I have a 1972 Cutlass Supreme with a 455, and I cannot find headers to fit my engine. If you have headers on a 455 engine, please provide a part number from Summit, Original Parts Group, Year One, or any other parts store. Thanks!

 

Just enter "Oldsmobile 455 headers" into a search engine.

https://www.google.com/search?q=olds...hrome&ie=UTF-8

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/15541175557...Bk9SR_Dm7tfdYQ

 

How long will it be before we hear "but it says it won't fit supreme"?

Don't worry it will.

 

Do you know for certain those will fit a 455? Because apparently the seller doesn’t.

Note it says 350-403 engines on the last line.

 

They are made for the BBO. They will fit the SBOs engines, but with the shorter engine of the small blocks they hang down a little lower.

 

Ebay is the bestest for fitment descriptions!

 

I wish it were that easy. When I call and ask, the sales associates always tell me that they won't fit my vehicle, but I know some may have to be modified a little in order to fit.

 

Thank you @Firewalker. Do you know if they are worth buying?

 

The header quality is usually nice on these, especially for the price.

 

There is absolutely no difference between a Supreme and a Cutlass or 442 when it comes to header fitment. People don't know what they're talking about. It is a running joke around here, because it still persists, even among name brand headers.

 

Yep, it is a myth started decades ago and won't die. The catalog listings actually have a footnote that headers won't fit Supremes, which is what those sales folks are telling you. Just tell them you have a 442 and all will be well.

 

Chinesium, Design has been stolen from an American company

 

They can't steal things no one can own like pipe bends, and that American company you like has made everything for 40 years outside the US, and they never made headers as nice as these Ebay ones. NEVER

 

for your 72 w/455 you have
Dougs Ceramic Coated D743 $939.99
Hooker Ceramic Coated 7536-1HKR $1,175.99
American Racing Headers stainless OBBA-64178300HR $1,549.77

 

Also one or more of those names is made outside the USA. China cuts out all those wealthy lazy middle men, like Summit, Holley, Autozone and more.

 

Seems as I recall Heddman, Blackjack, Hooker, and others made more affordable headers that what’s posted above.

 

Rust out quick bare steel, with a light paint on them are cheaper, but are not the same as stainless or coated. On prices the Ebay headers were about $100 cheaper a few years ago, while prices like on Summit have skyrocketed for many things. I remember Heddman's for $49 USA made LOL

 

Hmmmm. Must be a geographic thing. I had a set of plain painted Heddmans on my 1970 Supreme for over a decade while living on the Gulf Coast with no rust issues. Similar headers on the 1971 Supreme have held up for 34 years now. Granted, the last 24 years have been in the Arizona desert but the first 10 were on the Gulf Coast.

 

You just don't get around, if you haven't seen all those rusted up old headers everywhere. I get around I get Around Even BTR, in his book said he had way to many sets of them that rusted to junk, so he only buys stainless. It does depend on where they are, and the type of steel and maintenance on them over years, on how long the cheaply made steel will last.

 

On a side note stainless steel headers are better for the engine. The rust inside the headers is not drawn back into the engine during exhaust gas reversion. On a budget engine not such a big deal but on a high dollar performance engine its worth thinking about.

 

I never thought about it that way, so thank you.

 

Same as I said, depends upon the geographic location. As the original poster is in Georgia, which is likely drier than where I was on the Gulf Coast, and there is little likelihood of salting the roads in the winter, regular headers will likely hold up for a long time. But the decision on what to purchase is his to make.

 

Yeppers, and here are a set of Hedmans for only about $150 more than the stainless on Ebay.`

https://www.hedman.com/product-detail/58150

 

Where is the Steel made for the Made in the USA headers ?
I see so many products with Made in the USA with global and USA materials . If you have the money ARH I think is everyone's first choice.

 

I checked on Google and a number of them claimed to be USA made, but I would want to see their factories actually making them. A lot of products made elsewhere go into boxes, with made in the USA on them. China just wrapped up a peace deal between Saudi and Iran, and it is now turning their attention to stopping Ukraine's slaughter.

 

I haven’t researched but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an area in China named USA just so they could legally label parts as “Made in USA”.

 

You mean as long as it says made in America, but is that North America or South America LOL The legal requirements were not exactly written to tell us honestly where things are made. And you may have been noticing the laws are no longer applying at all, to the people in charge or these corporations.

 

These Chinese headers are very well made, good welds and thick flanges. You shouldn't have any fitment issues with a 455. Mine hit the motor mount on the drivers side but that is on a small block 403. You will probably need a mini starter, mine was super tight, had to combine two mini starters. The Wix 51258 oil filter just touched one tube, needed a slight clamping. I think with the 455's taller deck height, you shouldn't have the issues I had. You do need to the brake metering block, like any full length header.

 

Do they rust, given that not all stainless is the same grade?

 

I have a set of the stainless steel long tubes for 68-72 cars, they are the chinese verywell made ones they used to sell on ebay..I never used them..new.. pm me if you have interest..150.00 plus shipping

 

after cooking my feet, starter, and wires, what a great improvement switching from them old cyclone/blackjack, to dougs coated.

 

Fleming for the win!

Pretty much all domestic "stainless" exhaust parts are going to be either 304 or 409. 304 is an austenitic grade and you'd have a real hard time getting that to rust. Maybe if the car sat in salt water for several years you'd see it discolor but aside from that, it will outlast the vehicle. ARH headers are made out of 304 and you can get full exhaust systems made out of it but it won't be cheap. It work hardens like hell and only a few manufacturers invest in the tooling required to make exhaust systems out of it. The majority of 'stainless' systems and headers out there will be 409. It can oxidize under the right conditions but for most automotive related exposure levels, it'll also outlast the vehicle - especially ours which don't see daily duty. All OE stainless systems that I'm aware of are 409. I have a 409 system on my '69 442 and after several years, it still looks clean and new.
Now, there's talk of 'offshore' headers at low prices made from 'stainless'. I'm always interested in just what grade they're made from. I'd all but guarantee it ain't 304. Might be 409. Or, might be something else which barely registers in the 'stainless' category but is very easy to form/weld/etc. That would be my guess. I'm not saying they're not worth the money. I have no experience with them. Just sayin'.

 

X 2 Very accurate, factual and pertinent description !

 

The Ebay headers are 304 tubes. To test 304 versus 409 (closer to iron) test with a magnet.

Just saying

 

Nope, only discolour from what I see, same my Dakota set. The flange is plain steel, painted them with VHT and used the supplied gaskets against the heads and Optimum Grey coated copper colector gaskets. They did send Metric bolts instead of the 3/8" header flange bolts. My Dakota set sent 3/8" instead of the 5/16" bolts needed.

 

While stainless doesn't rust it does discolor over time, with time and a lot of use, but that is on the surface and can be polished right back to looking like new, if you want to do it. Nickel plating is that way as well and why they put chrome, which is clear, over nickel.

 

It would be interesting to see dyno results ebay V hooker headers or other major brand name.
I think the ARH would out perform all the other brands if the engine was capable of taking advantage of the spike collector and tube layout .

 

Many a brand of headers over the decades have claimed they had the secret ingredient for more power. Maybe yes and maybe no. I would rather see some drag testing including on the collectors, and do testing also of some of my full exhaust ideas that might keep the power without adding noise.

I have always in a way been a rather exhaustive guy. This is what I chose for my BBC Camaro in about 1970. Notice the collector.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275636847358

Then in the mid 80s I chose the Sonic Turbos mufflers for my 455 after they beat everything else in testing.

 

OK, Ebay cheap headers tested