74' 302 Headers

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Apr 28, 2009 | 07:03 AM

gtuttle

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74' 302 Headers

I am replacing my old 302 (1974) w/ a rebuilt 302 (1970) & ordered headers from Summit Racing. Tried to put engine in w/headers on, you know what happened there. After getting engine in attempted to put headers on. Took off the starter, the heater core housing (factory air). Loosened up the motor mounts etc. Still will not go in from underneath (which is how Summit said to do it after speaking to them about this problem, they said no problem just come up from the bottom) nor from above. After about 2 days of trying to figure it out finally gave up & put old exhaust back on just to move forward.

My final thought is to just get it running & take it to a muffler shop, is it worth it to have headers on this or not or was it just wishful thinking.

Thanks
Garry

Apr 28, 2009 | 07:14 AM

Dforgy

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From: Missouri

Welcome to the world of headers

Even in a truck with enough room for a pool table under the hood, your going to fight them to no end.

I'm assuming it's 2 wheel drive right?

Apr 28, 2009 | 07:32 AM

gtuttle

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forgot that one, yes 2 wheel drive

Apr 28, 2009 | 09:04 AM

jsutton

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From: Northeast LA

You can get them in from the bottom on the passenger side. I have a 77 with a 302 and Factory air box. What I did was remove the starter, cut the transmission cooler hard lines and replaced them with approved transmission cooler rubber lines, then I removed the radius arm crossmember. I also had to undo the passenger side motor mount nut that goes through the perch and loosen the driver side one so I could raise the passenger side of the engine. There was thread a while back where I said this and someone said they did the same thing except they didn't remove the crossmember. EDIT: I did reinstall the radius arm cross member after I got the headers in!

Also the headers are going to exit right into the tranny crossmember so you're going to need to get around that too. I just used a set of headman collector extensions with S bends in them Hedman Hedders 18804 - Hedman Universal Header X-Tensions to get the exhaust routed up and over the cross member other people have fabbed up their own way to get around this problem.

Good luck, they will fit.

Apr 28, 2009 | 09:21 AM

gtuttle

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This sounds right to me, I figured it would take some re-engineering, according to Summit all you had to do was "just put it in from underneath".
Thanks
Garry

Apr 28, 2009 | 10:10 AM

Poison Oil Racing

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From: Montgomery, IL

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtuttle

This sounds right to me, I figured it would take some re-engineering, according to Summit all you had to do was "just put it in from underneath".
Thanks
Garry

LOL. Basically they were correct, but I had to loosen my motor mounts at the perches and lift the engine up to get them in.
Surprisingly the passenger side was harder than the drivers side. The drivers side just slid in.