Anybody been able to buy these lately? They are well reviewed, and I want a set, but have been calling emailing for the last 2 weeks with no luck. They still in biusiness?

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

 

I've read alot of good things about these, here and the other Vette forum. But I can not reach them. Starting calling Monday, the 3rd, finally rec'd an email from someone there a couple days ago asking Big or Small block? I replied small block and they stated they'd get with mgmt and get back to me, didn't answer any of my technical questions (I've never heard of Hugger headers, I just wanted to know how they compare to LT as they looked like they were LT headers). Have NOT heard from them since.
I even tried to reach them on their FB page, another customer was on their looking for his order he ordered several weeks ago, he said he has never been in contact with them either. Gonna have to assume they do not want to sell any products, but are still in business. Strange, for a company that looks like they make a good product, but I am NOT risking it.
Time to look elsewhere.

 

I remember those headers, and actually had a set years ago when they were first designed. A forum member, Motorhead, helped prototype them. Years ago they stopped manufacturing them, though the website still shows them. Too bad, because they were excellent, very heavy duty, and fairly priced.

 

Yea, I've read alot about them. I got this reply from this Tuesday after I asked if they had any C3 small block headers in stock, "Yes I believe we do ILL confirm with the manager in the morning", leads me to believe they have been manufacturing them, unless the person emailing really doesn't have a clue. I just haven't heard back from them since (their CS sucks at the least), but took them over 2 weeks to get back to my original contact, so that seems par for the course.

 

I have there headers on a 434 , .. No one, I mean no one offered a better set of headers then they did. The reason they stopped making them. Was a forum member here attacked them and trashed them for a poor fit. Only to find out some time later , he had a bent frame........

 

Yeah, the website still claims them as 2" primaries, when they are actually 1 7/8". It was brought to their attention but no correction was ever made. The headers are long gone but the false ad still remains. I have Kooks 1 7/8" headers on my 440 SBC. They are very good, fit well, and have good spark plug clearance. Of course they are not cheap, but I had them ceramic coated in and out so they should last a long time. These...https://kooksheaders.com/headers/lon...-1982-corvette

 

T

They are stepped headers And perform perfectly as well as fit perfectly. With heavy gauge stainless pipe and a flange ya will never warp. .. IMOP better then kooks ...

 

just an FYI they sold the same chineses stuff that was also sold as OBX and Maximizer. and the short answer is they stopped making them.

I have the sidepipe version made by the same manufacurer with the same flange. The company that manufactured these headers and exhaust systems hasnt been making stuff for sbcs in quite a while but you can find NOS. theres another chinese supplier making stuff now and the flanges now look like these.. https://www.ebay.com/itm/26572741230...Bk9SR6DKi6v_YA

When I bought my stainless sidepipe set on ebay for $650 shipped the formentioned company was selling the same pipes for just shy of $1300... thats quite a markup!

 

They never made them though they were only a reseller... They also became avaliable on amazon and ebay from others seller for much less as OBXas well as another brand I cant think of the name of (EDIT "maximizers" was the third brand they sold under) , and less and less people were willing to pay so much extra for the same thing.. It seemed xs power eventually dropped thier prices to be more compeitive and started clearencing the stuff themselves on amazon from what I saw on amazon a while back. eventually only the bbc stuff was left as stock was used up and now you only see NOS. and yes they are 1 7/8" primaries which is plenty for any sbc.

You can count me as one of those members who actually got in trouble for pointing out the $650 obx stainless sidepipes I had just bought and installed on my car were in fact the exact same pipes XS was selling to forum members for almost $1,300... The cat was starting to get out of the bag already though by that time. They were good headers.. I just felt it was messed up that so many here were bashing the obx pipes as knock off chinese junk because they were so reasonably prices with the "you get what you pay for" montra, at the time yet literally praising xs power for selling the very same thing at twice the price..

I guess I just dont understand how paying more through a middle man seems to absolve such products from being recognized as imported from china and the stigma from it.

 

Took us 9 months to a year to prototype and get them to a stage that was polished and could be sold. No compromises they had a thick billet steel flange and were made of 321 Stainless steel, which is a much better steel than any other type of SS for this this application. They are by far the best headers I have ever put on a car. You can smash the hell out of them with a hammer and the don't dent.

I was supposed to get a small commission on each set sold. However for some unknown reason they just did not go into mass production. And I could not track them down. (not that they owed me any money ) I did get 2 sets of perfectly good polished headers. Too bad because rhse headers were the real deal, I have had them on my Vette for ten years or so. I believe the company's original name was XSPower .

