Dr.Jass
Pastor of Muppets
Not posted in Tech for a good reason. I know the benfits of headers, but this is a more complex thing than simple horsepower.
OK, here's my dilemma:
When I bought Lumpy's Runner, I knew many of the original parts were missing (cluster, dash & engine harnesses, exh. manifolds, etc.). Didn't bug me for the supreme entry-level price tag, and I figured I could be a little creative with wrong-year harnesses, etc. I also figured the correct HP exhaust manifolds weren't worth the expense for the drop in performance...
BUT...
Upon getting the car home, I found the original, correct HP manifolds, in stellar unrusted, unpitted shape lying in the back seat footwell. I was thrilled, both from the "I can use them" standpoint, as well as knowing I could easily recoup more than twice what I paid for the entire car on a perfect set of '72 HP manifolds alone.
The car will be a mild 400, or maybe a 451 (a 440 crank in a .035" 400 block). Either way, it will likely be a relatively-mild build. This is going to be a fun cruiser that we can drive to the Nats, not a crushing strip basher cranking out 11-second timeslips. It's really primarily Lump's car, and plans call for a 3.55 gear and a 4-speed to replace the factory 3-speed (I'll keep the numbers trans, no worries).
Being that the mill will be a mild build (not much more than a warmed 440), I tend to lean towards the manifolds, especially since I already have them... I don't believe headers will make a huge difference on this engine. But selling the manifolds could result in serious coin, that would more than offset the cost of a quality set of tubes, leaving precious leftover cash to gather parts.
I know the benefits of headers as well as anyone, but if it was your car, would you go for the cool, as-it-should-be manifold look (and the lack of header hassles & leaks), or would you go for the big guns and run the Hookers?
OK, here's my dilemma:
When I bought Lumpy's Runner, I knew many of the original parts were missing (cluster, dash & engine harnesses, exh. manifolds, etc.). Didn't bug me for the supreme entry-level price tag, and I figured I could be a little creative with wrong-year harnesses, etc. I also figured the correct HP exhaust manifolds weren't worth the expense for the drop in performance...
BUT...
Upon getting the car home, I found the original, correct HP manifolds, in stellar unrusted, unpitted shape lying in the back seat footwell. I was thrilled, both from the "I can use them" standpoint, as well as knowing I could easily recoup more than twice what I paid for the entire car on a perfect set of '72 HP manifolds alone.
The car will be a mild 400, or maybe a 451 (a 440 crank in a .035" 400 block). Either way, it will likely be a relatively-mild build. This is going to be a fun cruiser that we can drive to the Nats, not a crushing strip basher cranking out 11-second timeslips. It's really primarily Lump's car, and plans call for a 3.55 gear and a 4-speed to replace the factory 3-speed (I'll keep the numbers trans, no worries).
Being that the mill will be a mild build (not much more than a warmed 440), I tend to lean towards the manifolds, especially since I already have them... I don't believe headers will make a huge difference on this engine. But selling the manifolds could result in serious coin, that would more than offset the cost of a quality set of tubes, leaving precious leftover cash to gather parts.
I know the benefits of headers as well as anyone, but if it was your car, would you go for the cool, as-it-should-be manifold look (and the lack of header hassles & leaks), or would you go for the big guns and run the Hookers?
