My 72 Ranger is getting a set of headders on it's 351W. How much should I torq the bolts? Summit stainless bolts, stock block, sce copper gaskets. Does anyone have any hints to make installation easy?

 

As a matter of fact I am installing a set of Flowtech headers in my '72 302. Of course the hard one is the passenger side. For this I had to jack up the engine about 2 inches and even then I had to squeeze the pipes together a little where they all enter the collector. Then I could just manage to force them into place. Then I bolted them onto the engine with no gasket and lowered the engine down. (For safety sake when you jack up the engine stick a 2x4 between the mount and frame in case the jack slips) Now the engine lowered into place I found my collector was resting hard against the crossmember so I had to use my floor jack and a 2x4 and push the header up until it cleared the crossmember. The driver's side is just a boltin. Flowtechs are cheap headers so maybe the fit will be better with yours and you won't have to do so much massaging.

I order to have a straight shot from the collectors back I am thinking of turning the transmission crossmember upsidedown and fabricating a bracket for the transmission mount. Otherwise the pipes will have to be bent up and over the crossmember. Good luck.

 

where exactly did you jack the engine up? I tried today and still can't get the passenger side(the old one ) to clear the starter location on the bell housing. The driver's side was a piece of cake. I'm replacing badly rusted headers with some new heddmans, stripped them down to bare metal and sprayed some ceramic clear cote 1500 degree flameproof. It cures with the regular running of the engine. so one side is done, but I ran out of daylight so I had to put the passenger side back together. I undid both motor mounts and the rear engine mount and jacked under the transmission just behind the bellhousing. got an even lift close to two inches but still no luck. had to be careful because of my clutch equalizer shaft and if I jack only on the passenger side it pushes my driver's side header flanger into the frame crossmember.

 

I put some Hedmans on my 65 with a 302. I pulled the valve cover on the passenger side. It allowed me to lean the header over more, and slide it right into place. I also had the starter off at the time, but I don't know if that helped. On my 70, I had to grind a little off the engine tower, and I also had to shim up the engine off the mounts about half an inch to keep the collectors off the crossmember. These were Flowtechs. The Hedmans fit much better.

 

It sounds like you have the driver's side header in already...I don't think it is supposed to go in until the passenger side is in. Anyways, I had trouble squeezing the passenger side in on my Flowtech headers. I ended up squeezing the pipes together a little bit in the vice where they enter the collector. I could then just force them in. Like Steve, I had to shim up my motor mounts in order to get the headers off of the crossmember. It might be too late, but be sure to unbolt you fan shrowd before you jack up the engine or else you will end up breaking it when the fan gets jacked up against it. Also, if you shim up you motor mounts, check for fan-to-shrowd clearance before you start your engine for the first time...again it will save your fan shrowd. (I know a guy who forgot both these things).

If you are running an automatic, be sure to check that you can shift into all gears before you back out of the driveway for the first run. I know a guy who backed out and then discovered that he couldn't shift into drive...very disappointing.

Good luck.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 25-Mar-02 AT 07:04 PM (EST)]thanks for the info, yeah I do have the driver's side in already- I drove it down to the muffler shop that did my dual exhaust this morning to get some help. Naturally, they don't do headers but they gave me some advice. they said jack the engine maybe a half inch, use some wood, 2x6 or something and brace under the oil pan, makiing sure it reaches all the way across the pan so that it's resting on the cross member and remove the passenger side engine tower and mount, the old one should slide out and the new one in, and I will shim both mounts slightly because the driver's side flange bolt ring barely touches that crossmember under the rear of the engine. these heddmans are about 1 1/2" shorter than the ones that were on it so I'll end up shifting my whole exhaust up that much. oh and no fan shrowd on this truck, wasn't on it when i bought it.

 

did you have any trouble clearing the stearing box on the drivers side? I have a 351w in my 67 short bed and the guy who did the swap beat down the back 2 tubes for clearance at the stearing box. they are beat down about 50-60% and i need to remedy this problem before i burn a valve.

 

completely clear, on my 302, although I did remove the clutch linkage(equalizer shaft)- had to replace the ball bushing anyway. and a bushing for the clutch rod coming through the floorboard.

 

Another thing you can do to get clearance between the collector and the crossmember on the passenger side is to put you jack and a 2x4 under the collector and force it up so you bend the collector up a little bit.

Good luck

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 27-Mar-02 AT 06:47 PM (EST)]Ok, that did it! using a 4 ton floor, a 8" 2x6 and a 4" 2x4, I jacked up the front of the engine blocking between the oil pan and crossmember(after undoing the large bottom bolts on the engine mounts) then undid the passinger engine mount bolts holding it to the block, then undid the four bolts on the engine tower and slid it toward the alternator, but still left it resting on the crossmember, undid that old header and it came right out the top. whew! put the new one in and reversed the order putting everything back. I did add shims to the engine mounts(both sides)using just some 4-5 inch pieces of 1 inch flat bar maybe 1/8 " thick. placing each shim on the bottom side of the main bolt on the mounts. I'm curious though, those mounts seemed to have what looks like a slightly raised dimple above the main bolt which goes into the tower. I'm wondering if those are designed to slip into the bolt slot and keep the mounts more stable? with the shim they don't seem to be doing that- anyone think that's a problem? They definitely helped get the collectors off the rear crossmember but i wonder if i lose a little stability in the engine.???

 

I don't remember seeing any dimple on my mounts. As long as the main bolt is tightened down on both side it should be OK...I think.

 

by the way, got my heddman's online from Summit Racing. $140 including shipping

 

 

Don't forget to readjust your shift linkage and throttle linkage (so you get wide open throttle) after you have shimmed up the engine. I didn't think of the throttle linkage until last night and found that it was only openning about 3/4 with the peddle to the f1oor.