Hi all, It's been a while. As of January, I am now retired, so please feel free to put pressure on me to get back to my Comet. LOL. I am looking at the Tri Y Headers from Scott Drake and they look tight enough to the engine to be promising for our applications in Mavericks and Comets. Wondering if anyone out there has already attempted this and what the results were? https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sdk-c5zz-9430-bk Here is a whole search page.... https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sdk-c5zz-9430-bk
Some guy from Kentucky that was on here years ago. Told me that he used them as best as I can remember he said that they fit but the tubes and collector's had to be modified. That the collectors were not long enough and were on the wrong angle. I had long tube headers and with the car lowered they dragged the ground. I wish I could remember his name. seems like it was Ken and he was from louisville but it's been at least 15 years ago.
I have Tri-y's on my car. I did it because I was told I couldn't ...... I had no problem with the collectors location. My entire exhaust was hand built custom job. The biggest problem is the fit by the steering gear box. One tube is definitely in the way for a tight turn. I dented it in, which does not really restrict it any, and shaved down the gear box bracket to make more room. Driving is just fine and you never notice it. A tight turn into a parking space is trickier but still doable. While they look great - I would go with a better fit option if I had to do it again. I'll see if I can find some pictures.
Still looking for better pics of the header side of engine - but the under car will give you an idea of where the collector ends up by the transmission crossmember
Found a couple more. The passenger side is no problem. Neither are the shock towers. It is the steering pitman arm on the steering gear. That is where early Mustangs had an advantage over us. About 4 more inches of room.
Awesome info guys. I appreciate the replies. What caught my attention on these is that they seem to hug the driver side head. I am at a crossroads, either keep the 351W or swap to a 302 based motor. These actually look better than the headers we made for the 351. LOL. Now seeing Eric's driver side picture, I am still going to say there isn't enough room to clear the shock tower. The Windsor is about 3/4 of an inch wider there.
Captain, what is the reason for your wanting to change to the 302 based engine? I know I did it because I wanted to go back to the engine my Comet came with. Sometimes I regret not modifying the 351w additionally. I already had the header issue worked out.
I put the 351W in the Comet in 1996 or so. Affordable aftermarket heads were not nearly as common, so more cubes felt like the answer to make a big leap in power. The headers we ended up making are pretty awful and that was a fallback when Crites did not start on my headers going into a second month. I have never really been happy with how the 351w is packed in there. If I go back to a 302, header selection gets much better and I won't HAVE TO have the carb sticking through the hood (even though I still might just because that is pretty cool, LOL). Now if I put aluminum heads on a 302, there is probably close to 100 lbs off the nose of the car, too. Without totally throwing a brand new front suspension in the car. I want to do most of the improvements (roller perches, Shelby drop, improved strut rods, etc) to make the car handle better. The goal is to make it more fun to drive. I may even make the A/C work once again. This is Florida I live in ....
Capton, does your 351 currently have power steering with headers that do not require a p/s drop bracket? I'm of the belief most full length 302 headers require the drop bracket which can interfere with the headers. Both want to be in the same space at the same time. If your wish at some point is to have A/C back up and running that 351 can handle the A/C and p/s easier than the 302. I was looking for every possible way to remove items that cut my horsepower as my current 302 has neither. Just a side note, changing spark plugs on my 351w was easier than changing them on my 302 with BOSS 302 valve covers. It is now easier to pull the valve covers to change plugs unless you have hands the size of a 5-year-old. The carburetors of both my 351w and 302 protruded through the hood as both had very high-rise manifolds and carb spacers. Not an issue with a functioning Comet GT hood scoop. Just some additional things to consider before making your final decision.
I took the ram off of the steering system, and still have the high effort P/S steering box. No bracket to worry about. It is truly great as long as you are rolling more than 10 mph. Parking it, you better have shoulders. I probably will go to a Borgeson steering box if I get deep enough into it. Especially if I do the Shelby Drop and add caster to it. I'll need more than shoulders then. My Comet morphed into a street-driven bracket racer. The track was only 12 miles away. 4,62 locked rear end. 5 mpg. I have taken steps to bring it back to being a good cruiser. 3.55 gear now. Nice interior re-do. Drag racing is an hour away now. My shock towers are cut back and plug changes with the 351W is soooo much better than the original 302 and factory towers. Unfortunately, the first two exhaust pipes are aimed right at the upper A arm bolts and that is what makes the headers terrible on mine. How did you work yours out? What king of headers were you running. No worries on A/C. I would be switching to a new Samden (?) compressor vs the original stuff. I have heard it is 3 HP instead of 30 HP to drive them. (probably an exaggeration, but I know the old ones bog the motors down badly)
I have a set of custom headers built for my 351w install by J. Bittle America on the west coast. JBA and I had an agreement that I would pay an upfront price, and they would attempt to build the headers using their already designed headers for a 351w install into a `64/`65 Mustang. I was to write the installation instructions. It took several attempts with shipping back and forth to get the headers workable, however, installation was too difficult for the average Maverick/Comet owner. The project that began in the summer of 1991 was abandoned, but I still have all the paperwork. I also have the headers in my garage attic should I change my mind and decide to go back to a 351w based engine.
Your header journey sounds epic. My journey with my 351W headers started with two brand new sets of headers (I forget for what Ford applications, they were probably swap meet scores) and a used set of unknown brand for a 302 68 Cougar. The used set was definitely the closest to fitting. We cut an inch off each pipe, close to the flange and welded them back together. It worked except the Pitman Arm was too close to a pipe, and a few sharp turns took care of making clearance for itself. The first and third pipe on the driver side exit at a steep angle. The only bolts that fit are small head bolts made for headers, and on the driver side, you have to start threading the rear bolts on those two cylinders with the flange away from the head. This pulls the header into place. There is no room for a straight shot at threading the bolt in. You have to use an ignition wrench on those too. Fun times!
I've had both AC setups and, yes, the Sanden unit is less power consumer than OE but it isn't that drastic a reduction. You can definetly tell when it kicks in, it ain't nothing like newer cars as I can't tell when my Dodge Caravan kicks in. If I lived in Florida, I would get it back in line unless I were going strictly racing.
