Stock manifolds vs Headers
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 498
Likes: 32
From: Fort Wayne IN
Finalist 2020 C4 of the Year - Unmodified
Stock manifolds vs Headers
Posted this in General Discussion yesterday:
So I bought my '85 383 project last year. After having the engine built the previous owner decided to dismantle the suspension and other engine parts to get them polished. Unfortunately he never was able to finish putting it back together. I bought it with probably 80% of the parts to put back together. Most performance parts are TPIS, however, the headers were missing. With TPIS not making headers anymore for my year, my friend putting my car together was able to find a set of headers online. After getting them to bolt up and buttoning up the rest of the engine bay, he discovered that things were just too tight and the 2.5 inch collectors would need to be fabricated to fit the 3 inch Y pipe. Today he showed me how tight everything was and he said he could make the current headers work but they would require significant modification and would cost me a lot more money and time. He had some stock manifolds from a C4 he worked on in the past and said that he would be able able to clean them up/ recoat them. This would allow room for everything else that was tight fitting and allow him to save so much time with fabrication. He said if TPIS still made the headers that he would have bought them in a heart beat and they would have matched up to the 3" Y pipe perfectly. Has a flowmaster exhaust with no cats. Will I be okay? He said they won't flow as well as the headers and I will probably will lose a few HP but says it will still be a really fun car and would probably sound better than stock. Also said it will be MUCH easier to work on or change oil in the future with the stock manifolds on.
He recently finished up a 60's Camaro Resto Mod with an LS1 last year and he purposely left off the C5 headers because of him having a similar issue with getting the proper fit.
So I bought my '85 383 project last year. After having the engine built the previous owner decided to dismantle the suspension and other engine parts to get them polished. Unfortunately he never was able to finish putting it back together. I bought it with probably 80% of the parts to put back together. Most performance parts are TPIS, however, the headers were missing. With TPIS not making headers anymore for my year, my friend putting my car together was able to find a set of headers online. After getting them to bolt up and buttoning up the rest of the engine bay, he discovered that things were just too tight and the 2.5 inch collectors would need to be fabricated to fit the 3 inch Y pipe. Today he showed me how tight everything was and he said he could make the current headers work but they would require significant modification and would cost me a lot more money and time. He had some stock manifolds from a C4 he worked on in the past and said that he would be able able to clean them up/ recoat them. This would allow room for everything else that was tight fitting and allow him to save so much time with fabrication. He said if TPIS still made the headers that he would have bought them in a heart beat and they would have matched up to the 3" Y pipe perfectly. Has a flowmaster exhaust with no cats. Will I be okay? He said they won't flow as well as the headers and I will probably will lose a few HP but says it will still be a really fun car and would probably sound better than stock. Also said it will be MUCH easier to work on or change oil in the future with the stock manifolds on.
He recently finished up a 60's Camaro Resto Mod with an LS1 last year and he purposely left off the C5 headers because of him having a similar issue with getting the proper fit.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 2,223
Likes: 556
From: Tallahassee fl
Posted this in General Discussion yesterday:
So I bought my '85 383 project last year. After having the engine built the previous owner decided to dismantle the suspension and other engine parts to get them polished. Unfortunately he never was able to finish putting it back together. I bought it with probably 80% of the parts to put back together. Most performance parts are TPIS, however, the headers were missing. With TPIS not making headers anymore for my year, my friend putting my car together was able to find a set of headers online. After getting them to bolt up and buttoning up the rest of the engine bay, he discovered that things were just too tight and the 2.5 inch collectors would need to be fabricated to fit the 3 inch Y pipe. Today he showed me how tight everything was and he said he could make the current headers work but they would require significant modification and would cost me a lot more money and time. He had some stock manifolds from a C4 he worked on in the past and said that he would be able able to clean them up/ recoat them. This would allow room for everything else that was tight fitting and allow him to save so much time with fabrication. He said if TPIS still made the headers that he would have bought them in a heart beat and they would have matched up to the 3" Y pipe perfectly. Has a flowmaster exhaust with no cats. Will I be okay? He said they won't flow as well as the headers and I will probably will lose a few HP but says it will still be a really fun car and would probably sound better than stock. Also said it will be MUCH easier to work on or change oil in the future with the stock manifolds on.
He recently finished up a 60's Camaro Resto Mod with an LS1 last year and he purposely left off the C5 headers because of him having a similar issue with getting the proper fit.
So I bought my '85 383 project last year. After having the engine built the previous owner decided to dismantle the suspension and other engine parts to get them polished. Unfortunately he never was able to finish putting it back together. I bought it with probably 80% of the parts to put back together. Most performance parts are TPIS, however, the headers were missing. With TPIS not making headers anymore for my year, my friend putting my car together was able to find a set of headers online. After getting them to bolt up and buttoning up the rest of the engine bay, he discovered that things were just too tight and the 2.5 inch collectors would need to be fabricated to fit the 3 inch Y pipe. Today he showed me how tight everything was and he said he could make the current headers work but they would require significant modification and would cost me a lot more money and time. He had some stock manifolds from a C4 he worked on in the past and said that he would be able able to clean them up/ recoat them. This would allow room for everything else that was tight fitting and allow him to save so much time with fabrication. He said if TPIS still made the headers that he would have bought them in a heart beat and they would have matched up to the 3" Y pipe perfectly. Has a flowmaster exhaust with no cats. Will I be okay? He said they won't flow as well as the headers and I will probably will lose a few HP but says it will still be a really fun car and would probably sound better than stock. Also said it will be MUCH easier to work on or change oil in the future with the stock manifolds on.
He recently finished up a 60's Camaro Resto Mod with an LS1 last year and he purposely left off the C5 headers because of him having a similar issue with getting the proper fit.
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 50
Likes: 6
I bought headers from exotic muscle, they were the easiest headers i have ever installed, easier than the shortie headers i was replacing, you buy cheap headers you get poor fit and not much power, a real equal length headers are your best buck for your horsepower dollar, difference between 15 and 50 hp
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 498
Likes: 32
From: Fort Wayne IN
Finalist 2020 C4 of the Year - Unmodified
I bought headers from exotic muscle, they were the easiest headers i have ever installed, easier than the shortie headers i was replacing, you buy cheap headers you get poor fit and not much power, a real equal length headers are your best buck for your horsepower dollar, difference between 15 and 50 hp
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 1,362
Likes: 400
From: DFW TX
Easy 15 hp and across the entire curve, that is what you would be giving up. I wouldn't be surprised of it gained 30 hp at peak power.
The manifolds are definitely easier to work with, but if you have the cubes and other speed parts, especially if that 383 has a cam, find some headers.
The manifolds are definitely easier to work with, but if you have the cubes and other speed parts, especially if that 383 has a cam, find some headers.
