Got my headers in the mail today. I was just about to buy a kit and fab my own when I read a thread somewhere and Montana Highboy suggested Mad Dog Headers. I had checked there before but "what the heck" I'll check again.
Low and behold there they were. I spoke with the owner to double check and he said he had just put them on the website as business was a little slow this year.

I know exactly how he feels.

Anyway on to the headers. The box was severely damaged but headers were fine. Tubes are 2 inch with collectors that measured 3 3/8 on the inside diameter. Flanges are 5/16th's. Wall thickness must be alot because these are very heavy.

I wish I could tell you that they fit like a glove but I don't have my engine yet. Hoping for next week. I will update this thread when I get them installed for a test fit. They are unfinished and I have to get them coated.

Now for the goods:









I told them I would throw up a post here so once I have test fit I expect all you FE owners to flood this guy with orders.

Cost was 450.00 plus 25.00 to ship. I sent the check on the 11th and they arrived on the 14th. Dang that was fast.

 

Those are nice! You going to coat them?

 

They look neat, but if my guys welded like that at work they wouldn't be working for me for very long. The flange welds are ugly.

Josh

 

That caught my eye as well, for nearly 5 bills that workmanship is just simply unacceptable in my book, Grinner if i were you i'd contact Mad Dog and voice my concerns, if they're stand up guys they'll take the hit on shipping and send you out another set, preferably a set with better welds.

 

Tough crowd in here.

I don't think I ever saw a set of Hooker or Hedman headers that looked any better. They're truck headers, guys. If you want sanitary, food grade TIG welds, spend a grand or more on custom Doug's headers. I think they're fine for a truck. If he's trying to build a trailer queen show truck, fine, see if they can do better. If it's just a street truck of even better, a mud truck, who cares? The welds are plenty strong enough to go the distance and they're not hideous. They'll be rusty in two weeks anyway unless you have them ceramic or jet hot coated. If they're that unacceptable, build a set yourselves and post pictures so we can see what a really outstanding header looks like.

....for the record, you know the weld on the outside of the tube is just a tack weld to hold the pipe in place while they're building the header, right? The weld that holds everything together is INSIDE the tube.

 

Considering I am a certified welding inspector and the fabrication supervisor for our shop I know a thing or two about welds.

For one, the flange opening was too big for the tubes, that's why you see the big "blob" overtaking some of the flanges and not others.

Very shoddy welding and penetration on not only those flanges, but also where the tubes meet the collector.

And those aren't just "truck" headers given the 16 bolt GT/CJ flanges that were used.

Forking out $500 might not be a big deal to you, but to many others it is a big thing and some amount of quality and pride is to be expected with that amount of coin.

For the record I have seen my fair share of headers, from $80 Blackjacks to $1000 Crites and they have all had better welding quality than this.

Not trying to be a poor sport, just pointing out a flaw that just so happens to be right up my alley.

Josh

 

I agree with Bullit and Montana. I'm a fabricator as well and those welds would just be unacceptable. We'll see what they do about it if he pursues them on it.
I've been waiting for this review since that thread where Montana informed us all of the much anticipated Dentside FE Fenderwell headers! I was also about to make some myself. Might still have too....

 

Hmmm, maybe I have something then. The 390 I'm getting has the GT heads on it and uses the extra bolt holes. Regardless, it's going in my truck. ...Making it a truck engine. ...That will be my daily driver. $500 IS a big deal for me, but if I received a set of headers that I thought were sub standard for the sake or a couple welds, I'd probably just fix the welds and drive on. I've made my own fenderwell headers and import headers in my shop for customers. (I make my own mufflers, too) If a customer came back and told me they didn't like the look of my part without the part actually failing, I'd give them their money back and tell them to keep the part and not to come back again. I'm just funny like that. I still have work coming in. I'm just a poor man's hotrod shop out here. I do nice work. If it's not good enough once, it won't ever be good enough for you and you should find another supplier.

I'm not sure why I got upset about this, sorry.

 

I'll add this much. I worked with a guy who built Cobra replicas, and due to the chassis design, no other headers would work. We made our own. The welds shown above would never have been acceptable to us. We would have cleaned them up at least. Of course, by the time someone got to the point of ordering the headers, they had already spent at least $20K thru us, so we took an extra measure to make things look good.

On the other hand, fenderwell headers like these are mostly going a 4wd truck that will be used as a 4wd truck, not a show rig. As long as the welds seal, and have good penetration, they'll satisfy most people.
But yeah, for nearly $500, you'd think they would at least dress up the welds a little......

 

Hard to believe that a company like that won't just hire a good welder and designer. Everybody has to start somewhere in welding but finish welding is not the place. Putting crap out like that should be embarrassing to them. I wouldn't have even shipped those headers. Money is ( should be ) secondary to quality.

 

I sent an email today nicely explaining the weld quality concerns as I was hoping to try something out for all of us that would end up being a very popular product with us.

I gave him the site and thread info so he could see it for himself.

Awaiting Mad Dog's response and will keep you posted, Grin

 

Have to agree.....the idea is great, but the execution not so much.

Like earthquake68 said, they will probably work just fine, but I would be concerned about the looks of it as well.

 

Response from Mad Dog:

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top">Hi Mark, what can I say, I built these myself . there not show headers.I have been building headers for about 40 years and never been treated so poorly and unfair. how can you be judged by a couple of pictures. there heavy duty rough service headers for 4x4 pickups. sorry if your that unhappy please feel free to return them. I take a lot of pride in building the best header possible at a fair price.
thank you, Mark


</td></tr></tbody></table>I plan on keeping the headers as long as the fit is right. I have not built headers before and this will save me alot of time and hair pulling.
If my memory is right a quality kit from other companies were around the $400.00+ mark. My time is worth way,way more than $50.00.

Just my .02

 

I agree. Those are truck headers and they hold fine. If it was show quality go out and buy the kit and do it yourself. 500 for custom made fenderwell exits is a fair price to me.

 

The thing is, it probably took longer to make those crappy welds than to just lay the proper bead in the first place.

Doesn't matter if it's for show or just go.

A fabricator or even a rookie welder should be embarrassed with that.

To each their own.


Josh