will headers live as long as cast manifolds? is there anything besides ceramic coating them that will make them last longer? the headers im looking at are HED-86651 from summit, really expensive but they seem pretty decent. i need something that will stand up to a 12-1 propane 545. maybe i should try the L&L headers... opinions? other options? i cant weld so making my own isnt an option

 

No



Other than scraping the rust off and repainting them often, no. And it would be cheaper in the long run to have them ceramic coated anyway.



Which ones and what do you consider "expensive"?



What is your application?

Brad

 

its a 78 ford f250 4x4 that im swapping the 400 out of to put in a 429 stroked out to 545, thats why its got to be for an engine swap... i think im going with the l&l because its chassis exit rather than fenderwell exit... i think the long tube headers would be better for low end power, at least from what ive heard... the ceramic headers i found at summit were 700 dollars... thats a bit too much i think. the l&l were 505 and have lifetime warranty even against rust/rot

 

that hedmen set is the exact header i run.last i knew l&l's were only 1 3/4" or 1 7/8" with a 3"collector.i replaced the l&l's with the hedmens and considering the performance difference i was glad i switched.you've got 24 cubes on me so i wouldn't think you'd want to choke it with the smaller headers.bronco graveyard has some decent 2" headers too.

 

bronco- thats cool that you like the hedmans... how many miles do you have on them? any leaks/issues?

 

miles-don't know.they are on my bronco which is a sand dune toy primarily.they're 3 or 4 yrs old and still look ok.it does not see salt so that helps.the only problem i've had were not the fault of the headers,had a converter break and spray fluid every where and the passenger header,where the fluid hit it the coating is a little messed up.they look good if you don't look too closely.i use victor nitroseal header gaskets and don't have any leaks or blowouts.replaced the gaskets once when engine was out.still using the same collector gaskets tho.it does get street driven as much as i can,it's just not as streetable as it used to be

 

im not worried so much about looks as i am performance and reliability... im building my truck for reliability and functionality... im just doing basic body work to get it legal (like install the new taillights and get the taillight wiring straightened out) im not worrying about the cosmetics of it as im looking for a 1958-59-60 f700+ cab to put on the frame eventually because thats my favorite body style... and those fender flares on the front look cool
either that or leave it as a 78 and just find a cheap semi and put the f700+ cab on that for a really big truck that still gets 8 mpg towing nothing

 

i went coated because painted headers rust and look like crap pretty fast.being a fenderwell exit header,rusty ones would be kinda nasty.what heads are u using?

 

well... as of right now my plan is to use the stock d3ve's and port the crap out of them, but my original plan was to get a pair of blue thunders ... i ended up with less money than i expected though

 

you can get everything else done and do the top end later.strokers are expensive and it's hard to do everything at once.

 

yep i know... i lucked out and found the crank for 360 dollars- at a place that specialized in buick parts lol. h-beams are another 370, forged pistons are just over 500 for the set... and im getting good gapless rings at 300 for the set... then bearings and balancing and machine work... it all adds up quick... i figure by the time im done ill have about 2200-2300 dollars into the shortblock... then about 1200 in parts for the top end plus mild machine work- porting the heads myself- and intake and fuel system will cost another 15-1600 ... and thats my budget stroker

 

are you gonna run a flat tappet cam or a roller? i built mine in steps over a few years and it's a ongoing process .always trying to improve on it but getting sick of sinking $'s in it.got other projects.

 

flat tappet for now... CRN-353901 its pretty mild especially for a 545... but i want to keep the truck very streetable... i figure it should idle smooth at about 5-600 rpm

 

sounds like you've got your ducks in a row,should work out good for ya.what carb are you planning on running?

 

theres where my truck is different- ill be running dual impco 425 propane carbs on the low rise dual quad blue thunder intake