I bought a set of Hedman headers for my Olds 350 going into an 86 Cutlass supreme, and the drivers side is hitting the starter alot. The other side fits great. I have a Summit mini starter on it, I would need to smash in over half the tube to make it fit. Is there something different about Summit starters than factory style ones? I know to make it fit right, I would have to re route that tube completely. Has anyone encountered this problem?? Is there an easier fix??

Thanks for the help in advance.

 

Sounds like your Hedder is for a 400/425/455.

Norm

 

It says in the item description it will work with a 350.

 

Did you contact Hedman and ask them about this problem? If they are new headers then the company you bought them from can tell you if this is supposed to happen. You might also check out the "search" function on our website. I know alot of people have had header problems in the past. Generally, the amount of money you spend on headers is inversleye proportional to the amount of trouble you will have putting them in. I have known people that end up whacking their headers with a BFH to get them to fit. Not the way to do it IMHO. I would much rather spend the money and get ones that fit from the get go.

 

I can't believe that a mini starter would cause a problem like this. I've had header tubes press on the full size starter, but not a mini starter. Is it hitting on the starter motor body or on the solenoid? Does this starter have the ability to clock the housing relative to the mounting block? Most Olds mini starters are actually Olds/Pontiac mini starters and maybe one size doesn't fit all in your case.

 

Is this the starter you're using:

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

If so, that may be your problem. There are two types of mini starters the ones like yours where the motor housing is offset and the ones where the motor housing is in line, like this:

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

Note the difference in how the two fit relative to the block. If you have the first style, can you clock the motor housing around so it doesn't hit?

 

Yes I do have the first style. I think I can rotate it, I didnt even think about that. I will try that and see how it goes. Thank you for taking the time to research this for me.

 

Ok, update on the headers. The starter does rotate in the mounting base. It still hits but, it is alot less than before. I think I can deal with it.