A body 66 chevelle using fbody headers, fitment test
#1
A body 66 chevelle using fbody headers, fitment test
Well i was lucky enough to borrow some fbody headers to try and fit into my 66 chevelle. Long tubes to short tubes. I am glad i have some cool guys that let me try before i buy them. I tried 4 different headers. Here the pics of the ones i tried. I have an un modified fbody pan & i am gonna make my own frame mounts using fbody engine mounts.
Lets start with what didnt fit. The stainless and mid length headers dont fit at all & i dont know who made them. I couldnt make them fit no matter what. Not even if the engine set high or low, or if i even dented the headers or anything, they just wont fit no matter what. Maybe if i cut n welded the tubes but thats a lot of work. I couldnt get the bolts in at all so if you get a free set or get a set cheap like what is in the pic below, forget it unless you want to modify them completely.
Now the headers posted below worked a lot better. The long tubes are flowtechs or flowtecs the guy said. I dont know a part number and neither did he & i didnt measure for primary tube size but will post up when i measure another day. These fit pretty well. Driver side fit well and didnt hit anything or atleast it didnt seem it did to me but if it did it would be very minor mods like denting a little here or there. The passenger side fit also but hit the frame where the tube goes down to the collector & the tranny ear off of a 700r4 im using for mock up. I think the newer trannys dont have ears. I think the tube thats hitting the frame would need just a little work as in minor denting that tube to not hit or rub.
The shorties are pace setter & i think they are 1-5/8" primarys with a 2-1/2" flange collector for a factory Y pipe it looks like. Now the shorty driver side fit with no issues at all. Passenger side #1 tube hit the frame as it comes out & drops down towards the frame to the collector. This would have to be cut & lifted about a 1/2-1" to clear the frame. I think it wouldnt be much work, but its gonna be some work to cut, measure & reweld it back up. Guy wanted $100 for them but i told him $50. Ill see what he says.
I also have a set of 1st gen nova shorty headers to try n fit from church boy racing. Ill post up another day when i try these. Also fbody manifolds fit but may hit the frame from the big *** triangle flange they have. The fit my car but hit the frame, thats an easy fix though, just grind or cut part of the flange to fit. 02 truck manifolds do not fit or i couldnt get them to fit. I think driver side was close to fitting but the passenger landed ontop of the frame. I have a friend who has the 08 & newer truck manifolds as someone said they were different than older manifolds, ill try them out when we meet up next time & ill post pictures & the results up also.
Lets start with what didnt fit. The stainless and mid length headers dont fit at all & i dont know who made them. I couldnt make them fit no matter what. Not even if the engine set high or low, or if i even dented the headers or anything, they just wont fit no matter what. Maybe if i cut n welded the tubes but thats a lot of work. I couldnt get the bolts in at all so if you get a free set or get a set cheap like what is in the pic below, forget it unless you want to modify them completely.
Now the headers posted below worked a lot better. The long tubes are flowtechs or flowtecs the guy said. I dont know a part number and neither did he & i didnt measure for primary tube size but will post up when i measure another day. These fit pretty well. Driver side fit well and didnt hit anything or atleast it didnt seem it did to me but if it did it would be very minor mods like denting a little here or there. The passenger side fit also but hit the frame where the tube goes down to the collector & the tranny ear off of a 700r4 im using for mock up. I think the newer trannys dont have ears. I think the tube thats hitting the frame would need just a little work as in minor denting that tube to not hit or rub.
The shorties are pace setter & i think they are 1-5/8" primarys with a 2-1/2" flange collector for a factory Y pipe it looks like. Now the shorty driver side fit with no issues at all. Passenger side #1 tube hit the frame as it comes out & drops down towards the frame to the collector. This would have to be cut & lifted about a 1/2-1" to clear the frame. I think it wouldnt be much work, but its gonna be some work to cut, measure & reweld it back up. Guy wanted $100 for them but i told him $50. Ill see what he says.
I also have a set of 1st gen nova shorty headers to try n fit from church boy racing. Ill post up another day when i try these. Also fbody manifolds fit but may hit the frame from the big *** triangle flange they have. The fit my car but hit the frame, thats an easy fix though, just grind or cut part of the flange to fit. 02 truck manifolds do not fit or i couldnt get them to fit. I think driver side was close to fitting but the passenger landed ontop of the frame. I have a friend who has the 08 & newer truck manifolds as someone said they were different than older manifolds, ill try them out when we meet up next time & ill post pictures & the results up also.
Last edited by LS1 pwrd NOVA; 03-22-2012 at 11:19 PM.
#5
No thread started just yet. Ive been slacking on that n everything else in life needs attention at the moment. Ive only mocked up the engine with a stock fbody pan. Its real tight with that pan. Ive got maybe a 1/2" from pan hitting the crossmember and 1/2" from passenger head hitting the firewall. Im using stock fbody engine mounts but i am making my own frame mounts out of scrap 1/4" & 1/8" plate steel i had laying around. I mocked up a gutted 700 tranny also. Im trying to get the engine as low as possible. With the tight clearance i have, i gotta make it fit just right. Not much room for error. I may get a ctsv pan if i can find one at a good deal, use this pan stock or modify it to have more clearance or modify a truck pan. Im in the air on this and its what gots me at a standstill at the moment. We cut that tube on the shorty header to fit, i havent tried it yet but it should fit.
#6
[QUOTE=67 church;16211535]Did you test fit the Nova headers?
Not just yet chuck, ive been slacking and they are still in the box un opened. I hope to get some free time this weekend and ill try them out. It was hell getting the fbody headers in but they fit, its gonna be hell getting them out also. Ill post up some pics if they fit or where they hit.
Not just yet chuck, ive been slacking and they are still in the box un opened. I hope to get some free time this weekend and ill try them out. It was hell getting the fbody headers in but they fit, its gonna be hell getting them out also. Ill post up some pics if they fit or where they hit.
#7
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Headers
I used F body manifolds that hit the frame. So I had them milled 3/16" off the bottom to 0" at the top and it rolled them in towards the block. It gave me about an inch clearance from the frame rails and clears everything. The link below has pics to the build.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...ternative.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...ternative.html
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#8
I know what you mean, life grabs at ya from all directions.....Just thinking that as tight as the Nova headers need to be that maybe with a bigger engine bay they could possibly fit! Good luck we will be watching.