factory side pipes

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Mar 8, 2008 | 05:59 PM

V-Rod

Thread Starter

Racer

Joined: Nov 2007

Posts: 279

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From: Forrest City Ar

factory side pipes

Is Headman the only header that will fit with these? They do make a quality product right? Can you swich to Hooker side pipes without much problem? Mine has fiberglass covers and you can get a whole hooker setup for what just the chrome covers cost. I am thinking of maybe a silver powercoat on mine they look good at a distance up close not so.

Mar 8, 2008 | 06:51 PM

427V8

C6 the C5 of tomorrow

Joined: Nov 2000

Posts: 6,665

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From: Twin Cities Minnesota

Yes they are the only ones that fit.
No you shouldn't use them, they are horrible headers.

Too short, vastly different in length, sealing is minimal.

The fiberglass covers can be nice, and no burns!

Mar 9, 2008 | 03:26 AM

I'm Batman

Team Owner

Joined: Oct 2004

Posts: 23,831

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From: Springfield MO

St. Jude Donor '07

I seem to recall hearing about another header made for the 69 covers - try looking for some old threads about a 3" performance exhaust tucked under the original covers.

Mar 9, 2008 | 08:15 AM

LFZ

Team Owner

Joined: Feb 2003

Posts: 30,183

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From: Lake Norman NC

Stahl makes headers that will fit under the factor covers..very nice quality in equal length pipes, nice flanges, but very pricey!

Mar 9, 2008 | 07:43 PM

blue427

Burning Brakes

Joined: Dec 2003

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when I had the factory side pipes on my 427 I used hedman headers and they fit fine and held up well,I would not recomend them for heavy hp engines with high rpm though

Mar 9, 2008 | 08:19 PM

A88FXRS

Racer

Joined: Dec 2007

Posts: 374

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From: PHILADELPHIA PA

hooker quality stinks, their material is paper thin, their paint is as thin as water. my sidepipes started to rust after 2 months and the car did not even see the road yet. called hooker and listened to them laugh.

Mar 10, 2008 | 03:48 AM

ajkogut

Instructor

Joined: Apr 2006

Posts: 243

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From: Canton MI

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redshark6974

Stahl makes headers that will fit under the factor covers..very nice quality in equal length pipes, nice flanges, but very pricey!

By "fit under factory covers," does that mean they completely replace the OEM mufflers/pipes or just the manifolds? My thought was that there has to be some headers that replace the rams horns and offer better flow but still mount up to the pipes themselves. I'd imagine this would help some, though still be restrictive.

Does anyone have a link to either these or any others that will work with the factory exhaust? The real question is, how much better are these than rams horn manifolds are alone (if any)? If they're pricey and the cost doesn't justify them...

This is my dilemma...I want to keep my OE sidepipes but they act like a big cork to the motor...anyone found a good solution to this problem? The pipes look and sound good but are very restrictive...

(Didn't mean to hijack the thread, either, just looking for the same
information).

It'd be nice to figure this whole thing out and build it into the price of whatever motor I end up with when the itch subsides...I'd hate to reuse my factory exhaust and kill the performance of a perfectly good new motor

Mar 10, 2008 | 12:22 PM

68/70Vette

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From: Redondo Beach, California

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajkogut

This is my dilemma...I want to keep my OE sidepipes but they act like a big cork to the motor...anyone found a good solution to this problem? The pipes look and sound good but are very restrictive...

The factory sidepipe mufflers use 2 inch tubing. I think the sidepipes made for the big block use 2 1/4 inch for the inlet pipe, but nevertheless use 2 tubing for the rest of the muffler. I have a set on my 68 SB. They (factory sidepipe covers) look great, but the mufflers are known to be very restrictive notwithstanding that they are loud.

Maybe its my imagination, but I feel the engine (ZZ4 hot cam) just starts to roll off on power as the rpms go above 3000 rpm. Actually with the hot cam, the engine should just be starting to put out real power. I have the Hedman Hedders for the factory sidepipes.

Sweet Thunder (forum vendor) makes these mufflers in stainless and will build them using either 2 inch, 2 1/4 inch, or 2 1/2 inch tubing. Hopefully theirs, using bigger tubes for the entire muffler, will be less restrictive.