i have a 77.5 f-250 crewcab 4x4 i am going to put a 460 engine in and i was woundering who all makes fenderwell exit headers for a standerd trans and how much they cost? i have seen of L&L, and hooker says that theirs only work on auto transmissoins why is that?

 

I think some of it is sometimes the clutch componets get in the way I dont know for sure just a thought. I had a 90 F250 4x4 with a 5 speed and seems all I could get to fit the 351 was shorty headers

 

Go to www.broncograveyard.com and look at their 460 swaps. They sell L&L's and a generic brand which is made by Mad Dog, both fenderwell exit headers. I prefer the L&L's for their thicker flange and for the fact that they're finished and don't require coating.

 

do u have to have them coated and if u can u just put some of that spray paint header coating

 

Have your headers ceramic coated. Nothing will stay on them except the ceramic. If they are uncoated they will rust out and look like hell quickly. The ceramic coating will also keep things much cooler under the hood.

 

L&L uses some really weird nickle coating or something to that effect. It's not quite shiney like chrome, looks more like a silver spray paint but it doesn't come off and doesn't rust. If you ceramic coat them it voids the warranty. If I had any other headers I'd get them ceramic coated. I'm going to just built my own set next time around.

 

Ivan, are you sure those aren't ceramic? The ceramic coating is exactly as you described: "It's not quite shiney like chrome, looks more like a silver spray paint but it doesn't come off and doesn't rust."

 

I don't know Eric. I called L&L before I got mine and asked them about ceramic coating. The tech guy specifically told me not to do it, that they already had their own "special" coating on them. Now you'll have me all confused and I don't have a clue. All I know is they look good and they don't discolor very quickly either, even after getting them red hot.

 

Sounds like ceramic to me. Nickel will discolor. Many of the header manufacturers get a "budget" ceramic coating that is not quite as good as the coating you get if you send a set in for coating. It still seems to be a good coating...

 

So does the hi temp (2000 deg) spray paint not help reduce rusting at all? I just bought some headers to put on a truck I'll drive on weekends, but still wanted to put a slightly tougher finish than what comes on them standard. If I don't want to go to the expense of getting them ceramic coated, will the hi temp paint help at all?

 

The high temp paint will boil right off at the top and some will stick on the lower end which will hold salt etc next to the metal accelerating the rust. Ceramic coating is the ONLY way to go, nothing else works worth beans.

 

Ditto. I even cooked the high temp paint off my cutouts which are 4 feet from the header flange. Hi temp paint is great for engine blocks but just doesn't cut it for the exhaust.

 

The guys down at the custom hot rod shop down the street from me call ceramic "the greatest thing since sliced bread"... They used to use chrome and nickel plating and nothing worked well. They all changed color (oxidized) and rust spots showed thru quickly.

 

are polished headers really a bad idea? what is the rough estimate of these l&l headers i have a 73 f250 4x4 with a 460 swap.

 

Last I checked the L&L's were about $425. I don't remember if there's a price difference for fenderwell vs chassis exit.