Headers????

[klaussk]

Im lookin to buy some painted headers for my 85 k10 5.0 liter. Im not worried about ceramic or anything. the exhaust manifolds on the truck are in rough shape and the passenger side has a leak. i think it might be a crack but theres some kind on heat sheild on it so i havent bothered to investigate it very well. Im looking at either the summit racing ones. or a set of flowtech ones. ill probly go with the a set of hooker headers. but the others a little cheaper.i have access to a metal shop and i can make minor changes if nessecary but id rather not. im just not familiar with the brands and im curious about quality and fitment.thank you.

[beastie_3]

you get what you spend on headers. if you live in a snow area, they wont last but a few years. cheap headers can have uneven head mating surfaces and cause leaks. cheaper headers use thinner metal. I have a set of thorley headers and dont have any issues.

[thachevythang]

X2 on what beastie posted.

I was in desperate need of headers so opted for the $100 summit brand. Just need the truck running for now type thing. Better than stock. Fit was fine. You will probably have to get an a/c bracket if you're going to keep it. I did away with mine.

The "heat shield" is supposed to have a duct to the stock air cleaner. I don't know the purpose but its just in the way. You can remove it once you have the manifold unbolted from the head. The leak could be from old gaskets, or like when I replaced mine I found I didn't have any!

[ToddN]

Well,
like anything with these trucks, it's maintenance.  I bought a pair of Jegs for a $100 almost 5 years ago and I live in Maine.  There is salt or at least residue from salt at least 6 months a year.  I took them off 2 years ago, sand blasted them (I guess you could use steel wool and some elbow grease) painted them with header paint and they are doing just fine.  I'll do it again next year.

[1979C20]

I bought mine off craigslist for 40 bucks. The flanges are warped and they are stained with mud(came off a mud runner). But they work great. I am going to silicone around the ports like sprint cars do to seal them up. I live in AZ  so im not worried about rust.

[Grim 82]

If you're around ND I have a set of painted flowtech's that you can have if you pick them up. I will never run painted headers again. They were on my truck for 6 months and now they look like they were just pulled up from the Titanic. I run ceramic coated Hooker Comps now. They are about middle of the road pricewise, and it's pretty tough to beat Thorley headers from everything I have heard, but you will pay more. Regardless of what you choose you will most likely need a bracket of some sorts for your power steering pump and the compressor pump if you have AC.

[klaussk]

i know ill need a bracket for the a/c. i am thinking about removing it. it doesnt blow cold air but it might just need a charge. im to not worried about the a/c because id rather just have the windows down. that duct was already gone when i got the truck and i switched to an open element the day after i got the truck. i also have no idea wat that thing was for but i can see the opening for it on the heat sheild. i think it had to do with emisions or something.maybe an attempt to burn feul better with hotter intake air somehow. im stationed in norfolk right now, they salt the roads sometimes. if i go with painted headers i want to wrap them. i think that will help with corrosion. i discovered why the exhaust manifold on the passenger side leaks though. the truck has a new exhaust from the manifolds back but around the lower left bolt for the flange is completely rusted away so the bolt isnt grabbing anything. im thinking about fabricating a peice to put on the bolt and cover the rusted part so it has something to clamp down on. but theres no garuntee that will work and i dont really think its worth the effort. plus id have to find a longer bolt. but it could be a temporary fix . that leak is driving me nuts. it sounds bad. and the engine runs so smooth and quite but that leak is all i hear. makes my truck sound like a pile of junk.

i have more questions though. will wrapping the headers increase corrosion by trapping water or will the heat of the exhaust get rid of moisture enough to help prevent it. these headers only need to last about 2 years max. once my wife move to norfolk and i get  a place off the ship i plan on building a 383 for the truck and at that point i will invest in better headers.

im leaning towrads the flowtec painted headers because they are made from 18 gauge steel and have o-ring sealed ports. ithink they will hold up well for the time being. and the there definetly in my price range.

once again i thank all of you for your help. i greatly appreciate it. and grim i dont think i can arrange a pickup for those headers. or otherwise id be happy to take them off your hand. i appreciate the offer though. and if you are up for it ill send you money to ship them. and some extra for the trouble.but if not i still am stil lthankful for the offer

[beastie_3]

yes, wrapping headers can increase the corrosion, but i suppose it depends on how much you drive it. Ive never wrapped them, so I dont know if driving it daily will prevent the moisture build up. It could also trap the salt. if it is just two years, you should be good, in my opinion.

[Grim 82]

these headers only need to last about 2 years max. once my wife move to norfolk and i get  a place off the ship i plan on building a 383 for the truck and at that point i will invest in better headers.

Navy?

PM me a shipping address. I'll send them and you can mail me a check for the shipping. I can probably find all the bolts and I'll send aluminum collector gaskets, but I'm not sure if I still have both collectors. They were welded to the old pipe that was since replaced, so I'll have to see if the scrap iron has been taken out yet. Like I said, they are a little rusty, but they should seal up fine and last a good while. The price is right.

[ToddN]

I'm not in the market for headers but have you guys seen those stainless ones on ebay for a hundred bucks and some change?  I read a review on them on another forum awhile back and the guy was going to do another review like a year later to report on how they are working out.

[beastie_3]

Todd, links?

[thachevythang]

Just did a quick search: http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?rt=nc&Make=Chevrolet&_nkw=stainless%20headers&_dmpt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&_fln=1&_ssov=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282

Also have ceramic coated for about the same prices: http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?rt=nc&Make=Chevrolet&_nkw=ceramic%20headers&_dmpt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&_fln=1&_ssov=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282

[ToddN]

Yup.  Those are the ones.  The guy that did the review said that fit and finish were excellent....they "blued" after a couple hundred miles and that he was going to do a review on their dendability. 

[project85]

did anyone have to remove/customize a hydralic clutch line that was in the way? i haven't put my shoorty headers on yet but it looks like the hydralic clutch hose is right in the way. any suggestions?