At what point are headers "worth it"?

i have longtube headman headers out an h pipe with dual flowmasters... in 5.0 roller.. they sound amazing.. beefy as ****.. go headers or go home..

 

too big of an exhaust system has the same effect as one too small....everything has to balance out....carb. to intake to heads to valve size to cam lift/duration to exhaust manifolds to pipe size to flow of muffler to tailpipe size.
that's why the 302 2V came stock with...single exhaust/muffler...that's all it needs...

 

That makes perfect sense and your point is well taken. After all, this was the mid 70's we're talking about - oil embargoes, growing environmentalism, emergence of foreign competition, etc. Performance was pretty much the last item on the agenda back then. We should probably be thankful the V8 even survived through that decade...

 

I'm with Joe Dirt. Go with a 2.25" dual system off the stock manifolds. With stock heads and a 2bbl you're wasting your money on headers. Unless you plan on upgrades later.

 

I gotta disagree with this one, it's more likely that the bean counters only let them put on one pipe instead of two.......one pipe + one muffler = cheaper than two pipes and two mufflers.....
After all, this was supposed to be an economy car.......

 

Then it all comes down to personal preference in the end. In my view, headers are the most time-consuming component when it comes to installation in the Comet/Mav, (and the Mustang for that matter.) I'd rather do it, be done with it and waste no more time thinking about it. Why? Because to think about it is to procrastinate.

 

Well that's what we have now. True duals - no crossover - glass packs -pipes all the way out the back. Don't know the pipe diameter but I'm guessing it's just standard muffler shop stuff...whatever that may be...

 

If you're gonna keep the manifolds you could get in there with a die grinder and hog em out. And I would add a crossover pipe.

 

One thing to consider was Hot Rod magazine's project Comet in 1971 that dropped 2 seconds in the 1/4 with a 4 barrel, headers, and manifold..
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/hypergoon/page1.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/hypergoon/page2.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/hypergoon/page3.jpg

 

Doggonit - there you go muddying the waters again!!!

I like old HotRod articles.

 

lol I just got this article for Christmas and had to post it somewhere! Maybe they should do a "Where are they now" on this car. I'd love to see a follow up!

 

When I first got my 72 Grabber it was a bone stock 302 2V C4 auto with 3.00 gears. The car was a complete pig. I could barely and I mean barely pull on my friends 3.8 liter six cylinder 91 T-Bird. The very first mod I did was a complete 2 1/2 inch exhaust with headman 1 5/8 inch primary full length headers and an H-pipe of course. It dumps just ahead of the rear axle. On the next encounter my Maverick easily ran away from my friends T-Bird and sounded awesome doing it

As far as pain in the butt factors go it hasn't been a pain at all. I just re-torqued them for the first several heat cycles. Then once a month for a while, then I never had to again. I haven't checked them in about 3 years and no exhaust leaks. But that does remind me I should check them

 

As I'd inquired, here is the evidence of torque, that I'd always felt came from long tubes.