I'm looking to put headers on my '72 350 c.i. later this year and I was wondering what brand/style has a good fitment. Are long tubes easy to install and do they have ground clearance? What about shortys and oil filter clearance? I am not going to install side pipes. Any info is greatly appreciated! Thanks, Mike.

 

I installed Doug's D350 headers and absolutely love them. This is after I ordered (not the cheapest) pairs from Hooker and Hedman, only to return 2 sets when they showed up with rust between the primaries and in one case dings and scrapes under the ceramic coating. What a pain. I finally opened the wallet and bought a set of Doug's and they are excellent. Excellent fit, great plug boot and wire clearance, great clearance around my clutch linkages, and the collectors were tucked up pretty tight (aimed at the inside corners of the tunnel where firewall and floorpans meet). I put on temporary turn-downs to get it to a shop and they bent 2-1/2" all the way back. He fabricated 2 "s-pipes" from the collectors to main pipes. I had a 1-1/2" H-pipe installed behind the trans crossmember to kill some drone, as I am running louder Flowmaster 40's. The crossmember is an issue if you want to pull the driveshaft, but in my case I'm doing the back 1/2 right now and diff is out so I could drag it out the back.

No clearance issues, nothing low to the ground, no dragging flanges.

 

Looks great! I like the way they clear the starter and oil filter.

 

I have StainlessWork 1-5/8 inch headers into their 2-1/2 inch mandrel bent exhaust. Its all 304 Stainless. The clearance is awesome on everything up front. Really top quality stuff.....but pricey. Plus, made in USA.

 

They seem to be bashed pretty universally on here (maybe I just got lucky), but I just [ut Hooker long tubes on my '77, and their 2.25 inch mandrel bent exhaust kit (kit, not including headers) was just under $200. I added a pair of Dynomax super turbos.

Sounds great, ground clearance is excellent, and the ceramic coating looks great...

 

How does the stainless hold up over time? From what I've seen, they turn bluish after a while.
I like the look of ceramic coated as long as they're cured. I've seen them rust after one year when they weren't cured properly.

 

Yes, the headers get a tint to them, but I find it looks good. Picture attached is after 6,000 miles.

 

impressive. T

 

I love the stainless! That's just the perfect shade of blue.

I have Hooker Super Comps. Fit is perfect. I just reinstalled them this afternoon and they go in easy from below with the car about 18" in the air. I bought mine painted and had them coated after a few years of use. If I had it to do over, I would buy them ceramic coated from the factory. If they were available in stainless, that would be even better.

 

I have headman full length on mine. You have to tip the oil filter sideways to get it out. ground clearance is very decent.

 

I have the same headers and exhaust system. Going to the 2.5 Pypes system soon. The headers fit great but Hooker's ceramic coating SUCKS.

I've paid plenty of money to have this supposed great coating rust and peel off. Finally I sent my Hooker headers to JET HOT Coatings. I have yet to reinstall them. Let's hope the new coating is exceptional.

 

 

I have these on my 78 L-82 355 with AFR heads and roller cam:

http://xs-power.com/chevrolet-headers-4.htm

They sit about 1 inch lower than the oil pan....had them ceramic coated locally and they look great after 1.5 years on the car. Have not scrapped them yet...