Hooker Headers and Sidepipes
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 751
Likes: 0
From: Lufkin Texas
Hooker Headers and Sidepipes
Can anyone tell me if I need angled plug heads or straight plug heads to run the Hooker Headers? Is one better than the other or will either one work? I am getting new Aluminum heads and they asked angle or straight and I just want to make sure they will work with the new headers and sidepipes.
Pro
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 725
Likes: 1
From: FL.
Hooker says their sidemount exhaust wont work with angled plug heads.
Ive heard that they do work from guys who have them on their angled plug engines? Id be safe and just get the straight plug heads, unless theres a big reason not to.
Ive heard that they do work from guys who have them on their angled plug engines? Id be safe and just get the straight plug heads, unless theres a big reason not to.
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 241
Likes: 0
From: St Louis Missouri
I have the hooker headers and sidepipes on my 75 SB. I also have Performer RPM heads with angled plugs. I put the plugs in before the headers, but there are no issues. The #4 plug is close to the primary, but the boot fits on without touching.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 6,640
Likes: 287
From: Ann Arbor Michigan
Originally Posted by toupstrio
Can anyone tell me if I need angled plug heads or straight plug heads to run the Hooker Headers? Is one better than the other or will either one work? I am getting new Aluminum heads and they asked angle or straight and I just want to make sure they will work with the new headers and sidepipes.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,434
Likes: 0
St. Jude Donor '07
Im not sure if my plugs are shorties but im runnign angled with 90* boots. There just racing plugs.
It appears my plugs are angled away from the headers.
There l-98 heads.
It appears my plugs are angled away from the headers.
There l-98 heads.
Last edited by Yellow73SB; Mar 13, 2006 at 07:28 PM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 751
Likes: 0
From: Lufkin Texas
Originally Posted by Duke94
I think there is some performance advantage to the angled plug, but to be safe, better get the straight plugs. Things get REALLY close even with the straight plugs.
Race Director
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 10,674
Likes: 122
From: Millington Illinois
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Originally Posted by toupstrio
Can anyone tell me if I need angled plug heads or straight plug heads to run the Hooker Headers? Is one better than the other or will either one work? I am getting new Aluminum heads and they asked angle or straight and I just want to make sure they will work with the new headers and sidepipes.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 8,319
Likes: 7
From: Wilmington DE, Drive it like you stole it, 68 327 4 speed coupe
Originally Posted by 63mako
I thought the main reason for angle plug heads was header clearance??? They angle away from the exhaust port which gives you more clearance between the boot and the header pipe. AM I MISTAKEN??? I just bought a set of AFR heads, angle plug for my 383 build and I have Hooker headers. Did I screw up to the tune of $1300
hows this for an answer
On the original small-block angle-plug heads, engineers moved the plug tips up closer to the roofs of the combustion chambers, supposedly to improve combustion efficiency and gain power. The first heads to feature the angle-plug configuration were a special parts-counter-only version of the conventional production-type 492 casting with 64cc chambers. Other than the plug location, the casting was the same and even carried the 492 number. Because the heads were identical other than plug location, they were ideal for comparing the effects of plug location. The consensus was that original angle-plug heads were worth 10-12 hp on high-compression engines because, with the plug higher in the chambers, the flamefront was no longer blocked by the piston dome. In fact, the angled plugs made it possible to run even taller domes for even higher compression ratios that were previously impractical due to flamefront blockage by the piston dome.
Because the angled plug’s tip also ends up more centered in the chamber and oriented slightly toward the exhaust valve, the hottest part of the mixture is ignited first. The tip is also closer to the chamber’s quench area, so maximum mixture turbulence is directed to the plug, thereby increasing combustion speed and pressure rise. In theory, this improves efficiency even on engines without domed pistons, but on a street engine any power gain that results from changing plug location is so slight that it’s not worth the price of the conversion.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 751
Likes: 0
From: Lufkin Texas
Originally Posted by sweethence
hows this for an answer
On the original small-block angle-plug heads, engineers moved the plug tips up closer to the roofs of the combustion chambers, supposedly to improve combustion efficiency and gain power. The first heads to feature the angle-plug configuration were a special parts-counter-only version of the conventional production-type 492 casting with 64cc chambers. Other than the plug location, the casting was the same and even carried the 492 number. Because the heads were identical other than plug location, they were ideal for comparing the effects of plug location. The consensus was that original angle-plug heads were worth 10-12 hp on high-compression engines because, with the plug higher in the chambers, the flamefront was no longer blocked by the piston dome. In fact, the angled plugs made it possible to run even taller domes for even higher compression ratios that were previously impractical due to flamefront blockage by the piston dome.
Because the angled plug’s tip also ends up more centered in the chamber and oriented slightly toward the exhaust valve, the hottest part of the mixture is ignited first. The tip is also closer to the chamber’s quench area, so maximum mixture turbulence is directed to the plug, thereby increasing combustion speed and pressure rise. In theory, this improves efficiency even on engines without domed pistons, but on a street engine any power gain that results from changing plug location is so slight that it’s not worth the price of the conversion.
On the original small-block angle-plug heads, engineers moved the plug tips up closer to the roofs of the combustion chambers, supposedly to improve combustion efficiency and gain power. The first heads to feature the angle-plug configuration were a special parts-counter-only version of the conventional production-type 492 casting with 64cc chambers. Other than the plug location, the casting was the same and even carried the 492 number. Because the heads were identical other than plug location, they were ideal for comparing the effects of plug location. The consensus was that original angle-plug heads were worth 10-12 hp on high-compression engines because, with the plug higher in the chambers, the flamefront was no longer blocked by the piston dome. In fact, the angled plugs made it possible to run even taller domes for even higher compression ratios that were previously impractical due to flamefront blockage by the piston dome.
Because the angled plug’s tip also ends up more centered in the chamber and oriented slightly toward the exhaust valve, the hottest part of the mixture is ignited first. The tip is also closer to the chamber’s quench area, so maximum mixture turbulence is directed to the plug, thereby increasing combustion speed and pressure rise. In theory, this improves efficiency even on engines without domed pistons, but on a street engine any power gain that results from changing plug location is so slight that it’s not worth the price of the conversion.
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