Hooker Header Fitment Question

[Al K]

Here's the deal...

Guy on CL has a set of Hookers,PN5903,1-7/8" for 67-up B-body with a B/RB mill. He pulled them off a 1970 RR440-6bbl. and told me that he had no clearance/fit issues. I'd like to try them in the '64 with the planned 440(or maybe 493...);they're one of the only 1-7/8" pipes out there. 2" may be too much for what I plan,1-3/4 would seem too small. My question(s) to you cats: Have any of you tried to fit or are currently running these exact pipes on a '62-65 with an RB mill,and what fit/clearance issues did you encounter? I e-mailed Hooker with the same question;awaiting their reply. You guys have never steered me wrong:headbang:,so I'm coming to you. The guy's price is fair(they're ceramic coated and look damage free in the pics),and he's not far away-so I can look at them before any purchase.

One more thing...this is a power steering/power brake car. I plan on an A-body front disc/manual dual reservoir setup down the road;possibly this summer. I plan on keeping the power steering-I like that! I know that may play a part.

THANKS!!!

 

[theman440]

I don't think they will fit an early b-body. The engine sits in a different location (more forward) I bought a set of 5903's for my car and they would not fit. I'll never buy cheap headers again. They say they'll fit B/RB but that's a lie they might have fit a RB but not a low deck.

 

[Al K]

I don't think they will fit an early b-body. The engine sits in a different location (more forward) I bought a set of 5903's for my car and they would not fit. I'll never buy cheap headers again. They say they'll fit B/RB but that's a lie they might have fit a RB but not a low deck.

Yeah;I know about the engine location being an issue. The pipes on the car now(Hedman's,I think) seem to be made for the early "B"'s-they fit well. They also seem like a low-block design;the collector is very close to the floorpan when attached to an RB mill-gets bloody warm in the footwell! Looking at the 5903's tells me that they might hit the K-frame and steering linkage on mine. Damn;these would have been a good deal had they fit. Any more opinions?

 

[demonram]

Those don't fit my 72 Satellite with a 400 worth a crap. Dont expect an answer from Hooker either! Clearance issues with steering, tranny(727) Pipe hit the bumpout. When I finally got in touch with schnookered headers they said I must have modified them and The warranty? was voided because I sand blasted them and coated them with POR 30. I will never buy Schnooker headers again and as soon as I can I will buy tti's. It still amazes me how a company that has been around for decades cant build a product that fits and then wont warranty them when there is a true problem. They did say if I wasn't running lean it wont hurt the tranny

 

[Al K]

A little follow-up: I'm going to call the guy and turn them down. If anyone is interested in them,they're on the Detroit Metro Craigslist. Black ceramic coated,and look damage and dent-free in the pics. Heck;I could even help out and pick them up for someone-I'm retired now,so I have SOME extra time...

Looking like TTI's for the 440. I really want 1-7/8" pipes with a decent-length tube(34-36") whether they be going on a 440 or 493(which I'm considering more and more).We all know that their product is top-shelf and that they fit. Heck,if I could find duplicates of what I've got in a larger-size tube,I'll be rockin'! Time to hit the Summit and Jegs pages-again!

As always,thanks for the advice,folks.

 

[Sublime440]

I'll second the TTI's. Hooker Headers suck. I mistakingly bought a set for my Charger with a 440. They are the 2" Super Comp ceramic coated headers. They fity like absolute crap, ending up clipping a tie rod end (???) which ripped a gash in them, had to re-shape and weld it. Also interfered with my brake proportioning valve and had to cut my brand new brake lines. I called Hooker about it and they of course blamed me and said I must not have had the factory parts on the car.... Now, the "ceramic coating" that I paid so much for is rusting off and I hardly have any miles on the car, always ran at operating temp, stored inside a dry garage etc etc etc.

Needless to say, I will never buy anything from them again. When they finally do rust out I will be going with the TTI's or Dougs.

