My 71 Maverick Grabber Build.....

Frank,

Look for a light blue Explorer Sport ... that'll be me.

 

I got my aje stuff today and threw it together to compare some measurements
49 1/8 ball joint stud center to ball joint stud center sitting on flat surface bolted up to k member

12" from center of ball joint stud to center of a-arm mounting holes

Let me know what yours are

 

Got any suggestions on how I could rebuild the reframe of my 74 grabber?Its rusted out where the front and rear spring shackles connect on the passenger side and also on the drivers rear..I was thinkin maybe a 4 link system or just fabricate a new set of frame rails.

 

My control arms are 13.5" from the center of the ball joint to the center of the a-arm mounting holes..... So there ya go, I figured they needed to be 11.875".....

 

Sounds like you could use a donor car..... You could also fab up some new rails but that will be alot of tedious work..... The easiest would probably be just to cut the rear ou and back half the car with either ladder bars or a 4-link.....

 

That's solves that mystery now my major fab can begin I hope this will all be worth it
P

 

Finding a donor car here in Missouri is almost next to impossible ...ugh!

 

I started building the headers today..... I bought a set of Headman flanges 3/8" thick with 1.75" stubs welded on, a set od Dynotech 1.75" slip on collectors w/3" outlet and a 10 1.75" J-bends..... First thing was I had to cut the flanges into 4 pieces each so each tube will be individual since I am using slip in collectors..... Then I started with the front tube on the driver side(cyl #5), once I got that tube tacked together I was able to establish the primary tube length/collector position..... Next I started on the second tube back on the driver side(cyl #6), I got the first couple sections made on it.....

Here's the header flanges after cutting them up..... The top is one of the center tubes(both top corners are square/sharp), the bottom right is an end tube(one sharp/square top corner, the other radioused/notched), and the bottom left is after I made all corners radioused/notched.....




Here is the start of the first tube, all tacked to gether on the bench and then in place with the collector.....









The second tube in process.....

 

Holy cow, the flanges are almost the cost of a set of headers (at Summit)

 

There not cheap but they are 3/8" thick..... I don't know if you have ever tried to fit an 1.75" header tube into a square opening with smooth transition or not, I have and it's no picnic..... It's well worth the cost for me not to have to spend the time to do that, plus after the weld them inside and out they debur the id and true the sealing surface.....

Building headers with quality components is not cheap..... Between flanges, mandrell bends, slip on collectors and v-band flanges for the exhaust side I have well over $500 in them so far plus welding gas/wire, cutting and deburing wheels(and these aren't coated yet)..... Sometimes people think custom headers are too expensive(there's a good reason for the expense).....

 

I have about $600 in my Thorley shorties, they are well worth the money in my opinion. Some day, I'd like to try building my own headers. I've had lots of cheap sets over the years....

 

Just when I think that you might be running low on talent, you created something new and different and surprise us again

Nice headers

 

When I built the last set for my turbo charged 85 Stang I said to myself never again, but here I am doing it again..... but what ya gonna do, specially when no one makes a set that will bolt in.....

Thanks.....

 

What an awesome job on the custom headers Frank! Looks like they are a perfect fit with your shaved shock towers. I enjoy reading your project thread alot.

I wonder if it is as hot in Florida lately, as it is here in the Phoenix Valley?

 

Building headers is a labor of love. I've built several sets for myself and others over the years and it's sometimes a struggle to get things to fit. Especially if you are trying for equal length primary's. Try getting all the prinmary's within 1/2 inch of each other when the rear pipe is 20 inches closer to the collector than the front.