Any good recommendations for exhaust headers? Going on a 390 rebuild in a '74 F250 4x4. I'd like to keep the cost under $250 , but I'm not finding anything new for that price.

Flowtech has a nice set for $375 , probably find it cheaper shopping around.

Any advice is appreciated as always!

 

Always worth checking Summit if you're looking to go on the cheap. Dynomax Blackjack headers for your truck are $157.95 (WLK-85066), and Headmans' are $163.95 (HED-89120). You get what you pay for, and they won't last forever, but can't beat the price.

 

I ALWAYS forget about Summit! Thanks!

 

Just put the BlackJack Headers (from Summit) on my 74 F100 390 4x4 this last weekend. I haven't started it yet, have some work to finish up, but the biggest complaint is they only sent me 11 header bolts. New ones are on the way and should be here today. They fit well on the F100 and only needed to clearance 1 tube on the drivers side that was against the oil pan flange. Otherwise I had to move the brake lines down and back a little bit.
For my first set of headers it was a nice, clean, easy install.

Now if I can get everything else finished up so I can hear what it sounds like.

 

When you say ' clearance 1 tube' you had to what, modify the tube placement ?

Glad to hear the install went smoothly.

 

By clearance I mean I had to dent the tube. With the headers bolted up tight, one of the tubes was up against the flange of the oil pan. So I marked where it was against the flange, took that side out and then using a scrap piece of 1 1/2" dia. pipe and a hammer I beat a little dent into the header tube. This gave me a little over 3/8" clearance from the flange and by using the pipe made a nice curved dent rather then trying to beat it with a hammer and having all sorts of different depth dents. Probably little more **** then I need to be with a $300 truck, but why not.

 

Thanks, after I gave it a bit of thought I figured it was something along those lines.

Please post after you get it fired up!

Did you have a new exhaust made or just weld up the old one?

 

I put some Hedeman's fenderwell exit, on my 79 F250 400 4spd. Pretty easy job with a helper, passenger side was a snap, only had to trim metal inner fender well couple of inches.

Drivers side was... well remove dip stick/tube and brake lines from master cyl to proportion valve, install reroute stick and brk lines thru headers. Trimm inner frnder well also.

And some advice, PB blaster them bolts for a week, if you can. You DO NOT want to break any mounting hdrw, makes for a long project.

Use the thick Bronco-Graveyard header exhaust gaskets, make sure the head area and even your hands are oil/grease free before install, to prevent burning up new gaskets.

Using the fenderwell exit one's make doing the rest of the exhaust easy IMO. I ran straight pipe to stacks, left a place to put in some Cherry Bombs later. It' a mudder!

 

When I bought the truck a year ago it had nothing, except manifolds down to a Y pipe then it was rusted off. I temporarly hooked up a piece of pipe, glass pack, and turndown that I scavanged from other projects/people. So this will have a complete new exhaust system.

I am thinking of running duals and turn them out in front of the rear tires. But not dead set yet. Need to get some prices from some shops to see what they would charge before I tackle it myself.

 

With the fenderwell exit headers, at first $8 piece of muffler pipe to some left over straight chrome tips, wala.

Now (modified to be no lower than frame) same $8 pipe to old diesel stacks. Not welded into the stacks so I can remove to splice in some cherry bombs when I need to.

I have a 78 F150 4x4 351M auto, PO put inside frame headers only, had a heck of a time getting around tranni crossmenber. Now lowest point on truck is exhaust pipe, but did turn out in front of back tires.

Usually cheaper, because the muffler shop doesn't have to bend it to fit over rear axle.

Hope this helps. How do you like that "its a mudder" muffler hanger?

 

I had some of those type hangers on my exhaust before I ripped it off. I think mine might have been the #9 type.

 

Yea I beat those tips and pipe up pretty bad, so changed it around a lit. If I beat up the cuttent setup, I am putting them thru the hood, truck pull style.

 

I tried 3 sets through summit on my 76 150 4x4. they first set was hooker comps, the build quality was outstanding. The tubes and flanges were nice and thick. But they would not even atempt to clear the miloden pan on my 360fe. The next set was headmans, they were thin and flimsy. I sent them back right after I read the tag about them being just painted for shipping and would need to be painted with high temp after the shipping stuff burnt off. The final set I kept are dynomax blackjack. the driver side was a pain in the ****. I had to clearence 2 tubes around the aftermarket pan. Instead of just denting them, I like to heat the sides of the tubes up and then bang on them. I basically make the round pipes oval. the passenger side fit like a glove with no problems. The flanges and tubes are noticably thicker than the headmans too. For exhaust I ran 2.5 out of the colectors into a y-pipe with 3 out. And then 3 into a magnaflow muffler with dual 2.5 out up and over the axle coming out behind the rear tires. the y-pipe ended up between the framerail and transmission. Its tight, but not as tight as the dual 2.5 with x-pipe I squeezed in my 4x4 v8 ranger between the frame and transmission above the crossmember!

 

I just ordered this header / dual exhaust setup from Summit today for $252.95.
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

 

I thought of making the pipe oval rather then denting it, but I was low on gas for the torch and I thought for then minimal amount of flow lose to 1 tube and being 3 a.m. when I was installing it, a dent would be good enough for the $300 truck.