I have always used cast iron manifolds in the past. Now I am going to have to use some block huggers. I hear guys complain about difficulty with leaks. Anyone have any personel experience or opinions with certain brands? If I am going to spend the bucks for cated headers, I would like to feel as good as I can about what I buy. Thanks in advance. Joe

 

Joe, have you considered the cast iron headers from Sanderson. I have always used the sanderson B/H with no problems, just use a good copper gasket.

 

I've also heard of the leaking headers problem. My mechanic buddy said that they leak because the connected flanges get warped. The sure fire way to solve the problem is to cut the flange so each pipe is seperated and can be bolted individually.

Craig

 

I have block huggers on my 50 F1 with a 3/8 flange the thick flange helps the leaking problem. Ed ke6bnl

 

Yes, I have looked at them. They utilize the same sealing flange as the others. Plus, I really don't care for their appearence. I like the new Speedway cast iron ones, but they also have a flat flange. I am impressed with the HPC blockhugger OEM style flanges, but their header extends too low on the block for my application. The Sanderson CC1 is the best fit I believe. Sounds like you are happy with yours, so that is probably where I'll go. Thanks, Joe.

 

Joe - I recently purchased a set of Motorsport block hugger headers for my 289. They are ceramic coated and have the thick flanges. The headers look awesome and have the big 1 5/8" tubes. The only problem is I couldn't install them. The driver's side went on OK, but the collector flange sit right up against the engine mount. The passenger side hit on the engine mount to where I could not even line up the header bolts or even come close. I tried to remove some metal from the mount and there was just no way. Another problem is the starter, most of the headers will require that you remove the headers to replace your starter, which is a real pain. I also noticed that when the block huggers are installed, the exhaust tip or collector points to the ground. You have to put a tight angle elbow on the collector to connect your pipes. If your truck is lowered, clearance is an issue. I didn't care for the look of the pipes having a radical angle bend either. I also tried a set of the 5.0 headers. The passenger side fits nicely and looks great. The drivers side hit my steering box and there was no room between the tranny and steering box to make the headers work. I'll give you two guesses on what kind of exhaust manifolds I am running now. HINT- They don't have flanges or tubes (smile) I'd love to find a set headers that work. I've been told I may have to go with custom made headers. It's amazing, I have all this room in my engine compartment to where I can basically stand up in it, but can't find a set of headers that will work. I have a great deal on a set of ceramic headers. LOL...
Ed

 

trial and error is a great teacher in these areas, one way to address the leakage problem is to buy the headers uncoated, take them to a competent machine shop and have them blanchard ground on both the engine side and the collector end. This will put you miles ahead on the leak thing, probably a little behind on $ but it sure beats trying to correct it after the fact. strictly my opinion but hey, it's free. hope this is a help to someone. I hope this is legible I am trying to type with an 18 lb cat on my lap. one other thing, be careful how much hug you get, I have seen some brands that actually point at the block and can cause some heating/cooling problems

 

FF56, I can not agree with you any more on the idea. I did that on my 56 this go round prior to sending the huggers to HTP in Utah for the coating. It also kept the huggers from getting scratched during the build/fit/first run process. Yup, more $$, but nice results. Blanch at mach shop: 60.00