Edebrock shorty headers

[dakota tom]

I was looking at Edelbrocks website and came across these. I have not seen them mentioned here before.

http://edelbrock.com/automotive_new/mc/exhaust/headers_streetrod.shtml

 

[petepedlar]

We've used two sets so far at the shop and they seem good...... decent fit & no leaks so far.

Dave

 

[mark johnson]

When it comes to making horsepower, so-called Shorty headers are about as effective as a pair of stock exhaust manifolds. The true function & beauty of long-tube headers is their scavenging ability to help draw the hot gases from the other cylinders. This is the main reason for having headers in the first place but this "scavenging" effect just doesn't happen very effectively, if at all, once a set of Shorty headers are installed. I'd MUCH rather have a set of the Late-'62,'63,'64 HP manifolds (#925-#926) than a set of Shortys. Those 400-425 HP exhaust manifolds are one of the most beautiful, efficient manifolds that Chevrolet EVER developed and put on any PRODUCTION car. They are works of industrial art!

 

[dakota tom]

They look like somthing that would work well for a driver.

At $432 from Jegs compared to $1200 repro exhaust manifolds or $2500 originals on ebay they're relatively inexpensive.

If I was putting together a QA or QB car I would be going for the cast manifolds.

Tuned lenght headers are better for performace but many owners don't like to cut fenderwells or deal with ground clearance issues.

I could not find a mention of them in a search of the board so I just wanted to make them known to someone who was looking for some shorty headers.

 

[58 Guy]

Stats

Hi Dave
You've used them allready, do you have any Dyno numbers or an educated guess as to the dif from the shorties to stock manifolds
John

 

[Skip FIx]

Mark while I agree the HP 409 manifolds are bad a$$ looking, the long branch Pontiac manifolds are even badder. Especially the early ones for the big body SD cars.

http://www.ramairrestoration.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=31_2_21

 

[mark johnson]

I agree with you about the Pontiac exhaust manifolds, especially the aluminum ones! They even paired up the correct cylinders in the correct Tri-Y arrangement: 1-5, 3-7, 2-4, 6-8. Exhaust scavenging has always been an interesting subject to me. Chevrolet at least halfway tried this with the #925-926 HP manifolds. If you look closely at a set you'll see that on the passenger side they paired together 2&4 and then 6&8 which is the proper way to do it, but on the driver side, it's a little harder so they just compromised by separating #7 from 1,3,5 which all three dumped together. This was a vast improvement over the 1961-62 manifold which are jut lumps of cast connecting the exhaust ports together, There was a musclecar magazine that within the last couple of years did a 409 Dyno test and even compared the '62 to the better '63 manifolds and showed the results which I can't remember the increase at the moment.

 

[58 Guy]

Home made headers

Just throwin it out there
Has anybody had luck makin there own headers

 

[petepedlar]

Hi Dave
You've used them allready, do you have any Dyno numbers or an educated guess as to the dif from the shorties to stock manifolds
John

Maybe I worded that wrong John, we have had two customers use them on their cars. We didn't put them on ....... sorry no dyno information. I think they are probably a little better than any of the low performance 2 1/2" exhaust manifolds and a lot better than 2" 348 ones but I agree with what has been said about them not making a bunch of power........ I guess I would say they are a reasonably priced alternative to the low HP 2 1/2" manifolds.

Dave

 

[58 Guy]

Just Curious

Just curious about dif in power but agree that the long tubes would give better flow.
It really is a game of inches

 

[Clyde Waldo]

Just throwin it out there
Has anybody had luck makin there own headers

Yes 58 Guy I have built two sets of exhaust headers, one for my 34 Plymouth coupe with 392 hemi six stromburgs, and one for my 55 T-Bird with 409.

I made my own exhaust flanges (now you can get them store bought) & used prebent tubing cut into sections and welded using acetylene torch and angled the direction needed.

It is a time consuming but kind of fun job. The 55 T-Bird worked out to be not too difficult because the engine sets back in the frame and the front suspension was not at all in the way.

I plan to build a set of headers for my 62 Impala after the T-Bird gets on the road again. The Impala driver side looks fairly easy but the passinger side looks to be a real challange. I have saved lots of pictures of headers and like the Hooker's driver side but havn't seen any made for the passanger side that I like.

Like Mark Johnson I am interested in exhaust headers but don't understand much of the theory just use common sense. Minimize the bends and kinks as much as possibile even if lengths are not identical, is my thinking.

Once you have built a set you will realize why they cost so much.

Clyde

 

[raymar58409]

Dougs headers make tri-Y's but can only find them listed at show cars website. They're not even listed on doug's site. They are not much more $ than the Edelbrock shorties.

Ray

 

[58 Guy]

Yeah

Hey Clyde That's interesting, at least if you make em yourself you stand a better chance of getting what you want, if you take your time.

Whats the old Henny Youngman joke about a Hooker who says that she'll do anything he wants for a hundred bucks and he says OK PAINT MY HOUSE

 

[64ss409]

Once you have built a set you will realize why they cost so much.

That's for sure! I built a set in the mid 60's. It took nearly 2 weeks to get them like I wanted. I ran them for 2 years, then bought Jardines.

Would I build another set? No way. Too many trips under the car for an old guy.

I would call Jerod and order a set.