headers? please add your opnions • The Dodge Challenger Message Board

by **ianandjess** » 13 Apr 2009 14:21

hey guys im trying to decide which headers to use on my 512 stoker so if you could let me know your experiences good & bad with the different brands available this would be a great help
cheers ian

by **dave-r** » 13 Apr 2009 14:57

Dougs headers. 2-inch primary and 3.5-inch collector. Great fit. Great quality.

But don't break the cam in with the ceramic coated ones. The coating needs to be brought up to operating temp slowly and allowed to cool again several times. If you break the cam in with them it makes the finish look bad.

Don't ask. :roll:

by **Goldenblack440** » 13 Apr 2009 15:01

Hi Ian - i have bought TTi headers. One for my 340/360 '73 and a BB set for my '71 440. I bought them from Dave Mahoney, MOPARTS Australia. He is great to deal with and very reasonably priced. He only gets the top of the range which are the ceramic coated inside and out. So far i have only installed the SB one, but they fit very very well and i am very pleased with them. But you cannot run in your engine from new with them, as the extra heat will damage the ceramic coating. Even mine have frosted in a few places. The biggest he sells are the 1 7/8 primary (BB), perhaps you might have to go bigger for your massive cubes? I paid $1200 to my door for teh BB ones. Damn good price.

BTW, i thought you were building a 6-Pack for it? Is it a 512 Six-shooter>?

by **bradburm** » 13 Apr 2009 16:27

Ian,

Just installed a set of Doug's on my Roadrunner, everything was perfect but fired up and found a leak in the #1 weld. I will let you know what and how they treat me......

I am hoping that they will send me a the LH header but my fear is I will have to buy it, install and mail back before I will get any credit........

I will keep you posted.

Brad

by **dave-r** » 13 Apr 2009 21:00

That would depend where you purchase it from wouldn't it?

Places like Summit Racing have good returns policies.

by **drewcrane** » 13 Apr 2009 21:12

i have a st of tti,s they fit/work great,my amc buddies use dougs and they like them too!,your choice make sure the flange that bolts to the head is at least 1/2 inch thick, and make sore the collectors are clocked ,ya know so that the flattest part is at the bottom for maximum clearance,you have some decisions to make :s023:

by **ianandjess** » 14 Apr 2009 7:05

thanks for the fast replies guys sounds like dougs or tti's are the prefered brands
yes steve the 512 with have the six pack unless it gives me trouble then ill put a big 4bbl on an eddie torquer ive got in the shed
cheers ian

by **Goldenblack440** » 14 Apr 2009 14:51

I'm guessing it would make sense to get it all up and running nicely with the 4 barrel and run in for a while - then swap over to the 6 shooter. As that will no doubt have teething probs of its own - don't want extra headaches along with the inevitable engine issues as well. ! I'm doing the same with my 440 Dual Quad set up: running and registered with a Single Carter TQ, then the DQ.

by **bradburm** » 15 Apr 2009 13:27

Doug's is sending me the LH header at no charge to myself and asked if I would send the leaking one back to them (they paid for postage).......so I was only out my time and of course a few bloody knuckles.

by **dave-r** » 15 Apr 2009 13:49

Good to know they will do that.

I have to say I was nothing but impressed with my Dougs Headers. The welding and materials used were very good quality. Cheaper than the TTIs too.

by **ianandjess** » 15 Apr 2009 14:53

thats good to know io was begining to lean towards dougs now that seems to be the most important thing after sales service thanks for the heads up
cheers ian

by **Jon** » 16 Apr 2009 14:10

Any opinion regarding the benifit of ceramic coating on the INside of the tubes?

by **Eddie** » 16 Apr 2009 20:52

I have mine thermal barrier coated inside the exhaust tubes. It doesnt seem to get as hot under the hood. Of course I,ve never rode in there either :lol:

by **Moparman1972** » 16 Apr 2009 22:04

Jon wrote:Any opinion regarding the benifit of ceramic coating on the INside of the tubes?

No rust on the inside!!

Makes the term "Long Lasting Headers" less of an oxymoron. :nod:

Is a good way to give money away if you have too much.