 

[HitIt]

I always like to point out that the Hedman HED-78030 fit my 64 dodge 330 like they were custom made for it. Another guy here on the forum had the same experience with them. I do have a mini starter and never tried the full sized factory model though... my car is a 4spd with manual steering... just something to point out if your results vary.

They are a great deal, and Hedman also offers a ceramic coated version if that is what you are looking for.

 

[BigBlocx]

I had a set of 1 7/8 " on my 69 GTX, 440, the tube that runs past the number 8 plug is brutal,
I had to change the wire on #8 every couple weeks for the tube burning through the plug boot.

Big Blocx

 

[theman440]

Yeah;I know about the engine location being an issue. The pipes on the car now(Hedman's,I think) seem to be made for the early "B"'s-they fit well. They also seem like a low-block design;the collector is very close to the floorpan when attached to an RB mill-gets bloody warm in the footwell! Looking at the 5903's tells me that they might hit the K-frame and steering linkage on mine. Damn;these would have been a good deal had they fit. Any more opinions?

Here are the issues I had with mine:
1 - the passenger side collector hit the transmission pan rail (might be OK on a RB.
2 - primaries interfered with the pitman arm and drag-link (no amount of tube "dinging" could correct it) again - might be OK on a RB.

Buy TTI's - expensive but very high quality and they fit. You'll notice they have different p/n's between B & RB motors. They also have 1/2 flanges - no warping. Good luck.

 

[demonram]

Don't take this wrong but I'm glad I'm not the only one with these problems from these SCHNOOKER piece of crap headers. As I've tried to warn others about these problems. Obviously HOOKER has no concern for their customers problems! Just make sure to get the word out to everyone you can. I'm an easy going guy but I cant say enough bad about their fit, customer service and attitude as a whole. It's as if it's our fault we chose them for our cars! THANKS just blowing off a little steam as it pisses me off everytime I hear about this crap HOWARD

 

[godfatherofchry]

thos heders will fit if you move the motor back 2in...........Artie

 

[Al K]

thos heders will fit if you move the motor back 2in...........Artie

That would work if a 66-up K-frame magically appeared in the engine bay! Something else... I went to TTI's site,and their 1-7/8 pipes for an RB app are only for 66-up. No 62-65 listing. They've 2" and 1-3/4" listings for 62-65,so I'm thinking it may(the operative word here) be a typo/unintended omission. When the time comes to purchase,I'll give 'em a call and see what they offer. I'm also going to check with Doug's Headers(not "Doug Thorley Headers-his former wife's company) and see what they have to say. Like I stated before,the (what I think are) Hedmans on the car now fit good;I'll check with them as well. Thanks for the help and advice!

 

[theman440]

Don't take this wrong but I'm glad I'm not the only one with these problems from these SCHNOOKER piece of crap headers. As I've tried to warn others about these problems. Obviously HOOKER has no concern for their customers problems! Just make sure to get the word out to everyone you can. I'm an easy going guy but I cant say enough bad about their fit, customer service and attitude as a whole. It's as if it's our fault we chose them for our cars! THANKS just blowing off a little steam as it pisses me off everytime I hear about this crap HOWARD

Do you know what the definition of "race parts" is? Expensive parts that don't fit ! My ordeal really ticked me off, I thought Hooker made good stuff...wrong, maybe 30 years ago. I went ahead and put HP manifolds on the car - I love 'em, easy starter access, no burnt plug wires, car still sounds good and no noticable performance difference. Rant over.

