seen plenty of grease.
Put some glass or steel pack mufflers on it and it will rattle dishes off the shelves backing down in second gear. Oh well, it was cool at the time, neighbors loved me
Gotcha covered man, I do live in Bumpkinville, after all. Cacklepipes are the exhaust guy's specialty! You have to specify that you don't want looooooong tailpipes & 12" packs at this place. I'm hoping those chamber tubes will deepen the tone a little. I want my kids to draw a parallel between the way this car sounds and "Doc Hudson"
Get a catalog from Langdon's stovebolt. Tom is really knowledgeable and helpful when it comes to modifying the six cylinder stovebolts. As for dual exhaust, you could just split the stock manifold yourself and still retain the intake heat the way the factory did it. There's a tech in the archives on one way to do it, but there are others. I did it on my '53 wagon and it wasn't that hard.
Thats what I did on my 54, a lot simpler. I hate to break it to you but its not going to make a ton of difference either way as far as performance
Mufflers? My neighbors all buy paper plates now...straight pipes, man. And yeah, I'm more partial to splitting the stock exhaust manifold. It's cake for any muffler guy who's been in business longer than MASH has been reruns (and knows to baffle between front and rear).
ya know a few months back when i cruised up to my ol mans house after i worked the trade for el guapo's 53 my ol man had nothing good to say well to make a long story short i goofed up the babbits in the lil 216 and got a later model 235 thats gettin ready to go in and im caught up on the debate between fentons or split oem exhaust well my ol man comes into my shop the other day see the oem exhaust layin there and say "oh shit boy, cut a slot here slide in a piece of metal weld it up and burn a hole here and weld up an exhaust flange and boooom your done got duals, we use to do em at least once a week to freinds and customers car back when i was a kid" kinda odd coming from the guy that was previously tellin me just fix it no speed equipement and get it back on the road
I ran straight lakes with a Y off of the stock pipe and now I run Fentons with Smittys, it's louder now believe it or not. As for kingpins, they do suck to service, but if you keep 'em greased they work pretty good, I guess good enough that Corvettes had 'em well into the 60s.
Just be carefull, 53 and 54 side motor mounts are in the way of some aftermarket exhausts, stuff that fits 49-52 or 55-57 is not always gonna fit.
Thanks a ton, everybody, for all the info so far. I'm hoping to have everything together to cruise down with Patchin to the HAMB-B-Que. Keep the insight comin', my ignorance is fading by the hour. . .
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