I will never buy a set of Hookers again :nono:
TPIS Stainless long tubes :D
Oh yeah......just for the record Hookers are made in mexico :sad:

 

Nathan...I'd be willing to bet the Hooker SuperComps on my 79 are easier to install. Man they just slide right in ...don't even have to pull the starter.


But I think the root of this post is someone who must have fumbled something simple in the first place.

 

I'm with Zora...my TPIS headers went in without a hitch. ALL my brackets bolted back into place without modifications.

I wasn't very happy with my BBC Hookers I got for the '70 Chevelle. I figured someone with REAL Corvette experience would actually know how they were supposed to fit.

Sorry to hear about your pain. Some of the others MAY be right, your car might have had a fender-bender and the shop didn't get the frame pulled out correctly. I know my TPIS headers are less than 1/8" from my frame, so there isn't much room for error.

 

Hehehe...SR, no problem, as long as you use a small diameter distributor and have a good set of 1/4 drive tools ( like snap-ons ).

 

I bought the car from the original owner, and it is in all original condition. I bet it is factory tolerances that I am fighting. Add to that the AFR heads that were milled(is how I got the motor), the guy I bought the motor from bought these heads back in 97 and had them milled to achieve L98 specs. I am finding that none of my brackets line up now, due to the bolts being lower to the block now. This can account for the frame fitment problems, but not any of the other problems.

We got them in the car today, after more beatings and cutting. We cut both the header collector flanges off, we are going to use slip fit for the exhaust. Had to pound on the collector to get clearance for the heat shield on the driver side, and pry it away from the floor, they weren't even close. We got the back passenger side bolt from under the car, was a pain, but got it.

All I can say is that Hooker has lost a lifetime customer, never again.

Plus, all this was done with the valve covers off, all the accessories, everything, we are doing a 383 swap at the same time.

The next few days will be spent hand fitting all the accessory brackets, none of them line up now. Never have heads milled, if it wasn't a major hassle I would toss these heads in the trash and get something else, but I am committed to this project.

SuperRam is next, maybe one thing will actually bolt on to this motor, hasn't happened yet, but there is always hope.

Jeff

 

It just sounds to me that you pointed out what the problem is, and then blamed it on Hooker. Maybe I'm reading it wrong.

Too many people have had good luck with these headers for it to be a major design flaw. Honestly I've never been too impressed with much of Holley anything, but these headers were the exception to that rule. I only buy Holley because I can get it REAL cheap. As for the headers they were my only cost effective option and I haven't looked back once.

 

either that or they sent him headers for a pinto...?? :eek:

 

I just installed the same Part # as yours on my 96' LT4, And I can honestly say it was the easiest header swap I ever made, and i've done a few :smash:

 

Did you specify AFR heads when you ordered them? My hookers were fairly easy to install.

 

Installed the 2151's on my LT1 without a problem. I was able to use the spacer just fine with the stock bolts for the braces. I did have to clearance the header in 2 places, but that was nothing that was that big of deal.

Sounds like you got a set built on Friday.

 

The heads themselves aren't the problem, it was the milling that was done to them that is the problem. I didn't realize until we went to put the accessory brackets on how much of a problem the milling was. My dad and I just spent half the day hand fitting the accessory brackets, once again, never get milled heads. I bought the long block this way, so I am the sucker in this one. Why they were milled is beyond me, the bill says " milled to L98 Corvette specs" Well, that milling made it impossible to bolt anything to the motor: Headers, superram, accessory brackets, etc....

Don't get me wrong, I am still very displeased with the Hookers. The frame clearance would be better on the passenger side without the milling, but everything else would still be a pain in the butt. The milling should have actually given more clearance on the floor board on the drivers side, but it sits right on the heat shield, so we cut off the collector flange and pried the header away from the floor.

All of this effort to save some money and make some serious power. This project would have been soo simple with untouched AFR heads, instead I got the "Specially milled" heads.

Jeff

 

I honestly don't think you have any room to flame Hooker as your car is not stock and has milled heads on it. They build headers from the stock car and then sell it to the public. They didn't make headers to fit all nonfactory C4's. It is the buyers responcibility to infor the seller (hooker in this case) of any modifications done to your car before you buy something from them. You can't honestly expect the same headers that are made for a stock C4 to fit a customized c4 without in problems. If you told them you had milled AFR's and they still sold them to you that would be there fault but if you didn't tell them about your AFR AND them being milled then it is your fault they don't work for your application, as they do fit AFR's so if the milled part was left out they would know if they would fit.
I am sorry to flame you but I am tired of people getting upset at a company for something that they did and then try and lose bussiness for them, which is what you are doing by posting this and saying they suck and I will never buy from them etc.. without saying why in the first place. The fact the heads have been modified thus creating other fitment problems with the car is the MAIN reason why these headers don't fit properly. I could be wrong but I thought that whenever you do an exhaust mod on a convertable you have to remove the x-brace anyways, but I am not sure of that as I have a coupe.
The headers could also be packaged wrong so they could have been for a different application but in that case the buyer should talk to the company before moddifying the product. Good luck with the rest of your projects and just remeber that when you purchase something engine related in the future to inform the seller of what you have so this doesn't happen again.

 

i really agree with the above, i've been on here like 2 weeks and have witnessed complaints up the kazoo..i'm sure some are justified but i know this one isn't hooker is one of the best header manfs going. i have headmans for heavens sake which aren't as good of quality and i'm happy..if the exit angles are wrong on the collectors, cut a chunk out and reweld it !! that seems to be the #1 complaint on vettes..auto guys really have it tight there. it's quite fixable. i had to cut a pie piece shape out of my passenger side and reweld it for correct lineup.

 

So are PT Cruisers, and my winter driver hasn't given me a LICK of problems in 13,000 miles.

Dude, lose the stereotypes.