are these header trash?

both those headers are for oval port heads. My car came with a set of those and they leak and also they dont match the port shape so they cause a restriction right at the port. So unless you have the oval port heads then i would not go with them.

 

You do not worry with the headers when changing spark plugs unless you have converted your car to GT40"P" heads. If you have done that, you know it and have far more issues than removing the headers for plugs.

There are some important tricks to installing these headers on our cars.
You can do a search and find the thread where I spelled them all out, or I can hit the high points for you if you like.

Headers are notorious for having the bolts loosen over time.
There are tricks for that, or you can just check them every now and again. There are also locking header bolts that cost more than standard, like Stage 8 for example. If you have the dough, go for them!

The oval shape of the ports is pretty common to headers.
They are larger than the squares that make up our ports, so they don't really restrict per se...
Most header companys have gotten lazy nowadays and make them oval.
Not much you can do about it. They don't leak or restrict. If you want to be particular about it, they probably cause reversion due to the mismatch.
I think it is just cheaper to make the headers that way, because I can't really think of any oval port heads ever made for a small block.

 

i would not use the summit brand headers. i had a set and couldn't get them to fit. i sent them back. my hooker 6901's fit great. i check my header bolts often. they seem to be staying tight now but i've got the D0 heads on. they continually loosened up on my aluminum heads. seems only certain tubes loosened up so i put the stage 8 bollts in and only put the locking washers on those.

 

diff headers

6901,s and 88300,s are basiclly the same.I have compared both on the bench. I used 88300 and had no problems at all. Didnt even have to use a BFH anywhere. I mustta done something rite as the header bolts have never come loose and I have aluminum heads. I did not use the header gaskets supplied as they are junk. I used felpro header gaskets. Just my . TTFN RON

 

ill probably go with the hookers

 

6901-1 or 88308

Are the 6901's more of a squareport design?

Richard

 

A better pic

 

Has anyone ever run the hedman headers on a car with a manual transmission? I know there are several people that use hookers but I would rather use hedmans if i can?

 

I have run several brands of headers.
I cannot recall if any were Hedmans or not though...

The big thing with manual trannys is to make sure the driver's side header has the tubes running in 2 pairs with a large 'hole' between the 2 pairs.
You can see this in the pics posted in this thread.
2 pipes travel upward slightly, and 2 pipes travel together downward.
Leaving the open section between them for the z-bar.
Hedman makes a header that they list for our cars that does NOT have this pipe routing. It will not fit a manual and the 'footnotes' on that header say so. So look at all the small print footnotes when you chose headers.