(Pick any of the above)

by **drewcrane** » 16 Apr 2009 22:24

im not totally sure about this maybe dave,or eddie knows but the gasses burn quicker with the ceramic coating ,not sure what the benifit is but mine are coated inside,and after over 10 years still not rusted, :nod:

by **Eddie** » 16 Apr 2009 22:50

Hot gasses expand to cool gasses. This hot gas expansion aids in scavenging the cylinder. Hot gasses also have more velocity than a gas thats cooler which aids in exhaust flow. How much? maybe 1%-3% is what most claim. They arent rust proof however, mine are starting to turn a little 'brown' at the tube joints&flanges. For this you need 321 Stainless :lol:

Which is what my next set of headers will be! :lol:

by **dave-r** » 17 Apr 2009 7:42

Yes. Basically the more heat you keep in the exhaust gas, the faster it moves and the more power you make due to the better cylinder scavenging. So the better insulated your exhaust is the more power it CAN make.

by **ianandjess** » 17 Apr 2009 11:30

how noticable are these gain in actual power is it noticable or just 1 or 2 hp im just thinking that if the gais are sml it might not be worth the extra cost coz if the gain is only a couple of hp on a 500+ hp engine it wouldnt make any difference to someone like me whos not going racing & probably wont have the tyres to get it to the ground but if the gains are significant then better tyres could be a priority
cheers ian

by **dave-r** » 17 Apr 2009 11:47

You will only be talking a few HP I would think. Maybe 10 at most. I doubt any serious research have been done into it except maybe in F1 or something.
Actual gains will depend on how good the engine is and how good the exhaust system is to start with.

Lowering engine bay heat will also gain you power though as the intake charge will be denser (unless you have an intake scoop sealed to the outside). So the combined effect may be worth the effort.

by **Jon** » 17 Apr 2009 14:05

Any help with the eye burning exhaust fumes? Maybe a cat in back for that. :lol:

Eddie, who makes the stainless ones you spoke of?

by **Eddie** » 17 Apr 2009 14:15

Jon wrote:Any help with the eye burning exhaust fumes? Maybe a cat in back for that.

Eddie, who makes the stainless ones you spoke of?

www.spdexhaust.com another is www.stainlessheaders.com I've never used any of these companies before but have discussed a set being made for my R/T with them,(SPD). They said they could 'duplicate' the TTI's I have with minor differences of course, but would fit in the same space I have now. I didnt ask about the price. But would assume it would cost well north of a $1,000 for a pair. :roll:

Or if you have some bending equipment and are handy with a TIG system you can get them in a 'kit' form to save some money.

by **Jon** » 18 Apr 2009 2:02

Thanks for the info Eddie, so they are in production for say a small block Challenger, or are they each custom made?

I think stainless is so cool, my 90 Honda XR 600 has brushed SS header pipes that have held up pretty well (+25K miles). An occasional clean up with steel wool and they look good again. That's with water, mud, bugs, anything sent up from the front tire. Not glossy or shiny mind you, but the nickle look comes back pretty well.

by **Eddie** » 18 Apr 2009 2:40

Jon, I think they would have to be custom made per your application and order specs such as merged collectors, primary tube size, clocked flanges, flange thickness ect,,Plus 99% of most Mopar guys arent going to pay 1200+ bucks for a set of headers so stocking their shelves would drive them out of business. I bet they could only manage to sell a few each year! :lol:

Stainless is superior to any regular steel in my opinion. It's also worth the added cost. It's a only a miracle I'm not a Delorean freak :lol:

by **jimbob 440** » 18 Apr 2009 18:29

just for the record guys i can recommend these ceramic coated hedman headers, since fitting these ive noticed a temp drop in the engine bay when running, aswell as a performance gain, they give good plug lead clearance to, just a little tight routing round power steering box
:thumbsup:

by **Eddie** » 18 Apr 2009 18:53

Sorry Ian, but Jimbob 440 thats a nice looking engine bay! :thumbsup:

Can I ask you how much the Hedmans were? I am looking to buy a set like Ian but dont want to spend a lot, and the fact that mine will have 3/16" holes drilled into each tube near the exhaust port on both sides. :lol:

I was thinking the Hedmans or Bouchillion ones, but the B's are made for a truck chassis. Thanks

by **jimbob 440** » 26 Apr 2009 16:53

headers i got from a swap meet, bloody good deal to £180 gbp :shock:

i did read that they around $430ish the tubes am real good quality and i guess the ceramic coating keeps the price up a bit, nice to not have any paint flaking off like my old headers as you see in the pics good clearance :thumbsup:

by **ianandjess** » 28 Apr 2009 9:46

thanks for the pics & info on those headers jimbob they are a much cheaper option & if they work well like you say they are definately worth concidering
cheers ian