Headers on a 302

[Raysir]

I see on prior posts where guys are using the Hedman 88408 hedders. I have a 302 stock heads and AOD. I'm using the 260 stock motor mounts. I have the 260 stock exhaust manifolds on it now and have 3/8" clearance from the shock tower on P/S and 5/8" on the D/S. I have a Unisteer rack & Pinion so steering box won't be a problem. Do the headers come up higher on the shock tower so they clear? Also, any problems with the plug wire boots? I'm using straight boots now but no problem to change them. Thanks for any input.

[Raysir]

Any experience out there with stock shock towers and headers?

[SmithKid]

Ray, I have all stock front-end on my car, w/Tri-Y headers made by Doug's and marketed by Pertronix. I have a BW T-10 and stock (Z-bar) clutch linkage. I originally had a minor clearance issue: the header on driver side hit the steering box under acceleration. This was cured by raising the drivers side motor mount with a 1/4" spacer between the block and mount. Not noticeable unless you look for the slight tilt of the engine. Never had another issue with this during the several years I've been using it.
I've not had any problem with my straight plug wire boots.
Gene

[Raysir]

Thanks Gene...I'm going to order the Hedman Elites. Summit tells me they're guaranteed to fit or return them within 90 days ....so going to try it. It sure looks tight. I like the idea of the spacer if needs. Thanks for the reply.

I'll post the fitment.

[SmithKid]

Great Ray, As has been said many times before, do keep us posted. We like projects and pictures.

[Luva65wagon]

I have Doug's on my Ranchero too, with stock shock towers and an automatic. Clearance is a pain even still. Had to do a bit of shimming to get everything the way I liked it around the shock towers. But otherwise, great headers. The Falcon is tight, so good luck!

One member has a Unisteer setup on his car, but not certain what he did for exhaust. You may want to PM him since he's been a bit overwhelmed lately with his powder-coat business and doesn't speak up here as often as he once did. Just go to you Private Messages and type ' Doghows ' as the recipient and he may be better apt to reply to that.

[doghows]

Headman Elite shortly headers work great. Same setup as you described and I have no clearance issues at all.
Well that's a crappy picture I thought I could see them better. But they work.

[Luva65wagon]

Thanks Steve - wasn't sure you were looking.

Steve also has the AOD if I recall correctly. So yours is a near match to his.

It is easier to use shorty headers than long-tube headers - sometimes. Easier to bend and route one tube per side while at the exhaust shop than cram 4 tubes and collector up between everything.

[Raysir]

I can't believe Summit Racing...I ordered the hedders Saturday night after your posts. The guy said I'd probably get them Wed or Thursday and would that be a problem? I said not at all! Got a ship notice Sunday morn along with a tranny cooler. AND they were on my door step this morning at 10 AM. I unwrapped and taped up the hedders, looked at them and went NO WAY will they fit!! Took off the valve covers the 260 R/S manifold (which was only 3/* from hitting) Un bolted the motor mount , lifted the engine and bolted in the new Hedman 88408, let the engine down....OMG, I have WAY more clearance than the stock all the way around. Then I'm putting 2 1/2" with Thrush mufflers on it. I have the Thrush on my 49 Chev truck TPI and it sounds great. I'll be glad to get rid of these glass packs...:) Appointment Wed with Salem Exhaust for the pipe bends...AND He does a really good job.
Thanks for the input on the fit, you guys!! I never thought they would fit and expected a return.:rocker:
Ray

[doghows]

You're very welcome now let's see some pictures. Without pictures it never really happened. :rocker:

[Raysir]

Headman Elite shortly headers work great. Same setup as you described and I have no clearance issues at all.
Well that's a crappy picture I thought I could see them better. But they work.

Thanks...you have a really nice engine swap. Clean, too.

[Raysir]

OKay, Okay....pictures.:banana:

[Luva65wagon]

Aw dude... you would have to show us the lift too!

Man...

;)

[doghows]

I've been looking at a lift like that. Those are cool you can unhook the hydraulics and roll the "posts" out of the way. How do you like it?

Oh yeah cool car too! Nice work. :BEER:

[Raysir]

I've been looking at a lift like that. Those are cool you can unhook the hydraulics and roll the "posts" out of the way. How do you like it?

