I had headers built for my old 351W (1 3/4 primaries) and will have another set built for my new 351W (1 7/8 primaries). The shock towers in my car have been notched. If you go with an off-the-shelf header, you will have to use a head with a stock exhaust port location or you will run a good chance of running into fitment issues.
Turn up the brighness of your monitor. The top smaller photo shows the towers are cut back. The lower photo shows an engine in a car with a roll cage that goes thru the shock towers and rounds into the frame rails. The suspension has to be different and space gained for the exhaust.
What's the deal with the huge primaries? All you need for a small-block is 1-5/8" primaries, unless it's a full race motor. Reminds me of these guys with their 3-inch exhaust pipes, thinking they're gaining all sorts of extra power, they're not gaining one ounce of extra power. It's just the "bigger is better" mentality...
Depends on the combo. The norm these days is a 500 HP street stroker. Heck, most hot street cars now are faster than my race car! That's why I bracket race...can't afford all the high $$$ heads-up stuff. As far as headers, no I did not try the tubular automotive. I guess I should have added the 1 5/8 or 1 3/4" to what I was typing. The tubular automotive headers are 1 1/2". Thats how they fit. There is no DEFINITE answer to what header fits the 351w in a Maverick chassis. Exactly why I made my own. Was cheaper, even after buying lots of tubing and welding wire, plus they FIT like I wanted them too. Trans swaps were simple...didnt' have to touch the headers. PUtting the headers in was a pain though, they went in WITH the engine....not on it, not from the bottom up, you layed each header in the engine compartment and lowered the engine down, then you had to put the headers 'about' where they should be...and just keep fooling around until it was all bolted up. Not hard, just time consuming and a little frustrating at times. Now, I can blindly throw the headers at the front of the car and they'll be somewhere close. I can have 'em in in less than 5 minutes.
Hmmm...no clearance issues here If I was opting for a 351w in a Mav I would go with the M-2 front end also...street or race...it just makes EVERYTHING so much easier and no matter what mod you want to make in the future it will be much easier.
The top photo is of my car. The towers are not cut. They do have small dents in the top of each tower. I ran for a while without the tower braces in. The towers leaned in a full 2" total of lost engine bay, and the braces would not line back up. So I used a portapower to push the towers back to stock. That is where the dents came from. The bottom photo is a 70 Mav that was treated to shock towers and sub-rails from a 70 Stang. Basically they stuck a 70 Stang engine bay onto a Mav... and we all know that 460s fit into 70 Stangs. If they had used repop B429 towers, they could put a Boss engine in there, or a SOHC! Granted this one looks hacked, it could be done neatly and stock appearing. A 'stock' B429 Mav... Dave
Thanks for straightening me out TL, I would have been totally lost without your guidance. How do you know what is appropriate for my application since you have no idea whatsoever as to what my combination is going to be?
My statement is 100% true. Perhaps you did not read it thoroughly. And it's obvious by your sarcasm and belligerence that you are in fact "totally lost"...
TL, I read your post thoroughly enough to fully understand the point you were making. It is obvious that your comment was directed to me since I was the only one who wrote of the "huge primaries" to which you refer. Let me add that I in no way made any recommendations to FoMoCo73. I was simply demonstrating that you can have any header size you want if you are willing to go through the trouble of building (or paying some else to build) your own. You then proceed to take a shot at me by the way you insinuate that the tubes I have are likely inappropriate for my combination. It is a tenuous criticism at best as you know nothing about me or my application. The tenor of your message makes it clear to me that it was a pompous attempt to illustrate what you perceive to be my incompetence rather than to educate others on the board. To claim otherwise would be disingenuous. While I appreciate your efforts to set me straight, believe me, I will be just fine without your insults. I may not be as omniscient as you but I am also not as lost as you think. FoMoCo73: I hope that I have helped you in some measure and apologize for the direction this thread has taken.
I took no "shot" at anyone, but if the 'shoe fits'... The only "pompous" one is yourself. I simply asked a question about the large primaries, which still has not been answered. I'm not gonna waste anymore time on this, other than to say that only an idiot would put 1-7/8" primary headers on a 351 Windsor. Those are for big-block engines that have been modified. Oh, and I don't need to know your application or "combination" for my statement to be true. How about telling everyone here what that is? Of course you won't, because you know that it would make you look like a fool. My post clearly stated that unless it was for a full-race application, those primaries are too large. If yours is full-race, then you had nothing to get uppety about. If it's not, then they are too big and not adding any performance benefit. I stand by my statement 100% and am not going to argue any further about it. I asked a question, and you are obviously not capable of answering it, but rather only getting defensive. That sends a big message about your knowledge (or the lack thereof) on the subject...
Head exhaust ports and flow numbers dictate the size of headers, the TFS heads on my drag car had to have the headers made for them and unless you want to cover the exhaust ports you better use at least 1-7/8ths primaries, these heads could also be used in a pro-street application. I believe Fred uses or used these same heads, to call someone an idiot when you don't know the application is foolish, and pro-street is not a FULL race application. Another factor that may come into play here is the area of the country you live in, in my state we have no emmisions control, so we can run these heads on the street if we choose to.
Which is it? Are big primaries for big blocks, race motors or big block race motors? Rick, I used to have the old TFS high ports but they went with the short block when I had the car painted. I now have a mildly ported set of Twisted Wedge R's and, as you correctly stated, a 1 7/8" primary tube just clears the corners of the exhaust ports. To use anything smaller would be analogous to "peeing through a straw."
Yep, you are exactly right, Fred. Would like to see facts and figures on the flow numbers for different size tubes and "lengths", which has not been mentioned. Colorado kool-aid can solve a lot of hostility, don't you know. Another factor in the equation, could also have something to do with air density etc. In the high country, you may get by with "pee shooter" size tubes, just more questions to work on for correct answers to this original post.
Yes. Interesting how Riporter and Dave H. were able to answer my simple question, while all you could do was be defensive, sarcastic, and basically an ass...
