On the Hedman shorties I would recommend altering the turn downs before you install them. Have them turned down in order to not point straight at the firewall/steering.
the biggest thing i have against the headman headers is the ports are oval. ford has a square exhaust port. the ovals cover the corners of the square exhaust ports. on some of them the weld that weld the tube to the flange is surfaced to seal the gasket. this weld can be inside of the corner allowing for a exhaust leak.
so far their are no non-compromise headers out their. the long tubes all hang low and can cause ground clearance issues on lowered cars and require the drop down bracket. now the drop down bracket is no big deal to install. some people have had problems with them ripping out of the frame from the added leverage of the longer bracket. with that knowledge you can or have some one build a bracket that has added support along the side of the frame. i dont know about the headman shortys clearing the steering and floor boards as said above but they are listed to have oval ports that wont match the square ports correctly.
Craig, I'm about to install my Thorley's. I would like to hear what needs to be done here. Some pictures would be appreciated, if you can. Micah
If the Hooker 6901's will fit i think ill go with them. Since i have power steering will i need a drop down bracket?
You are going to need the drop down bracket for the 6901s, I installed mine and they fit pretty well the only thing I needed to do was tap in about an inch wide circle of the firewall for the drivers side, no big deal and I think its because im running the 6 cyl motor mounts which set the v8 back a little. I believe jegs also offers a set of shortys but I assume they are just a "jegs brand" version of the thorleys plus they cost about as much as the 6901s.
They point straight back to the firewall. They need to be turned down some. Don't "have" to be...but I think it helps. I took the car and the headers to the muffler shop and said "make them work" and that is what they did. Thorley's are a straight bolt in deal....no mods required.
Sorry Craig, I miss read your statement. Today, I spoke with Jamie over at Thorley. He said that the only issue was needing to put a "S" bend at the initial connection to the header in order to get past the pitman arm. He said if someone brought a car by their shop, he would make up a correct one to be included with the kit. Micah
so i have to ask, will fox bodied shortie headers not work on these cars? I had a set in my 89 notchback and i swear it exited at the same place as a stock manifold would. Im sure its been tried but?
When talking about various brands of headers, the discussion often centers on how the headers fit the car. Equally important is how the headers fit the heads. Many, if not most of the currently available Maverick/Comet headers were designed prior to the availability of high flowing Windsor cylinder heads. My Hooker 6901's will require some grinding and port matching just to fit my AFR 165's without obstructing the exhaust port in any way. I've seen other brands that have even smaller, oval port shapes on the header flanges that have insufficient material to allow them to be enlarged significantly. Bottom line is that if you are using anything other than a stock, un-ported iron factory head, make sure the headers you buy are going to enhance and not restrict the exhaust port.
