Looking for some measurements and recommendations from people on long-tube headers. I've got Hooker 3902s on my 425, 68 Cutlass. The car is dropped about 1" (verified with factory datums). Engine crossmember is sitting about 4.25" off the ground. The header is 3" off the ground to the tubes and 2.75" to the bottom of the flange. Its about 2.5" from the top of the header collector to the floor (2" if you measure from the flange).

What options have better ground clearance? Specifically, what options that are not ARH? I know I can go that route, but $1500, plus new starter is a bit insane to tuck a header up an extra inch. I've found some threads about Hedman SBO headers tucking pretty tightly, but I haven't seen that feedback on the BBO headers. So, anyone have feedback and/or measurements to back them up?

 

What options? Factory height springs. DOH! Couldn't resist.

I know guys really like to lower these cars, but that just doesn't appeal to me. I'm running Hooker 3902s off the factory 400 in my '68 4-4-2, but I am running 1" higher springs. Just - my preference. Good luck with correcting your low-hanging flanges - and I mean that sincerely.

 

If I were still building this as a cruiser, or even drag car, sure. But it is being built for autocross and canyon roads. 1" down really isn't that far. I actually bumped it back UP to the 1" drop after installing my taller lower ball joints (which dropped the car another 0.5", for a total of 1.5" down).

What I'm really after is just a measurement of other header brands from the top of the collector (with and without flange) to the bottom of the floorboard. 2.5" of clearance (not counting the flange) is just absurd.

 

Wish I could help, but I'm running a small block. Car is lowered a decent amount and I've got about 3.5" from the ground to the flange. Two years on this set and the only time they've scrapped is pulling onto my lift and I had the bridge jack pushed too far back. I have a set of non-coated Hooker headers in the basement waiting for my next built, one of the bolts on the three bolt flange is at the bottom. I don't understand why they do that, I plan on cutting it off and clocking it so there isn't a bolt at the bottom and then having them coated.

I wish somebody made a decent set of mid length headers for these cars. I'd be willing to give up the power loss from long tubes to mid length, but going to Heddman or Sanderson shorties is a tough pill to swallow.

 

I had the same thought on the flange. Not sure why they made their already terrible ground clearance worse by doing that. Tool access certainly wasn't the driving factor...

The only place I've been having issues has really just been speedbumps (which are at both my local gas station and at work - so no avoiding them)...until I put a passenger in the car. Then I was scraping on minor dips in the road at moderate speeds. Headers don't make very good bumpstops.

The frustrating part is the car really isn't that low. I can't imagine trying to drive this thing with 2" drop spindles...or the guys running that with a drop spring.

 

If you clock the flanges differently with a single bolt on top........you will have trouble seeing the bolt. If you don't crack them open often, you could get by. I would think going to a "4 bolt flange" might be a better idea,
Also consider welding a "rub strip" to the collector flange at about 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock to help keep the collector flange from snagging o something. Have the leading edge of the rub strips angled (not sharp corner).

 

I could maybe see that if they were tight to the floor, but they aren't. There's a massive gap and the top of the tube is easy to see and access.

 

Cut the 3 bolt flanges off and do v-bands or band clamps (I have band). Works great.

 

X2 on this.
I have American racing and they do not come with a flange. I am traveling so I cant measure until this weekend.

 

V band will not help. But cutting off flange and reclock or go to a four bolt where nothing is on the bottom would give around 1/2 inch more clearance.

 

What size/diameter front tires are you running?

 

Right now, 245/60R15 which is 26.6" tall. So plenty tall enough. Again, the car really isn't that low. The headers just hang absurdly low.

 

Agreed - that's a good tire height and exactly what I'm running on my 70 Supreme. I've seen guys with 2" drops and 25" tires asking why they don't have any clearance so I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.

 

Crossmember is 6.25, header tube is at 6. No flanges,safety bell housing sits 1/2” lower than tubes. Poor comparison I know as mine is street strip not handling. 26” front tire.

 

Thank you, Steve! ARH is ridiculously expensive, but at least I know I'd gain a pretty significant amount of clearance with them now. I'd be happy having the tube pretty much even with the crossmember.

 

In all my years of owning Oldsmobile and getting together with other Oldsmobile people in the California area. The header that had the most ground clearance were made by a guy with a business name of Headers by Ed. On a friend's W-30 (Original owner and he order the car in Black with Rally Red stripes). The headers remained tucked up to follow the factory exhaust. They were the only ones that I have seen do that. However in the 70's they were very pricey and I would expect even more pricey today. Bob would often asked the other guy's. How your header clearance lol. Fortunately I had removed the headers from our W-30 in favor of the original exhaust manifolds before I met him. However still have the same head pipe on the car so if you look under it you knew that it have headers on it. The things about his headers that I noticed were interesting were 1. How much clearance he had. 2. The 4 bolt header flange. I haven't seen another 1 since. 3.The header flange to head thickness was the thickest I had seen up to that time. Now they are common place.

 

Ed's Headers were well known in the stock class world back in the day. Today there are many that build different designed headers. equal length ,try-y, step headers that are works of art.
Do you know what happened to the Headers after they were removed?
Thanks for posting.

 

To be honest with you I don't recall what happened to the headers.