I've got to make my own headers for my 95 Z since I've out my 454 BBC in. I thought about buying some block huggers and lengthening them out to be long tubes, but I think they will hit on my K-member. Looks like I'm going to have to go with a header kit and make them myself. Has anyone done this and if so could you give me some info before I jump head first.

Heres some links to pictures of muy set up. Maybe these will help you understand what kind of room I have to work with.

Motor IS IN

K-member

 

Madman out in Texas can make ya a set.

 

www.Headersbyed.com. Check out his site and you can pick up a kit. Talk to Ed and he will be very helpful. However, read through the site and get a little background on his header theory(ies), then get a gameplan and warm up the welder .

Edit: Are you actually building these yourself, or looking for someone to build them for you?

Ryan

 

There's a guy who use to post here more than a year ago who put a 454 into a 4th Gen. He had a website with tons of pictures of the install. Can't remember his name, or find a link, but it might be worth a "search", since he's obviously solved all the problems.

 

Zena, big block camaro.

http://home.bellsouth.net/p/s/commun...geid=28387&ck=

Ryan

 

PM Brady over on Ls1tech.com im not sure if hes lurking on this forum or not but they used Hooker 2455s on his BBC with minimal modifications so it may be a good place to start.


http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=401025


Hookers Website

They all three versions, Stainless, Ceramic Coated, and Hit Temp Black

http://www.holley.com/2455-1HKR.asp


-john

 

I tried the Hooker 2455's Thursday. The passenger side could be made to work but I just couldn't find any way what so ever of getting the drivers side to work with out cutting and modifying the headers. I figured if I've got to cut them up I might as well make my own. I've still got a stock K-member so that may be why I couldn't get them in there.

 

Ok i just realized that this is the same thread over on LS1tech.com and stupid me for not noticing lol so if i repeated myself between the two them my bad.

-john

 

www.shoenfeldheaders.com is a good start..get the box of bends...hooker sells flanges with stubs welded so you get a good seal if you dont have a mill...when i make my fknages i run the face across my mill with a fly cutter...

lemons and sthal also makes headers for your swap...expect to pay over a grand for them...hooker used to sell weld joints that go between the tubes so you dont get splatter in the primary...You could also get a tube expander and do slip fits then weld them up like that...I also reccomend that you get the equal diameter tube in that crappy frex tailpipe they sell in autozone...you can cut it and bend it in teh car to get the shape you want...

Hope this helps..

 

I had to modify my Hedman headers to fit around my steering linkage. I orderd some flanges and bends from Headers By Ed, rented the expanding tool from Autozone, loaded my sawzall with a new blade and got to work. It wasn't that bad. Granted, I have no clue how those Hooker headers fit as is, but I think building from the ground up would be MUCH more involved (and expensive) than modifying something out there.

That said, if all Hooker's headers quality could be represented by their LT1 headers, there is much quality left to be desired. I feel I could build better that my old Hookers (main complaints were flange, plug access, collector was not that great, IMO and length. The Hedmans are much better - the Stahl pattern is nice, too).

Just for our own info, could you explain what the problems were on the driver's side? Certain primaries hitting the Kmember, steering linkage, all of the above?

Ryan

 

If I remember right, #3 primary interferes with the steering linkage, It's not that big of deal to fix and WAY easier than fabbing your own headers from a box of bends. A tubular K-member is required though, so if you have a stock K, it might be worth messing with if you don't have the coin for a tubular K. The downside to the 2455's is the small primary diameter, but we did mid 9's a few years ago with a pump gas 540 on a 175 shot at 3500#.. it was a total thrash job, we installed the nitrous at the track.. oh the good times..

 

I didn't go with the tubular K-member because I'm still going to drive it on the street. I really wanted to but I heard too many horror stories about them breaking. I feel like my K-member turned out pretty good but it doesn't leave much room down there. I'm probably going to try the 2455's again this week if can't get it to work I'll just have to make my own.