I have no troubles with Hooker shorties and AC on my 86 with a 305. My AC compressor is on the driver's side, if that helps.

2 1/2" or 3" collectors doesn't matter. For the intermediate pipe, however, 3" is best.

 

Ya, you have NO IDEA how pissed I was when I couldn't get my a/c bracket to mount up
But like you said, if your going to go 350 in the future, get the LT's. Shorties on your 305 will give you PLENTY of gain. There is little to no difference between shorties and LT's on a moderate powered 305. After the 400-450hp mark I would *think* you want the LT's though

 

Ya, mine is on teh drivers side above the power steering pump. If I would have known I could have kept my A/C by using Hooker's, then I would have spent the extra money and gotten them

 

I honestly don't believe shorties are worth it, sure they will give some gain. I really don't know anyone that would rather spend just as much for less performance. Or anyone for that matter that says i will be happy with 300 hp...people may say it until they start modding..then they get addicted and end up buying shorties, then a year or two later buying LT's. I say get what ya pay for and do it right the first time. For example my 94 had Edelbrock shorties on it when I bought it, i swapped to LT's soon after and noticed a very big difference over the shorties. If you really start modding with cams/heads/intakes etc, the shorties will be a major restriction.

 

True,
I may say 350 - 400 now, but who knows what I'll stop at. When I first bought the car I was of the mindset that everything I put on the car should target my end-goal car. I don't want to put say one intake manifold on it now and then replace it in a year. It's just not cost-effective.

So I totally agree with you 89385formula. I just started the thread because I wanted to know the benefits/tradeoffs with both shorties and LT. After everyone's suggestion here is what I plan to finally go with:

Long-Tube, 1-5/8" primary, 2-1/2" collector, 3" y-pipe, ceramic coated.
Vendor: Either Hedman or Hooker

I just need to do a little surfing to find the right vendor for the right price. Plus this will be added in series with a 3" Dynomaz CAT and 3" Flowmaster exhaust kit.

Thanks for all your help, if I run into any problems during the install I'll be back with another posting.

- Jeff

 

Glad to here it. Let me fill you in on a few things real quickly. Your choice for Lt's would be fine, however neither of the vendors you have chosen fall into that category. The hookers are the most popular for the 3rd gens for LT's, they hae 1 3/4" primaries and are pretty costly at $400 uncoated. Next, Hedman LT's are 1 5/8" primaries but both of these headers have 3" collectors. Next, the hookers have a few advantages...they are, they fit with minimal modification..but they are a tight fit. Next, there are a few y pipes available for the hookers so you can hook up the stock or stock style catback. Unfortunately, there are NO y pipes specific to the Hedman LT's. So that pretty much leaves you modifying a catback for the hooker, or having a custom y pipe made. The Hedmans are quite a bit cheaper, at about $130 uncoated. The hedmans also have better ground clearance as well, they tuck alittle closer to the body. Last, if your car is equipped with a T5 transmission, the collector of the Hedmans would need slight modification. Both are great headers, I HAVE had both. The hookers end up being a tad easier, and about the same money if you are going to have the Hedmans modified at an exhaust shop. Also, I know you may want 1 5/8" primaries for the 305, but the difference if you ask me would be negligable...i mean think about it...just an 1/8 of an inch difference in primaries. If You have an auto car the Hedmans fit perfect and would be my choice if you were short on funds but wanted a good header.

 

Thanks again for the tips!

Based on your recommendations, I think then I will go with the Hooker Header's with the 1-3/4" primaries. They may cost more, but overall it sounds like the install will be easier.

Reasoning:Thanks again!

 

Well, the 1/8" difference really does mean something, but not until you get into the upper RPM range. If you go with 1 3/4" primary LTs on a basically stock 305, you will still see a power increase across the board, but it will be especially noticable in the upper RPM range.

- Justin

 

What I meant is that its negligable because it has been stated that the difference between the 1 5/8 and 1 3/4 was like 5-10 hp....but in negative fashion. I agree that the bigger headers will help in the upper R's without a doubt. However I don't agree that you will lose power with the 1/8" larger headers, thats all.

 

Thought I'd provide some feedback as to the final decision I made as far as header choice. I ended up going with the following:
Part Numbers were: 2460-1HKR [header] and 16767HKR [Y-pipe].

I ended up with this for several reasons:
1.) I found out that hooker shorties WILL allow A/C to remain.
2.) If I went with LT, there are no factory Y-pipes that would allow me to use the stock system. I would have to have a muffler shop sutome make me one.
3.) Cost was more reasonable. The shorties cost me $420 including Y-pipe, while the LT has $650 just headers. Altough I said before money was not an issue, there comes a point when you just have to do what makes sense!

Thanks for your help!
Jeff

 

Don't tell this to the LS1 crowd. LS1's are smaller actually less than 350 in^3 and the norm is a 1.75" primary tube.

Studytime

 

89385formula - Don't ever use the Edelbrock shorty headers as a comparison against anything as they are the worst of the bunch. Of course you and others may have gained power by ditching them and going with LTs. However, even MORE research on your part would have led you to other shorty header options. SLPs 1 3/4" primary shorties are excellent headers, and many have run them into the 10s. Several, like you, assumed shorties must be restricting power and spent a grand to upgrade to LTs only to gain a tenth or two. I've had some old Hedman LTs, early Edelbrock dual diameter primary TES, and SLPs 1 3/4". The SLPs do EVERYTHING better!

Besides ground clearance, shorties also allow emissions items to remain intact. If you have strict emissions where you live, you cannot pass with LTs. LTs also require either a custom y-pipe or dual exhaust, or an expensive aftermarket y-pipe. That MUST be factored into LT pricing, as shorty prices often reflect the inclusion of a y-pipe. LT's also have many clearance issues. The starter, a-arms, and floorpans interfere on some brands. Plug clearance on the SLPs is the best I've ever seen in a 3rd or 4th gen F-body.

 

I have SLP headers w/ y-pipe... They run about 500-550 dollars. They fit in place great just like the stockers and, all stock acc. work fine with them, even the smog pump still hooks up.. No problems with speed bumps or anything.

 

I would always go with long tubes over shorties. In order for the "header effect" to properly work, the primary tubes have to be equal length and fairly long. So basically all shorties are is a larger tube exhaust manifold. Sure they will be better than stock (usually) but not worth the money if you ask me. I believe Hooker super competition long tube headers are the only ones that actually have equal length primary tubes out of the bunch.

 

^Have you ever seen the stock manifolds on 305's? I drink out of straws that are larger than the ports on the stockers! ANYTHING on a 305 is better than stock. Sitting Bull (another cz28'er) experienced 30-dyno hp from doing a full exhaust on his 305.