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Me and my friend have almost identical trucks (Mine is a 80, his is a 82, both have the 300)
He has a set of headers on his, and out just behind the cab. I have manifolds on mine, with a single pipe, and a single cherry bomb and out right behind the rear wheel. His truck sounds way cooler, and is a lot louder, but when it gets down to it, mine will out pull his any day of the week. It just has more power.
I'm just not a fan of headers. I've bought many sets over the years for different vehicles. Despite the manufacturer's claims to the contrary, they normally don't fit well, they are almost always a PITA to install, and they leak (sooner or later).