New Hooker 3rd-gen F-Body LS swap System Preview
10-05-2015, 03:26 PM
#81
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From Lurbie on Thirdgen.org: This is awesome! However, I don't have the LS setup and already have Dougs LT headers. I wonder how hard it would be to fit the pipes to my headers and whether or not the 4l60 crossmember would work on the 700r4? I know 4l60 and 700r4 are the same trans, but I don't know if the LS engines move the transmission fore/aft which would obviously change the trans crossmember they built for that. Any thoughts? I'd love to buy the header-back system and crossmember if they will work.
10-05-2015, 03:38 PM
#82
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From Lurbie on Thirdgen.org: This is awesome! However, I don't have the LS setup and already have Dougs LT headers. I wonder how hard it would be to fit the pipes to my headers and whether or not the 4l60 crossmember would work on the 700r4? I know 4l60 and 700r4 are the same trans, but I don't know if the LS engines move the transmission fore/aft which would obviously change the trans crossmember they built for that. Any thoughts? I'd love to buy the header-back system and crossmember if they will work.
10-06-2015, 06:34 PM
#85
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The availability of the crossmember is dictated by the lead times required by our supplier, which is 4-5 weeks from now. There's a lot of production requirements to be worked out on their end, so I'm quite comfortable with that lead time. The base crossmember is the same for all transmissions, you will just need to add the 4L80 adapter bracket kit to your order to accommodate your transmission.
10-07-2015, 03:40 PM
#87
Took you guys long enough to get on board with this, lol. but i'm glad to see it. i kind of wish these would have been available last winter, as i would have been first in line for a 1 7/8" set (as long as they could be fit with 3.5" merge collectors).
edit: just saw the part numbers and they're still 1000 damned dollars....ya'll need to do these in mild steel and give the budget swap guys some choices. i bought one of the first run of the hawks swap headers and fitment sucked considering the price. i see these look to fit better, but still has baby collectors.
blerg...i'll stick with my home built fender exits i guess.
edit: just saw the part numbers and they're still 1000 damned dollars....ya'll need to do these in mild steel and give the budget swap guys some choices. i bought one of the first run of the hawks swap headers and fitment sucked considering the price. i see these look to fit better, but still has baby collectors.
blerg...i'll stick with my home built fender exits i guess.
Last edited by thirdgenbum; 10-07-2015 at 03:48 PM.
10-07-2015, 04:20 PM
#88
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Took you guys long enough to get on board with this, lol. but i'm glad to see it. i kind of wish these would have been available last winter, as i would have been first in line for a 1 7/8" set (as long as they could be fit with 3.5" merge collectors).
edit: just saw the part numbers and they're still 1000 damned dollars....ya'll need to do these in mild steel and give the budget swap guys some choices. i bought one of the first run of the hawks swap headers and fitment sucked considering the price. i see these look to fit better, but still has baby collectors.
blerg...i'll stick with my home built fender exits i guess.
edit: just saw the part numbers and they're still 1000 damned dollars....ya'll need to do these in mild steel and give the budget swap guys some choices. i bought one of the first run of the hawks swap headers and fitment sucked considering the price. i see these look to fit better, but still has baby collectors.
blerg...i'll stick with my home built fender exits i guess.
Stainless headers are a bit spendy for some, but $1K is about the average going rate for US made 304SS headers due to the costs involved in manufacturing them.
The collectors are sized for fitment with the mating 2.5" Hooker dual exhaust or to allow someone to make their own 3" custom Y-pipe. I do believe 3.5" cones could be grafted to the collectors after the choke diameter for those that want it.
10-07-2015, 05:59 PM
#89
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Hello Todd,
I have to tell ya, I ordered a set of these headers at 8:02 AM today. At 4:38 PM I have a UPS tracking number!
THANK YOU!
Now light some fires and get the mounts ready.
Thanks Again
UTR
I have to tell ya, I ordered a set of these headers at 8:02 AM today. At 4:38 PM I have a UPS tracking number!
THANK YOU!
Now light some fires and get the mounts ready.
