I have searched previous posts and I am now even more confued on which headers to buy. I have pretty much ruled out long tubes just becasue of ground clearance issues. My car is lowered. I am leaning towards the Macs but I saw a pic of a pair and it appeared that one of the tubes was a slip fit design and I am sort of uncomfortable with that. Performance is important but I also want a header that has a qaulity build that wont require constant attention due to leaking gaskets and such. Thanks for the help.

Steve

 

yes the macs have the #1 primary that goes around the sterring shaft is a slip fit. I had macs for 5 years with no issues at all. Only reason i got rid of them is i went with Long tubes. For the money they cant be beat.

 

I've had my mac headers on for about 4-5 months and I haven't had any problems. I've tightened them up 4 or so times and still no leaks. I'm just not a big fan of the slight ticking under acceleration, but that'll happen with any type of headers.

 

Thanks for the replies. Anyone else have any thoughts? Thanks

Steve

 

Steve,

I just finished installing a set of TPIS long tube headers on a lowered car. It has BMR springs all around and probably sits about 1" lower. To give you an idea of the clearance... I can wedge a soda can (standing on end) between the ground and the collector with almost zero clearance. The driver side seems to be a tad bit lower than the other. Had to remove the heat shield from the passenger side because it just barely touched the collector there.

They do install from the top, but not without a lot of work on the passenger side. Plug access is excellent also.

Just giving you an idea here. If you buy a good quality built long tube, you can still have the ground clearance.

The Macs are a nice choice though.

-Mindgame

 

I suggest RK Sport since your getting larger primaries of Longtubes that cost $175 less than Ceramic Coated MACS. $450.00! RK's are the same as SLP/AS&M and TPIS mids. They will have the same ground clearance. Also mentioned was the fact that some TPIS's fit pretty tight against the floor, but they will cost a bit more.

As for the slip fit just go to NAPA and get exhaust pipe sealant and seal the fit. I did that to my Hooker LT's and its never leaked in over 2 years.

-Dustin-

 

Do your headers do that too? Mine has a ticking noise under load but I know its not a leak.

 

first i would get 94-95 style headers. they work alot better then the newer ones.

i had edelbrock headers and loved them... hard to beat the price.
i gained 3-4 tenths from them.

 

Whatever headers you buy, use quality gaskets and bolts. I've had no problems with my headers with Earl's gaskets and Stage 8 bolts and they've been on for 3 years now.

 

Along the same question. Are SLP coated any good? How much difference are AS&M mids or similar mids verses SLP shorties coated? Any or how is header wrapped recommended? What items or which plug wires need protection during install of SLP or AS&M? Thanks for any experienced installs.

 

SLP and AS&M are about the same as RK Sport but hundreds of dollars more. I suggest getting RK. Same tube style, same size, etc. Running wires in stock places seem to work better with the AS&M/RK/SLP style headers. Be sure to keep them off primaries, they will burn.

-Dustin-

 

Header wraps aren't a good idea and will usually void any "coating warranty" that comes with a set of headers.

-Mindgame