Headers or no headers
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,456
Likes: 102
From: Piedmont Va
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13,'19-'20
Is it a lot of work - In a garage with no lift, yes.
Is it costly - To replace the whole system w headers expect parts in the $750 range
Is it worth it - Subjective....does the car perform to your satisfaction now?
Remember, opening one can of worms on these cars typically opens many!....
Food for thought! 
Last edited by CheezMoe; Aug 6, 2016 at 09:40 AM.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,729
Likes: 267
From: Austin Texas
Corvette of the Year Winner 2017
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
I ran headers for many Decades, and also fought the battles of blown gaskets, loose bolts, burned plug wires, and engine missing. even tho, my last 2 engine builds were performance engines,
I was tired of the header battles, the Corvette oem manifolds are some of the best flowing manifolds made.
I elected to keep the stock manifolds, with a good dual exhaust, never looked back and plan to stick with the oem manifolds, headers are a constant battle.
unless your going to change your 190hp engine , keep you manifolds and put a good dual exhaust on it. "0 maintenance" required...ever.
I was tired of the header battles, the Corvette oem manifolds are some of the best flowing manifolds made.
I elected to keep the stock manifolds, with a good dual exhaust, never looked back and plan to stick with the oem manifolds, headers are a constant battle.
unless your going to change your 190hp engine , keep you manifolds and put a good dual exhaust on it. "0 maintenance" required...ever.
Last edited by 69Vett; Aug 6, 2016 at 10:11 AM.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 11,094
Likes: 990
From: Sierra Foothills CA
I ran headers for many Decades, and also fought the battles of blown gaskets, loose bolts, burned plug wires, and engine missing. even tho, my last 2 engine builds were performance engines,
I was tired of the header battles, the Corvette oem manifolds are some of the best flowing manifolds made.
I elected to keep the stock manifolds, with a good dual exhaust, never looked back and plan to stick with the oem manifolds, headers are a constant battle.
unless your going to change your 190hp engine , keep you manifolds and put a good dual exhaust on it. "0 maintenance" required...ever.
I was tired of the header battles, the Corvette oem manifolds are some of the best flowing manifolds made.
I elected to keep the stock manifolds, with a good dual exhaust, never looked back and plan to stick with the oem manifolds, headers are a constant battle.
unless your going to change your 190hp engine , keep you manifolds and put a good dual exhaust on it. "0 maintenance" required...ever.
OP, the power gains with headers are unmistakable. However, the more performance oriented the engine is, the more one stands to gain- or lose by not using headers. If you never plan to otherwise modify your mild small block and if your budget is tight, as 69Vett says, you may want to just have a good dual exhaust installed.
Last edited by Les; Aug 6, 2016 at 10:54 AM.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 76
Likes: 3
From: Canton Michigan
based on what you all have said, i think i am going to stay with the stock for now. Everything is working just fine and dosoctaves said, opening one can can lead to other things. Time for a drive to Hell Michigan with Blondie.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,736
Likes: 56
From: anchorage ak
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
