3500 miles @ 7 mpg X 2 for return trip that is a 1000 gal of gas, no thank you. Besides I don't have anything that would stay with your truck unless you want to drag over two miles. I might be able to catch you after your tongue fell out.

The point that I am trying to make like the original post here, The guy has been told (correctly) that the FE manifold is a POS and headers are wonderful (opinion).
I just steadfastly beleive that yes he will hear a different sound, and he will stay in the gas pedal more so he can hear those harmonics more, and likely he will think his truck is all powerful now that he has headers. The dual exhaust with low pressure mufflers will give him a high percent of what he thinks he is getting with the headers, without the extra heat, cab noise, starter overload, etc.
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John

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In the cool still quiet of night, you can hear chevies rusting away.

 

Thanks to everyone that has responded it sure seems to be a matter of opinion as to which is better. I think that I will go with the headers and I have been talked into springing for the coated ones also
wheather or not it really makes that much of improvement in performance I think that the improvement in the sound would really be a plus thanks again for the help in makeing my decision Jeff

 

Jeff I hope that you make the right decession, you have read a good discussion on the issues. The starter thing was the clincher for me. I had one to go out and went to a well known parts chain store and walked out with a reman with a lifetime warranty. I spent about 7 hours getting the job done. Only a couple of times out of it's parking place and about 20 cranks that one goes out. The second time because of my fresh knowlege I was able to do the job in 4 hours. I could get under the other truck with the duals and completely exchange the starter out in 20 min.
Enjoy the new toys.
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John

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[link:www.ford-trucks.com/users/jowilker|My Club FTE Page] Member since 01 01

[link:www.ford-trucks.net/users/jowilker/NCFTE.html|NCFTO] North Carolina Ford Truck Owners Group

In the cool still quiet of night, you can hear chevies rusting away.

 

I'f you go with the headers, its going to be noisy and hot. I went with Dynomax headers for my '77 F-250. I'm wishing I stuck with manifolds only because of the noise up front. I can't say anything for performance because the truck wasn't running when I got it, so I only drove it with the headers. I went with the painted headers, and the paint was gone in a matter of hours. But I scratched the hell out of them putting them in so I'm not sure about going with the ceramics unless you know you can get them in without scratching them. Good Luck

Brendan
1977 F-250
351M / 4 Speed
33" BFG Tires
www.angelfire.com/ma4/1977fordf250

 

i can speak from personal experience. last april i took my truck into the shop after putting headers on it, had a true dual flowmaster set up installed. on a stock 460, there was a very big improvement in seat of the pants feel. truck felt a lot happier cruising down the freeway. i still have my old manifolds, dont think i will ever use them again though, i like headers too much. i got hedman headers on mine, i have friends who have had good expieriences with them so i trusted them, and with it taking about half a day to get the old exhaust and manifolds out and the new headers in, i can say that they fit really good. word of advice, but a starter heat protecter blanket.

 

i love headers myself, but maybe that is because i have fenderwell exit headers by l&l on my built 460, the have a lifetime warranty against rust, and take all heat away from the starter, i can literally change my starter in 5 mins because nothing is around it, after i went from my manifolds to these headers with glasspacks, i could feel a big difference in power, this is on a mildy built 460, they aonly ran me 400 bucks, and since they will last so long they are well worth it to me, its up to you man, since your motor is stock...though, you will only see minimal gains, and i doubt you can get fenderwell exit headers

 

 

>>
>Has anyone out there used one of the header wrap insulating
>kits?
>
>Mark

Mark:
I have run a wrap kit, and I can tell you: it's a sure prescription for broken pipes! The manifold, or header, runs so much hotter, if you're running under any kind of sustained load (mountains, trailer tow, etc.) that the metal simply loses all its' strength. Look at a plot of yield strength vs temperature for steel or cast iron and you'll see what I mean; steel at 1000F has about a 1500 psi yield strength, about equal to that of silly putty!
If you want to reduce your exhaust restriction, go to two separate pipes out of the stock manifolds, unless you're running a race engine, and you're running it wide-open most of the time - that, BTW, is the only time you're actually reducing the backpressure.

 

Don't know about preformance gains header vs manifold. I have a 71 f250 xlt cs. Installed cheep set of flowtek headers from autozone.
ran them for 12 months then wraped them with cool it thermo-tec wrap.
ran them for 9 months on street & strip. no problems with heat on headers. starter did not over heat. looking for more speed installed
hooker headers what a waste of money on help. i am going to wrap them
this winter. also lift right side of engine and header easy to remove. 1 to 2 hours to change starter. just my .05 cents worth

1971 F250 CS
Best 1/8th ET. 9.42 off motor
Best 1/8th ET. 8.32 With n2o

 

Stated a million times in here, but very true..headers are a pain but they reveal a gain. My 79 has the fenderwell exits also, and I think they look awesome out there, but if your gonna run them, make sure your tires arent gonna rub em. I had a hole on my one headers before I put my lift on cuz my 33x12.5's just barely caught a curve when I turned. They do unleash pretty much power, considering the rest of the exhaust is setup right. Gives you some nice head turning, chest rumbling, people scarin sound too!

It's not what you buy, it's what you build!

1979 F-150 4x4 Shortbed 4 spd 33x12.5's (3" Susp Lift in progress) and many other neat thingers
1978 F-150 w/250 front end Supercab 4x4 Dana HD44 Towing cam
1977 F-150 Longbed 4x4 4spd Psycho lift cam, Decked & Bored
1996 Ford Explorer