im pretty new to the truck scene, so consiquently, i dont know as much as i should. i recently bought a '63 f100 w/ a 77 lincoln 460 in it. i am interested in putting on some headers and exhaust, so i can get a nice sound out of her. any recommendations or warnings?

 

does the engine have stock exhaust manifolds on it right now? if so i would advise leaving them on as you dont have to deal with leaking headers gaskets. then all you have to do is just get a muffler shop to hook up a nice exhaust system to the manifolds. it will produce a nice sound. but if you are looking for preformance then i guess you will have to go with a set of headers over the manifold. try l&l. not sure but they might have what your looking for.


1977 F250 460
C6 Hedman Headers
Dual 40 series
edelbrock performer
holley 4150
msd 6a and blaster coil

 

Yes I think the stock manifolds are great. My grandmother has them on her 1977 4 door lincon. The local bridge club of which she is a member thinks that they are quite nifty.

However due to the fact that they are quite restrictive to anything more than a stock engine I would reccomend going to a quality set of full length headers. Use good gaskets and header bolts and you will have no leaks.

Nick from the frozen north
1974 F-250 4X4
soon to be 429
dana 60 front and rear

 

thanks for the input guys. although i do feel that if im going to do it, i should do it right. might as well get some performance out of her along with the sound. what kind of price range would i be looking at with or with/out headers? and recommendations for exhaust?

 

oh be nice. i must admit that when buying headers you really do get what you pay for, and 200 may seem about average but sometimes its not. the reason i recomend leaving the stock manifolds on is this, what if no one makes headers for that truck/engine combo, granted there may be several, also if the motor hasnt been rebuilt in a while you run the risk of breaking a bolt in the head which is not a fun experience. but by all means if you can find a company to supply you with a quality set of headers then good, just make sure the flange is think and use a lot of copper rtv sealant on the new gaskets. might think about getting them ceramic coated for looks and to help the last longer. as for exhaust goes, i only can recomend flowmaster, i love the quality of them and the sound. good luck.
1977 F250 460
C6 Hedman Headers
Dual 40 series
edelbrock performer
holley 4150
msd 6a and blaster coil

 

Why bother spending money on a dual exhaust system when you'll realize very little increase in performance using stock exhaust manifolds? As phantom429 said, go with full tube headers. Dyno tests have shown there is virtually no increase in hp or torque on a 385 series 429/460 with shorty or Y type headers.

A lot of people like flowmaster mufflers, but if you're after performance, check some specs on others with far less back-pressure. Their marketing people have done a great selling job.

RTV red is normally used between headers and the head instead of a gasket. Works great.

As far as application, check with Sanders, Red's or do a search for some of the others who specialize in headers for early iron.

 

I'm working with a 460 out of a '77 Mercury Marquis and I've been told that part of the reason that the big motor doesn't respond to a set of headers is the restrictive exhaust port. Apparently going to bigger exhaust valves and porting is needed before headers really make an improvement.

 

Have you ever looked at a picture comparison stock 289 manifolds and the gt/hi po manifolds? Now look at the exhaust manifolds of the 460, they look more like the Hi po ones, with a smoother flow to them. At least this is true with the set I just took off my 460 that came out of 73 lincoln. I did replace mine with Sanderson headers which fit great and don't leak, but if your looking for sound and ease of use, stick with the stock ones.
IMHO
Rod

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 10-Aug-02 AT 01:17 AM (EST)]The heads on the 77 are the same ones used since about 1973. They should have a part# of D3??????? The better heads ( besides aftermarket ) are the D0VE heads, but beware, these do not have hardened valve seats for unleaded fuel so you would either have to have a machine shop install them or use lead additive with every fill-up. Unless you are turning over 5500 rpm the added expense of the changeover to the earlier heads isn't worth it. If you were rebuilding and engine, that isn't going to turn 7000 rpm, I would just get higher compression pistons and use the 73-up heads that you have with maybe a polish job on the intake side and a gasket port job on the exhaust side.
I didn't see any big gains from the headers that I put on my truck, except that they sound better, and I broke off 2 bolts in the heads. Luckly, I was able to drill them out while still in the truck.

 

None of the cast iron head exhaust ports, C8 through D3 ( D3 used through '78) and even the EFI series, will flow much over 125-135cfm in stock form. DOOE-R exhaust, the CJ/SCJ head, flows 160-170cfm in stock form, but that's with much larger ports and valves.

200cfm on the exhaust port is what you're after, and you can't get there using larger valves and a gasket match port. It takes someone who knows these heads that can go in and do an extensive porting job on the ports and clean up the combustion chamber. There's a guy near Seattle who knows these heads better than anyone and he has to stretch to get 210cfm out of the exhaust port. And people ship him heads at $120 freight r/t all the time. Then larger valves make sense and have something to work with. At that point, with good SS valves, retainers and aftermarket springs, not the ebay stuff, your investment will be approaching a new set of aftermarket aluminum heads that provide the same results in a bolt-on application.

Just grinding off the exhaust port smog bumps is generally worth 25hp, so that gives you some idea of the restrictions.

With one exception, the D2 (open chamber and prone to detonation), all stock cast iron heads will perform about the same at equal compression ratios. The C8 through D1 are preferred for porting as the valve seat height is .100 higher than the later heads and provides better ported flow.

Full tube headers, if you don't restrict them with a 2-2.25" exhaust system and slowmasters or such, will improve your performance and mileage on a stock head. With stock exhaust manifolds or shorty headers, it doesn't much matter what exhaust system you use on an otherwise stock engine.