OK, I'm pulling the bone stock 351w out of my '83 F-250 Reg Cab 2wd this week to swap out for a remanufactured shortblock. I'm currently knocking things off my wish list and now I'm at the headers...

Just curious what headers you have on your 351w 80-86 and what you can tell me about them? I'm really just looking for the best priced headers that don't require beating the hell out of them to clear anything.

I don't want to spend a fortune on headers, because I'm piecing together parts for a fuel injected & turbocharged stroker engine that I plan to install in a few years. Right now I just want the truck back on the road without emptying the wallet anymore than I have to.

I had some Mustang shorty headers that I thought would work, but the driver's side header will not clear the firewall. I borrowed some long tube headers from a friends 351w powered Torino to check if they would fit, but they wouldn't clear either. So I guess I'm stuck with the headers offered for Ford Trucks & Broncos. Are there differences between the 80-86 and the 87-96 headers? I wouldn't think so, but I'm just trying to broaden my search range and get the best deal.

I've heard the full length headers offered for our trucks don't fit well, but can anyone expand on that? I'm not opposed to using shorty headers either since I'll be fabricating a new dual exhaust system with X-pipe and Spintech Mufflers.


Thanks.

 

My 1981 F100 that I put a 351W in has Ford Motorsport headers. It is 2WD but I bought
the headers about 20 some years ago and I am not sure they still offer them. They are
good though, still going strong after many years and miles.

 

my 85 5.0 has hedmans on it, they sound sweet, i noticed a slight loss in bottom end power, but it seems to have gained quite a bit in the 3500+ range, thats with full dual exhaust too, dumping out the side in front of the wheel with glass packs. performance bent tubing too.

yeah it flows

 

My experience with the flowtech cheap headers on a 351w;

-Clearance in the engine compartment is good.
-Not too bad to install. Some headers are a nightmare and require loosening and moving the engine, these go right in, but I think I had to take all the sparkplugs out of one side and bring it up from the bottom.
-Ground clearance is not good. This doesn't really matter on a 4x4, if you do not go 4 wheeling. But if you do, the hang down under the tranny and get hung up on stuff. I hung mine up on a stump in the woods.
-They did require tweaking(both sets did). Both sets hit the tranny crossmember and or the tranny pan when installed. Taking a long pipe, sticking it up inside the header outlet, and then pulling down on it with all you can muster, will bend the header enough for it to clear.

I had two different sets, because the 1st set rusted out after about 5 years of use in the winter salt where I live. The biggest problem is getting them hooked up. It all hangs very low in harms way, and so does the exhaust when you hook it up. If you drive your truck in the winter, you also need to fabricate a heat stove for the pipe from the aircleaner to hook to the header and get heat from the exhaust.

 

same with hedmans, another thing i noticed with the hedmans was one side (drivers) was angled down a smidge lower than the other, which is no big deal if your running to the exhaust shop for the pipes. but if its a diy pipe install then you might find that annoying.
the hedmans dont hang lower than an AOD, but they are like dead even with the bottom of the pan. So they still hang darn low. if you peek under my truck you would notice the headers and pipes first, then the tranny, they kind of stick out there.

edit my truck is 4x2 not 4x4
p.s. I put summit brand headers on my 75 chev blazer and REALLY liked how they fit. Thats just a side note, and a chevy.


edit 2 : I just crawled under the truck for a separate issue, it was then i noticed that the hedmans do in fact dangle lower than the AOD, about an inch to 1.5 inches lower.

edit 3: I also have a ford racing deep pan on my AOD, so make it 2 inches.

 

I have a 82 f250 4x4 with hedman long tube headers and they sound good and were easy to put on.