Headers or not

[burbdood]

I've been thinking of redoing my exhaust system in my Suburban because the previous owner took out the cat and just hacked the system all to hell. I was wondering if I should stick with the factory manifolds or should I step up and get headers.

The motor is all stock and I'm pretty happy with it for now, but I wouldn't mind a few extra HP either. My problems with headers are that they leak, they can have fitment issues and they put a lot of heat in the engine bay. The setup I want to run is true dual 2.5" exhaust with an X pipe running to Magnaflows and exiting out the stock location. But my question is, do I do that with headers or can I make it work with manifolds?

What say you? What kind of headers are you running and would you do anything different?

 

[crazy4offroad]

I have headers and hate em. Copper gaskets help with the leaks but there is no escaping the heat. I cant tell you how many times I've seen my fuel boiling in the float bowls. And having 300 degree pipes right under your feet on a trail ride is no fun either. One day I would like to find a nice pair of center outlet manifolds and eliminate the headers. There are better ways to make horsepower.

 

[Swims350]

I love headers wouldn't run manifolds if somebody give me some. They'd have to pay me, but yea temps might be a problem never been for me but the ceramic coating is supposed to help that or the heat wrap which I heard destroys them. As for fuel boiling man get a heat insulator gasket I had to on my edelbrock just because of hard restarts in the summer.

 

[GothRod]

I have headers on both my trucks, I dunno, headers just seem to be a hot-rod requirement lmao. My take on them is that they sound better(kinda a tinny "header" sound),they look WAY better, and they do make more power. I think it makes a nicer/easier start for a new exaust. I used the cheap-o gaskets on my K5 and so far no leaks but I think I'm hearing the start of one. I used the copper gaskets on my shortie and so far zero leaks. Starter heat issuses can be solved with a F**d selenoid conversion(witch is SIMPLE and cheap). If you have a stick trans w a hyd clutch I noticed the slave cyl line is about 1/2 a mm from touching the header tube, so far it works fine(been like that for 2 years) but I bin meaning to fix it.

Just like all aftermarket speed parts there are drawbacks, I just like the end result enough to put up with them lol

I'd run the headers if you can put up w the little hassles that arise, keep the manifolds if you'd rather never have to look at them again lol But dang, why do ALLL that work on a kickass exaust and hook it up to boring 'ol manifolds?

-John

 

[82chevy350]

I have headers and never had a leak with my percy dead soft alluminum gaskets i think maniflods keep heat under the hood longer id go with the headers they look alot better to

 

[bucket]

Headers! Even the cheaper ones will hold up OK and fit decent. There should never be any leaking issues as long as long as all the bolts get checked every few months, only takes a couple minutes. Heat? Cast iron logs get pretty hot too.

 

[burbdood]

Thanks for the input guys. I think maybe I'll look into the Hooker Headers this fall and go from there.

 

[82chevy350]

i got flowtechs on mine they are fairly cheap

 

[circletrack22]

if you cut the flange at the head so it has room to expand and move you will remove that leak. the only perfect solution for collector leaks is to remove the flange and weld your reducer right to it, band clamps work well too.

 

[85k10383]

I'm using the Percys header bolts with the center-mount set screw. I'm hoping that will end the re-torque the header bolts dance. Cast iron takes longer to heat up, but once hot it stays that way far, far longer than the thinner steel of headers. The main reason OE was cast iron was cost, they are cheap to make by the thousands. But for power, headers is the only way.

 

[Swims350]

everybody talks about header bolt retorque and it's kind of hit and miss, I've ran several sets and most of them once bolted down have never came back loose, or have done so only once, then on the other hand the ones on dad's truck now seem to walk out and need retorqued every couple of months. Some say oh it's because of cheap china crap and etc. well I don't find that true either, reason?

I got a set of cheapo stainless china headers on my 88 and everyone said not to use the hardware that comes with them, but I did and they are fine, I checked them after a few dozen miles and none were a bit loose, and the ones on dad's truck are flowtechs reboxed to summit brand, even had the flowtech number on the box, and they tend to come loose, and that same motor had dynomax on it along time ago. They never came loose, and the flowtechs I had on it when it was in the monte carlo never came loose either.

The dynomax headers got reused on the 86 k10 and are long gone with the truck now, the flowtechs from the monte are back on the 305 that's in it and are fine but the head side flange looks warped or bent up front now. The cheapo's on my truck have a way thicker flange on them and they are ball socket ends which I HIGHLY recomend you get.

The one and ONLy problem I always have ALWAYS is the collector flange being warped and leaking and alot of the times it's been the exhaust shop clamping down the reducers too tight when they'd do exhaust for us, I watched a guy crank them as tight as he could and I liked to have died!!!!!!!!!!! YOU DON'T DO THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is the worlds worst thing to do, but I seem to get mine too tight after putting them on, the percy's dead soft collector gaskets are great and almost a must if you run the flange type, but by all means if you can BUY THE BALL AND SOCKET ONES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Or at the very least buy the new summit header buddies, it's a ball end that goes into the stock flange collector and doesn't use a gasket so collector warpage won't matter. They are ball reducers instead of the flange type and work with regular cheap flange type headers, next set I do is gonna get them. The are the absolute best thing EVER ball style ends, be it headers or reducers themsevles from summit to work with flange headers. If you buy ball and socket headers they should come with the right collectors, but if you buy the cheap flange headers, do yourself a favor, throw out the flange reducer and buy the header buddy one summit has.

 

[85k10383]

You are speaking of the connection at the bottom of the header correct? Where the rest of the tubing connects to the header? I'm worried about my Jegs brand headers leaking there and I haven't even gotten her started yet LOL Runs to Summit for "header buddies"......

 

[82chevy350]

Use percys alluminum collector gasket

 

[Swims350]

I use percys and it's better to use the header buddies and aint much more the header buddies eliminate ANY collector gasket so they won't leak and they fit ANY flange type header, maybe even socket end ones, although I think ball and socket headers usually have the ball on the header, the header buddies have the ball on them.

I'll find a link but yes I am reffering to the bottom where the pipes hookup.


http://www.summitracing.com/search/?keyword=header buddies&dds=1

yep they are around the same price as percys gaskets.

 

[Manbearpig]

No leaks here