Headers?
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
From: manassas VA
Headers?
hey guys, i have 2 questions. I have a 79 corvette with stock exhaust manifolds. I wanted to get headers, but im not sure if they would interfere with the positioning of the spark plugs since they are right under it. Wouldn't it be difficult to access them?
also, i am having a delayed acceleration problem, and i believe that it is the fuel pump. were is the pump located and what steps should i take to replace it(external fuel pump)
any help would be appreciated
also, i am having a delayed acceleration problem, and i believe that it is the fuel pump. were is the pump located and what steps should i take to replace it(external fuel pump)
any help would be appreciated
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,309
Likes: 24
From: Coastal Georgia
C2 of the Year Finalist - Modified 2020
Getting to the spark plugs with headers isn't too bad at all...it's a little tighter on some, but not enough to delay you much.
I believe your fuel pump is going to be a mechanical pump on the passenger side front of the engine block, down towards the oil pan. You really should check your fuel pressure before you go throwing money at a problem you may not have. For all you know, your fuel filter could be clogged, timing could be off, or you could need to adjust your carb. Check your pressure first and see if it's within spec.
Just one man's opinion...
I believe your fuel pump is going to be a mechanical pump on the passenger side front of the engine block, down towards the oil pan. You really should check your fuel pressure before you go throwing money at a problem you may not have. For all you know, your fuel filter could be clogged, timing could be off, or you could need to adjust your carb. Check your pressure first and see if it's within spec.
Just one man's opinion...
Race Director
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 10,956
Likes: 409
From: California
I have a 79 with headers also... fit is fine, but I would suggest ceramic coated ones, I am switching mine out this week to them due to very high under hood heats and spark plug boots being cooked. 
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,164
Likes: 1
From: Europe, France
When I bought the car, it already had headers on it. But I don't find it's difficult to access the spark plugs.
With the appropriate tools, I would say one or two minutes to change one of them.
However some of them are not so easy, like #5 and #7, because of master cylinder, steering column, oil dipstick & other hardware on driver side...
I mean, not so much room for your hands and see what you do at the same time.
With the appropriate tools, I would say one or two minutes to change one of them.
However some of them are not so easy, like #5 and #7, because of master cylinder, steering column, oil dipstick & other hardware on driver side...
I mean, not so much room for your hands and see what you do at the same time.
Last edited by 73StreetRace; Jul 2, 2009 at 11:26 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 7,720
Likes: 12
From: Chattanooga TN
Are you doing anything to the engine besides headers? The headers alone won't really help much. With all the heat they add to the engine compartment, they would be the last thing I would add after intake, cam, heads, etc.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,381
Likes: 11
Are you doing anything to the engine besides headers? The headers alone won't really help much. With all the heat they add to the engine compartment, they would be the last thing I would add after intake, cam, heads, etc.
Going from the stock exhaust to headers and duals will increase horsepower by at least 20 and torque by 30+. This is single best mod for a '75 and later C3. It took my bone stock '79 L48 from 15.8 to 15.2 and picked up 6 mph in the 1/4 mile. There is no harmful increase in under hood temps. I have run headers on all my daily drivers since 1976 with no ill effects.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,309
Likes: 24
From: Coastal Georgia
C2 of the Year Finalist - Modified 2020
Do not believe any of that.
Going from the stock exhaust to headers and duals will increase horsepower by at least 20 and torque by 30+. This is single best mod for a '75 and later C3. It took my bone stock '79 L48 from 15.8 to 15.2 and picked up 6 mph in the 1/4 mile. There is no harmful increase in under hood temps. I have run headers on all my daily drivers since 1976 with no ill effects.
Going from the stock exhaust to headers and duals will increase horsepower by at least 20 and torque by 30+. This is single best mod for a '75 and later C3. It took my bone stock '79 L48 from 15.8 to 15.2 and picked up 6 mph in the 1/4 mile. There is no harmful increase in under hood temps. I have run headers on all my daily drivers since 1976 with no ill effects.
Stock late-model C3 exhaust has to be the mother of all bottlenecks...
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,164
Likes: 1
From: Europe, France
Do not believe any of that.
Going from the stock exhaust to headers and duals will increase horsepower by at least 20 and torque by 30+. This is single best mod for a '75 and later C3. There is no harmful increase in under hood temps. I have run headers on all my daily drivers since 1976 with no ill effects.
Going from the stock exhaust to headers and duals will increase horsepower by at least 20 and torque by 30+. This is single best mod for a '75 and later C3. There is no harmful increase in under hood temps. I have run headers on all my daily drivers since 1976 with no ill effects.
Same thing for me ! 
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,372
Likes: 223
From: Beecher Illinois
When I had headers on my black79 changing sparkplugs was a 15 minute job. From above!
I have a sparkplug socket with a 3/4" hexhead top. That and a 3/4" box wrench made changing most of the plugs easy. I did use a ratchet and extension on a couple of the them.
I have a sparkplug socket with a 3/4" hexhead top. That and a 3/4" box wrench made changing most of the plugs easy. I did use a ratchet and extension on a couple of the them.
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
hey guys, i have 2 questions. I have a 79 corvette with stock exhaust manifolds. I wanted to get headers, but im not sure if they would interfere with the positioning of the spark plugs since they are right under it. Wouldn't it be difficult to access them?
also, i am having a delayed acceleration problem, and i believe that it is the fuel pump. were is the pump located and what steps should i take to replace it(external fuel pump)
any help would be appreciated
also, i am having a delayed acceleration problem, and i believe that it is the fuel pump. were is the pump located and what steps should i take to replace it(external fuel pump)
any help would be appreciated
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 6,640
Likes: 287
From: Ann Arbor Michigan
Gary
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...fuel-pump.html
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 6,247
Likes: 471
From: Glen Allen, VA
Ceramic Coated hooker super comps on my 79 with a 4 spd, and they clear everything fine. Plug changes are a non issue to me. I think some are easier to get to from underneath, though. If I were you, I'd buy them uncoated, check the fit and then send them out to be ceramic coated, in case you need to dimple a tube to make them fit, you don't want to do that after they've been coated.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 7,453
Likes: 976
From: RI, Now Franklin/Nashville TN
Do not believe any of that.
Going from the stock exhaust to headers and duals will increase horsepower by at least 20 and torque by 30+. This is single best mod for a '75 and later C3. It took my bone stock '79 L48 from 15.8 to 15.2 and picked up 6 mph in the 1/4 mile. There is no harmful increase in under hood temps. I have run headers on all my daily drivers since 1976 with no ill effects.
Going from the stock exhaust to headers and duals will increase horsepower by at least 20 and torque by 30+. This is single best mod for a '75 and later C3. It took my bone stock '79 L48 from 15.8 to 15.2 and picked up 6 mph in the 1/4 mile. There is no harmful increase in under hood temps. I have run headers on all my daily drivers since 1976 with no ill effects.
