KA Swap Header options

[edutechnic]

Looking for advice on redoing the exhaust on my single cam-swapped 620. I have the factory cast iron manifold and a test exhaust I fabricobbled together. What have you all done?

 

Custom?

 

Decent fitting ebay tubular manifold?

 

I hate the frame rail/torsion bar slot canyon!

 

I'm thinking of ordering up a KA24E flange and some schedule 10 weld Ls and having at it.

ka24e custom header by Brad Buccambuso, on Flickr

[southern620]

not sure about the single cam but on the DOHC the long tube dosen't fit. hits cross member under the truck

[datzenmike]

Run stock manifold and have a muffler shop bend you a custom 2" or 2.25" pipe back to a turbo muffler of the same diameter. Buy a pair of tires with the money saved. Put a Hooker Headers sticker on the window, no one will know the difference. In 3-5 years buy another pair of tires with the money you saved not replacing a rusty leaking header.

[Draker]

Stop making so much sense, mike.

[edutechnic]

not sure about the single cam but on the DOHC the long tube dosen't fit. hits cross member under the truck

Thanks for the feedback!

 

Run stock manifold and have a muffler shop bend you a custom 2" or 2.25" pipe back to a turbo muffler of the same diameter. Buy a pair of tires with the money saved. Put a Hooker Headers sticker on the window, no one will know the difference. In 3-5 years buy another pair of tires with the money you saved not replacing a rusty leaking header.

This definitely saves time and money! I TIG weld decently but am sick of futzing around with this thing.

 

Stop making so much sense, mike.

Agreed, lol!

[datzenmike]

For the most part, stock exhausts work very well. This is why there are almost zero gains on a stock engine. It's only when you start major improvements that they can become restrictive.... but that is a long long way off.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Yeah, but custom headers look sooooo cool.

 

A good header will last a very long time (stainless = forever) and opens the door for other HP mods.

[UnderControl]

On twin cams engines fleabay headers fit although you should relocate the O2 bung.

 

 

I was able to route a 2.5" exhaust pipe around the torsion bar.

[datzenmike]

Never seen them on a car being driven, or parked. If people can't see them and drool then what's the point? Just get a Hooker Headers sticker.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Why do I care what other people think? I like seeing cool parts on my own cars and trucks.

[racerx]

To each his own. I do noticed that the older I get, I want more functionality than looks. When I was younger, all my cars had to have headers. They do sound better but some was also a pain the butt. I would have to constantly tighten them specially for the 75 Celica.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

To each his own and per vehicle. I don't believe that all vehicles are improved by modding them.

 

Anyway, look at that header pictured above. Does it look anything like the cheap crap that the 70's and 80's had to offer? No way. Thicker flanges at the head and better connectors at the outlet now improve the reliability aspect as well. Better gaskets are available now days too.

[datzenmike]

Why do I care what other people think? I like seeing cool parts on my own cars and trucks.

 

I forgot the sarcastic font.

 

 

To each his own and per vehicle. I don't believe that all vehicles are improved by modding them.

 

Anyway, look at that header pictured above. Does it look anything like the cheap crap that the 70's and 80's had to offer? No way. Thicker flanges at the head and better connectors at the outlet now improve the reliability aspect as well. Better gaskets are available now days too.

 

They might last longer, they may fit better, they may even look nicer, but alas, they don't extract more power. On a carb engine they can even run worse by upsetting the exhaust flow.

[thisismatt]

You upset my exhaust flow

[Thehoffinator]

FWIW, Do not buy the eBay header for 100 bucks or whatever it is. At least the long tube version. I guarantee you, they flow far worse than factory. I bought a long tube header for my KA24DE swap, thinking I could modify it to fit. I even got to the point of cutting it up just after the 2-1 connection points thinking I could re-weld the pieces in a different configuration, and dear lord...what I saw inside of the "high flow collectors" was tragic. it is the most garbage thing I've ever seen, a 10 year old with a MIG torch could build better. In one of them, the actual opening for exhaust flow was about 3/4" or less... I will post pics of the evidence in the morning, you can make your own decision. For mine, I went with a custom semi full-length header, and I opted to heat wrap it. I also went against the grain and did not use a 3 bolt flange, but instead a welded 60 degree mandrel "downpipe" from my collector (ordered from Summit Racing) to a ball and socket exhaust joint that continues to the rest of the exhaust. Fits between the torsion and frame rail. This allowed me to run a true 2.5" mandrel exhaust.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Yeah, cheap headers suck, plain and simple.

 

I use them every once in a while to simplify a motor swap (when stock manifolds won't fit and the customer doesn't want to spend for custom stainless headers), but I don't like to.

 

And ditching the 3-bolt flange is about the best advice anyone can give. They are bulky and the thin flanges are sure to warp causing a blown out gasket. Ball and sockets are good, and a dab of anti-seize can help form a tight seal (the anti-seize hardens with heat and makes it's own gasket).

 

I like to use v-band clamps. They are stupid simple and with a male-female connection (where one part of tubing sticks out past the v-band ring and into the opposing v-band ring) they almost never leak or come loose.

[edutechnic]

Great input guys, thanks. I ended up skipping making a header and just buying some 2" stainless tubing and bends to redo the shitty Y pipe/flange I used before and properly route it over the solid axle. I had a 3/8" stainless flange water jet cut a whil eago to match up to the stock header flange.