 

[john.thompson068]

I have those headers. They suck. They do not clear power steering at all. By the time I dented in the pipe to clear the power steering box the tube had to be almost completely crushed in restricting exhaust flow by at least half on that cylinder. Second, driver side header hits torsion bar when the engine is running when using RPM heads. I had to use a come-a-long winch and wrap it around the collector and bend the collector over until I was afraid something would crack. Being broke at the time I ditched the power steering box for a manual steering and bought another set of the same headers. I again used the winch technique to pull the collector over and have not had an issue since. The only problem is the "ceramic" coating is really rusting off on the collector and in between the tubes. Also, access to plugs on passenger side pretty much requires removing headers and moving them around to gain access to the plugs. Also, I regret removing power steering and would eventually have to buy TTI headers to clear power steering. Sure TTI's cost a $1000 compared to the $400 or whatever for the Hookers, but it would be worth it if you retain the original K member and torsion bar setup with power steering. With the cost of a rebuild kit for the front end including larger torsion bars and a sway bar, the cost of a power steering box, the brackets and pulley for the pump, plus TTI headers, I am considering having a shop install a tubular front end. In this case I could have my Hooker's recoated and use them again, and overall expense would probably be within a thousand dollars of rebuilding the K member front end. To Hooker's credit, after purchasing the first set I did see a disclaimer somewhere that they would not fit my 66 Plymouth Satellite if I used RPM heads. However, I repurchased them again because I had the ability to make them fit by bending the location of the collector some.

 

[Bigal75]

A 2" header would be fine for a 493.

 

[Al K]

A 2" header would be fine for a 493.

The more I think about it,a 493/505 incher that uses pump premium is looking very realistic. I've read enough from guys here that have them to make me think seriously about one. We'll see...if "regular" 440 parts begin popping up on the classifieds,you'll know a decision has been made. Gotta pay for it somehow...

 

[john.thompson068]

I have those headers. They suck. They do not clear power steering at all. By the time I dented in the pipe to clear the power steering box the tube had to be almost completely crushed in restricting exhaust flow by at least half on that cylinder. Second, driver side header hits torsion bar when the engine is running when using RPM heads. I had to use a come-a-long winch and wrap it around the collector and bend the collector over until I was afraid something would crack. Being broke at the time I ditched the power steering box for a manual steering and bought another set of the same headers. I again used the winch technique to pull the collector over and have not had an issue since. The only problem is the "ceramic" coating is really rusting off on the collector and in between the tubes. Also, access to plugs on passenger side pretty much requires removing headers and moving them around to gain access to the plugs. Also, I regret removing power steering and would eventually have to buy TTI headers to clear power steering. Sure TTI's cost a $1000 compared to the $400 or whatever for the Hookers, but it would be worth it if you retain the original K member and torsion bar setup with power steering. With the cost of a rebuild kit for the front end including larger torsion bars and a sway bar, the cost of a power steering box, the brackets and pulley for the pump, plus TTI headers, I am considering having a shop install a tubular front end. In this case I could have my Hooker's recoated and use them again, and overall expense would probably be within a thousand dollars of rebuilding the K member front end. To Hooker's credit, after purchasing the first set I did see a disclaimer somewhere that they would not fit my 66 Plymouth Satellite if I used RPM heads. However, I repurchased them again because I had the ability to make them fit by bending the location of the collector some.

Who or what hyperlinked the words power steering in my post? That is weird.

 

[moparmarkk]

hey alk,i have 65 ply.bel..1970 cuda k-member.you might want to think about a k-member change,disk brakes at local auto parts store,big oil pans are cheaper,and the car drives great,and those headers will fit[i have the 2 in. ones]and sound great.k-members are cheap but a day to change out,mark

 

[64Belvedere]

Don't bother with the Hookers (had a set, hit everything then cracked)or Hedmans with a B Block. Absolute Crap. Mine hit the engine pan rail, mini starter, trans pan rail on pas side, and steering centerlink. No amount of tweaking would get them to seal. If you aren't going TTI's don't even bother. I called Headman and asked the techs about the poor fit. He stated it was because it was a low deck block. Then I asked him why they market them for B and RB, if they won't work and he hung up on me. I was polite and professional. Obviously some one else wasn't.

 

[mslisaj]

Here is a picture of an extra set of headers that are on my 65 Satellite RB Automatic. They do fit but are a pain to get in and out. Can anyone identify them or have seen this configuration before? I'm looking for a new set that will "fit" but would also like to find out what I have on the car..................

Thanks for your help,

Lisa