Thanks Again
UTR
10-07-2015, 06:14 PM
#90
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Glad I was able to give you a heads-up. The mounts are out of my hands at this point and subject to the efforts of the supplier to get them on the shelf. As soon as I here any ETA info, I'll be sure to post it up.
10-07-2015, 06:24 PM
#91
Todd,
I fully agree that stainless headers should be about what you're asking. I didn't realize that the mild steel were still in development, so sorry for any premature reaction. I have been emailing big name companies asking for support for this swap in this platform for 8 years, and it's great to finally see a big company like holley step up and get with the program.
in the beginning, this swap was only for the guys that had money. as time has gone on and folks realized that the 4.8/5.3 has similar return on investment for hp per dollar spent, then the more budget minded folks stepped in and it started gaining popularity. The chasm that has to be crossed is the budget minded swapper wants long tube headers in the 450 dollar range, and those just don't really exist (except for some chinese copies of the hawks design, and the hedman version of this is a complete joke). The headers you have here are exactly what i was hoping to see developed. you will sell truck loads of the mild-steel version, i promise you.
for me, i opted last winter to build my own set since i felt i had outgrown the 1 3/4" x 3" hawks headers i had. i built an equal length 1 7/8" x 3.5" mild steel forward facing header with fender exits that i had coated locally. the primary and collector lengths were mapped out in pipe-max and they turned out pretty nice. however, i love these cars and this engine platform and intend to do more swaps. I will be sure to use these in the future
I fully agree that stainless headers should be about what you're asking. I didn't realize that the mild steel were still in development, so sorry for any premature reaction. I have been emailing big name companies asking for support for this swap in this platform for 8 years, and it's great to finally see a big company like holley step up and get with the program.
in the beginning, this swap was only for the guys that had money. as time has gone on and folks realized that the 4.8/5.3 has similar return on investment for hp per dollar spent, then the more budget minded folks stepped in and it started gaining popularity. The chasm that has to be crossed is the budget minded swapper wants long tube headers in the 450 dollar range, and those just don't really exist (except for some chinese copies of the hawks design, and the hedman version of this is a complete joke). The headers you have here are exactly what i was hoping to see developed. you will sell truck loads of the mild-steel version, i promise you.
for me, i opted last winter to build my own set since i felt i had outgrown the 1 3/4" x 3" hawks headers i had. i built an equal length 1 7/8" x 3.5" mild steel forward facing header with fender exits that i had coated locally. the primary and collector lengths were mapped out in pipe-max and they turned out pretty nice. however, i love these cars and this engine platform and intend to do more swaps. I will be sure to use these in the future
10-07-2015, 06:30 PM
#92
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Couple more questions:
Are you using flow dividers in the collectors? (or whatever the proper name for that piece is) Can't tell from the pics you posted.
I see you've added a bolt at the back of the tranny mount. Good move, IMO. Is that a self-tapping/sheet metal bolt, or how did you do that?
Are you using flow dividers in the collectors? (or whatever the proper name for that piece is) Can't tell from the pics you posted.
I see you've added a bolt at the back of the tranny mount. Good move, IMO. Is that a self-tapping/sheet metal bolt, or how did you do that?
10-07-2015, 07:02 PM
#93
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Couple more questions:
Are you using flow dividers in the collectors? (or whatever the proper name for that piece is) Can't tell from the pics you posted.
I see you've added a bolt at the back of the tranny mount. Good move, IMO. Is that a self-tapping/sheet metal bolt, or how did you do that?
Are you using flow dividers in the collectors? (or whatever the proper name for that piece is) Can't tell from the pics you posted.
I see you've added a bolt at the back of the tranny mount. Good move, IMO. Is that a self-tapping/sheet metal bolt, or how did you do that?
10-07-2015, 07:07 PM
#94
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Todd,
I fully agree that stainless headers should be about what you're asking. I didn't realize that the mild steel were still in development, so sorry for any premature reaction. I have been emailing big name companies asking for support for this swap in this platform for 8 years, and it's great to finally see a big company like holley step up and get with the program.
in the beginning, this swap was only for the guys that had money. as time has gone on and folks realized that the 4.8/5.3 has similar return on investment for hp per dollar spent, then the more budget minded folks stepped in and it started gaining popularity. The chasm that has to be crossed is the budget minded swapper wants long tube headers in the 450 dollar range, and those just don't really exist (except for some chinese copies of the hawks design, and the hedman version of this is a complete joke). The headers you have here are exactly what i was hoping to see developed. you will sell truck loads of the mild-steel version, i promise you.
for me, i opted last winter to build my own set since i felt i had outgrown the 1 3/4" x 3" hawks headers i had. i built an equal length 1 7/8" x 3.5" mild steel forward facing header with fender exits that i had coated locally. the primary and collector lengths were mapped out in pipe-max and they turned out pretty nice. however, i love these cars and this engine platform and intend to do more swaps. I will be sure to use these in the future
I fully agree that stainless headers should be about what you're asking. I didn't realize that the mild steel were still in development, so sorry for any premature reaction. I have been emailing big name companies asking for support for this swap in this platform for 8 years, and it's great to finally see a big company like holley step up and get with the program.
in the beginning, this swap was only for the guys that had money. as time has gone on and folks realized that the 4.8/5.3 has similar return on investment for hp per dollar spent, then the more budget minded folks stepped in and it started gaining popularity. The chasm that has to be crossed is the budget minded swapper wants long tube headers in the 450 dollar range, and those just don't really exist (except for some chinese copies of the hawks design, and the hedman version of this is a complete joke). The headers you have here are exactly what i was hoping to see developed. you will sell truck loads of the mild-steel version, i promise you.
for me, i opted last winter to build my own set since i felt i had outgrown the 1 3/4" x 3" hawks headers i had. i built an equal length 1 7/8" x 3.5" mild steel forward facing header with fender exits that i had coated locally. the primary and collector lengths were mapped out in pipe-max and they turned out pretty nice. however, i love these cars and this engine platform and intend to do more swaps. I will be sure to use these in the future
10-07-2015, 07:24 PM
#95
cool deal there are a great deal of these cars that can still be bought for under 1000 dollars whole...and even more small cube ls engines that can be purchased ready to run for under $500...THAT is the market you're dealing with as a whole. the high end guys are far and few between, lol. (We haven't been crowned king of the trailer parks for no reason!)
there are a great deal of these cars that can still be bought for under 1000 dollars whole...and even more small cube ls engines that can be purchased ready to run for under $500...THAT is the market you're dealing with as a whole. the high end guys are far and few between, lol. (We haven't been crowned king of the trailer parks for no reason!)
10-07-2015, 07:56 PM
#96
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"Velocity spears" - I'll have to add that to my gearhead dictionary. 
You came to the same solution for your additional fastener as I did for my missing '82 fastener. I wouldn't say it's "just as stout" as the factory bolts, I'd say it's "more stout"... 
Im glad you noticed the extra mounting bolts I incorporated into the design of the crossmember, since I put in a lot of effort in adding that feature to the design. As far as how they mount, they thread into two 1/4" thick backing plates with welded nuts on them that get installed into the insides of the frame rails through the two large oval holes in the bottom of each rail...the attachment of those two bolts is just as stout as the four factory bolts.
10-08-2015, 01:00 PM
#97
Mild steel versions of these headers will get released in the near future as it is more or less standard practice for us to do so with our swap header applications. It takes time to get all this done and it's common to see one version out before the other.
Stainless headers are a bit spendy for some, but $1K is about the average going rate for US made 304SS headers due to the costs involved in manufacturing them.
The collectors are sized for fitment with the mating 2.5" Hooker dual exhaust or to allow someone to make their own 3" custom Y-pipe. I do believe 3.5" cones could be grafted to the collectors after the choke diameter for those that want it.
Stainless headers are a bit spendy for some, but $1K is about the average going rate for US made 304SS headers due to the costs involved in manufacturing them.
The collectors are sized for fitment with the mating 2.5" Hooker dual exhaust or to allow someone to make their own 3" custom Y-pipe. I do believe 3.5" cones could be grafted to the collectors after the choke diameter for those that want it.
10-08-2015, 05:23 PM
#100
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