"321 SS (UNS S32100) is a titanium stabilized austenitic stainless steel that features improved resistance to intergranular corrosion. This grade is suitable for high-temperature applications up to 1500°F (815°C), where the addition of titanium stabilizes the material against chromium carbide formation. "

 

I seen you responses in the early threads for these and the XS sidepipes I believe.
So you helped design them? By just testing fitment or ? And then were the plans were sent to china for production? The OBX brand is used to sell quite a few different exhaust systems for a wide variety of vehicles and im not doubting what your saying but I am sure the obx sidepipes I own are the same as sold by XS power other than they polished the welds which is what OBX later did themselves when the sold that version as the maximizer. I'm also sure the collectors and flange on the set pictures in this thread are identical to those pipes and the entire header assembly is identical to older pics of the OBX branded headers for the same application. I dont know honestly how different these headers are from other manufacturers offering but when it came to the sidepipes it was clear much of the design came from hookers design only more smaller pieces were welded together in building them. I did have to heat with a torch to dent them for my steering box and they still look great today 10 years later.

I myself have helped with R&D for companies that were either based in china or working with a chinese manufacturer to improve a product they were selling and I enjoyed the Free samples some of which I still use like wireless bluetooth grill temp probes or the $16 custom tri clamp heating elements for brewery application I later saw resellers make up to sell to homebrewers for $75+ shipping each the issue with working with the chinese is they tend to just take the designs and sell or leak them to multiple other chinese vendors or just start selling them directly themselves cutting out the person who originally commisioned them in the first place. Maybe that what happened here?

 

I had one of the original sets just after prototype, XS Power I believe, which I eventually sold. Then later they were copied, borrowed, used, bought, or whatever, and sold (re-branded) by OBX. Same headers.

 

If someone was to go back go back and search here you will see the both these headers and the xspower sidepipes came out at the same time as the obx stuff in 2009.. the sidepipe version came out first and then the headers like these with the same flange and collectors came out later after motorheads initial thread on them in december 2009.

 

2009?.....wow, hard to believe it's been that long ago. I remember finding out about them on the Forum via Motorhead, and got a set when they were first available. Well, whoever was the first to make them did a good job.....too bad they're no longer around.

 

I bought a set myself off Ebay years ago for a steal. Honestly, they are a fantastic fit on my 80, I just dropped in the 427 this week and the headers fit like a glove.


They were on the 406 for years and turned color a bit due to the heat, but otherwise still look great.

 

The sidepipes were still available for the SBC about a month before I got my car, after that, I quit seeing them, only for big blocks. I was lucky to get a set from a forum member at an even better price than new. If I ever sell my car I'll likely keep the sidepipes!

 

I have a set of these headers for sale with side pipes. I am located in Braceville, IL, 60407 if your interested.
my number is 815-237-5001

 

Yes i have a set with side pipes you can call me at 815-237-5001

 

I know this is an older post but need a little help with these header and side pipes on a 1968 Corvette 427 BBC auto, power steering, manual brakes, TH400 auto. I bought these many years ago and never installed they are still new in boxes. Rebuilding engine and want to get aftermarket heads (TFS 280 BBC oval port heads) with 0.300" raised exhaust ports.
has anybody put these on a C3 BBC with aftermarket heads with raised exhaust ports. ANY ISSUES to note or problems I will run into or be aware of??
thanks in advance
Jim

 

"Cutting out the person who originally commissioned them" YUP that was me, I have no ill feeling about what happened. They are still on my 427 small block and the by far the best SBC headers I ever had my hands on. I still have an extra polished set in a box in my basement and I will not sell them.. I prototyped them and it was back and forth exchange between me up here in Canada and them in the states. They paid for everything. I am sure they have the original jig lying around somewhere.

Originally they were designed around the Hooker Super Comp headers with adjustments made because I had those headers and they did not fit my '80, that's how it all started. The new headers first began with big adjustments and finally down to get them to move one tube 1/2" and they fit perfect. Took over a year. I had nothing to do with their side pipes.

You won't find 321 SS headers anywhere. The primaries where 1 7/8* into a 3" collector and a thick 3/8" flange and you could take a BFH and not even put a dent in them. They were made in the US first, they were raw SS and then they sent me up the polished version and they were absolutely gorgeous. Like I said I don't know what happened but they could have farmed them out to China and that could have been the nail in the coffin. Sad story in my opinion they could have cornered the market and got filthy rich.

Too bad, something happened, I don't know what but the headers seemed to fade away. I did see a few sets years ago on Ebay.