Oh yeah cool car too! Nice work. :BEER:

I had a scissor lift before this one, MaxJack, it was OK but you couldn't do tranny work. Notice I have a 9' ceiling. The Falcon goes all the way up with 2" 2 spare. I can sit on a roller chair. If I put my 49 Chev truck on it I have to sit on a creeper. I have never had to move the lift yet but it does move easy. I mounted the hydraulics on the wall instead of using their hand truck. This lift is the only way to go for a hobbyist. It needs a 5" concrete slab. Mine had cuts in the floor for expansion and wouldn't hold...I found out...cracked big time with my truck on it but all OK. So I had a 9" pour with re bar done across the lift mount points. I would definitely:rocker: take it with me if I moved.

[Luva65wagon]

Non-truss lifts that depend solely on the concrete pour scare the you know what out of me. I saw your picture and kept scratching my head saying - they depend on the structure of the floor for resisting that much lever-arm? OMG. Who poured the floor, how well was it poured, the concrete mix? If I wasn't there, I'd be hesitant to trust my life to hoping the floor was good. Am I missing something?

I have not gone to their site yet, but this morning I saw a Summit sale ad and that same lift was there and I looked at again, and said again - What holds it up? I assume they are both bolted to the floor with long concrete anchors? I see wheels.

:confused:

[SmithKid]

If you search youtube for "car lift fail" it's reeeely scary too.

[doghows]

Hmmm never thought of that part. I like the portability of it?

[Raysir]

Non-truss lifts that depend solely on the concrete pour scare the you know what out of me. I saw your picture and kept scratching my head saying - they depend on the structure of the floor for resisting that much lever-arm? OMG. Who poured the floor, how well was it poured, the concrete mix? If I wasn't there, I'd be hesitant to trust my life to hoping the floor was good. Am I missing something?

:confused:

Look at Max Jacks web site. Check out the FAQs. Each anchor bolt and there are 5 per lift rated to 20,000 pds each. I put them originally in 4.5 " concrete that isn't reinforced and one side cracked with my 49 Chev on it because the concrete had cuts in the cement for expansion? The other side was good. They say you need 5" or more and I would trust that. Since I dug it out for thicker concrete, 8", I bolted the anchors on then welded steel bars to them, took them off the lift then when the pour was going in I positioned them in the concrete so the anchors were flush with the leveled floor. WAY overkill.

[doghows]

Well I was curious so I went next door to the mechanics shop and looked at their lifts. The tall big boys they have are only bolted into the ground as well? No cross bar on the floor and the only thing over head was a 3/8" rod that served as a shut off if you go up to high with it?? They owner said they are lag bolted down in 8" concrete and they had 8 bolts on each foot.
So I guess this is "normal" but I think it still seems a bit weird but I'm not an engineer. Hell im barely a car builder. :D

[Luva65wagon]

Bolts can fail many ways. There is pull, twist, shear, and bend to name the most common bolt failure methods. Each have differing rating values. My guess, in this case, it is more "pull failure" we'll need to be concerned with. But we have at least 3, maybe 4, more variables, at the very least, to consider in this application. The interface of the bolt into its threaded "insert" portion, the interface of the threaded insert with the concrete, the thickness of the concrete, and the quality of the concrete. That's the engineering side. You can have subsets of each, like on the interface of the insert and concrete; was the hole drilled into the concrete in spec with the need of the insert? Or did the insert "flare" as it should have when driven into the hole? You'll never really know.

Anyway, I did watch a lot of YouTube videos on lift failures and didn't see too many where the lifts pulled out of the floor. Only one I can recall and it was a lift used on a vehicle far out-of-range for the rating of the lift. Most other failures were ID10T moves.

I think you can safely assume if you drill a hole and don't break though to earth or gravel, and there are no nearby cracks already, then you can get one of these lifts and follow the instructions to a satisfactory end. Certainly not a process you want to skimp on, or ignore any warnings or evidence of something not-going-just-right. But if everything happens as their instructions say they should for a sound install - it should be safe. This lift anyway.

Note, one video I saw was testing a lift rated at 10,000 lbs, but indicated the lift was probably no good for any more than half-of that. A 10,000 lift has to survive 15,000 without failing to get a 10,000 lb rating. So be leery of the cheap stuff. This company knew the lifts failed at the 10,000 lb rating, yet refused to change the rating.

:NERVOUS::WHATTHE: