Best headers without breaking the bank?

[66383]

Dougs are (Pertronix) nowdays. Installed a new set of Dougs 1 1/2 yrs. ago. Fit great but flanges sucked....not true and flat the welding was questionable. Finally gort them straight enough to use without leaks. To do it again I'd spend the extra cash for TTI's.

 

[Cojohnso1]

I run 2 1/4" hookers on a 451 in a Duster. N/A single carb drag race engine. They are alittle cumbersome than today's TTIs. But at least 1/3 the cost. Probably higher savings these days.

 

[GetX'd]

For those few that say “you have to beat the **** out of Hookers“ to get them on etc etc. I had two pair on my X and have never had to beat anything and that goes for taking the driver’s side off to replace that burned out starter. Never banged them on bumps in the road either - Hooker Super Comp Ceramic - get the job done, not difficult to put on and for a decent cash outlay. Sure it’s easy for OPs to say TTI - easy to say that - but when you say doesn’t break the bank they eliminates them in my book.

 

[1967coronet]

I used a set of Schumacher Tri Ys on my 67 for several years now.
They are a mid length, not at all like the shorty headman but not quite as long as full tube.
Built well, install was not a pain at all.
You can also swap out a full size mopar starter with the left side in place.
The only parts that I had to remove during install was the column shift linkage and the lower 1/2 of the kick down.
All went right back on after install.
Schumacher was closed for awhile but are back up and running again.
Not sure of your budget but the plain steel are $699 & ceramic are $899.
I know the full tube headers will pull a few more hp. But for a nice sound and some added hp these Tri Ys are hard to beat. Jmho.

 

[YY1]

I think I had to put one ding in the super comps on my Super Bee.
IIRC it was for the kickdown linkage that the PO never installed.

Although the flanges were warped and I solved that by sawing through them between the pipes.
That trick worked great.

 

[moparedtn]

Avoid the big tube Hedmans, unless you enjoy inflicting pain upon inanimate objects.
Ask me how I know....

 

[River Rat]

I may be late to the party…but I have a set of Summit coated headers on my GTX. They fit without any bashing.

 

[YY1]

I may be late to the party…but I have a set of Summit coated headers on my GTX. They fit without any bashing.

View attachment 1594840

Can you confirm those are the same as the Flow Tech units?

I've heard they are.

 

[River Rat]

Can you confirm those are the same as the Flow Tech units?

I've heard they are.

Not familiar with the Flow Techs but the Summits are real similar to the Hooker Competitions I have on my 67 Coronet.

 

[TBMopar]

I may be late to the party…but I have a set of Summit coated headers on my GTX. They fit without any bashing.

View attachment 1594840

Can you tell me what spark plug wires you have on your X?

 

[River Rat]

Can you tell me what spark plug wires you have on your X?

Accel Ceramic with 135deg bends.

 

[TBMopar]

Accel Ceramic with 135deg bends.

Thank you buddy.

 

[davidplymouth1@]

I'm in agreement w/ pretty much everyone else here. Dougs are the best value and worth extra $. I have a 72' Satellite 440. I was running Hooker Headers 1-3/4" primaries and 3" collectors, but switching to Dougs #D452 for a couple of reasons. Dougs have the larger 2" primaries but plugs can be changed without header removal. and the 3-1/2" collectors are really just a 1/4" larger around. A 1/4" is nothing really - It's the thickness of a pencil. The old hooker headers needed to be un-bolted from the head on the passenger side for spark plug changing. And once in a while - I'd accidentally drop the header down on the spark plugs while trying to bolt them back to the head causing a plug or two to break and all of the hassle of having to go back to the store for more plugs and also having to changing it all over again. The driver side was a little easier, but still a pain. And like everyone else that I know - I had to put a tiny dent on the driver side for steering clearance. The "scuttle butt" is that Dougs do NOT require the added dent for steering clearance. But no matter if they do. I added and extra 1/2" drop to the motor mounts so that the motor sits just a little higher and that dent is no longer required for any long tube headers. It still clears the fire wall without any trouble and it didn't change the transmission mount or drive shaft angle enough to a problem either. And the plugs are that much easier now. I don't think the stumpy headers are worth the money or hassle of changing, but they do offer better ground clearance if you car is low. I don't know if the stumpy plugs are any easier or not. There's nothing like sound of headers and who doesn't want a few extra horses as well. If nothing else - I highly recommend raising the motor. That 1/2" will make what ever style header you decide to install - fit and work much, much better.

 

[GetX'd]

Can’t argue with most of what your experience has been - but I will add something to my vote for Hooker Comp Ceramics - Both sets of Hookers I‘ve had - old school and new versions - never had to do anything special in regards to changing plugs - not the least of which would have been to have to remove the passenger side to change them. I do recall the back right hand side plug - would that be #8 - was more difficult than the other 7 but certainly was doable.

 

[YY1]

The super comps on my Bee only needed one plug wire with a 90 degree boot and one with a 45 degree.

Bitch to replace the plug wires but no interference to get the plugs in or out.