# Header Recommendations



## MrsJones68 (Apr 28, 2015)

Hi All :seeya: - New to the forum and new to Le Mans ownership. Bought my Le Mans last month, it had been parked behind a guys house for 27 years. The shell is in body and paint currently and I am playing around with the motor in my garage.

Looking for a suggestions on headers. I found a set at Summit racing, but many have said they require extensive modification.

Any input is appreciated

Thanks,


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

Stock engine? Modified?

Headers can be a real pain with Pontiacs because of the tight turn they have to make. There can be, but not always, a tight fit with the oil filter and depending on brand of header, can make oil changes a real trick if not flat out messy. If you have a stick car, seems to be a lot of fit problems with regards to the crossover shaft and often modifications are needed in one form or another.

I just purchased a set of Doug's headers for my '68 Lemans build which uses a little heavier 16 gauge pipe versus many that use the thinner 18 gauge. Good thick exhaust flanges to minimize warping and they come with their own gaskets said to be superior than other header gaskets you can buy. The quality is quite good in my opinion and they are said to fit fairly well. I have a stick and am aware I will probably have to do some mods to get everything to work, but knew that going in.

Headers can also get tight near the starter/solenoid, so I purchased a RobbMc mini starter which has more torque to spin your engine, its much smaller, and you can rotate the solenoid in any position - so you can get it further away from the pipes and heat.

In all honesty, the best choice is a pair of Ram Air cast iron exhaust manifolds from Ram Air Restorations. Click here to check them out: Factory Headers - Pontiac

I would go with the D-Port's having the larger 2.5" outlets and get matching pipes for a really good flowing exhaust. They will be a little more quieter than tube headers, you won't have any issues with header gaskets burning out or needing changing, or header leaks. Paint them with some of the Eastwood exhaust manifold paint and they will last forever whereas headers are going to eventually give out.

The only reason I went with headers is that my engine is not stock and at the HP level I should get out of it, the cast iron pieces would impede exhaust flow & power -otherwise I would have snapped them right up. I think the price is a little better than headers as once you step up to coated headers, it get crazy in price - my opinion 'cause I'm poor


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## 68Resto-mod (Nov 10, 2009)

Nicole
Pontiac Jim gives good advice. I installed the Ram Air Restorations cast headers on my 68. No clearance issues and they work well with the mods I made to my engine. Jim will need real headers because his engine will be moving some serious air through it. 

If your heart is set on real tube headers, Doug's headers (as per Jim above) are well known for best fit in our cars. If you make no additional modifications to your engine, you will get that very pleasing header sound that tube headers make. 

Keep in mind that there will be little or no increase in engine performance with headers unless you plan to do some extensive mods to the engine. But it will sound great!

Enjoy


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## Bensjammin66 (May 12, 2009)

It really is as simple as that. Dougs or Ram air manifolds. Unfortunatly neither are cheap, esp the dougs, but both are worth it for fit and function.


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## MrsJones68 (Apr 28, 2015)

Thank you for the quick response! Very helpful. I have looked into the RARE products, great choice.

Trying to save $$. She will just be a driver, however a little more "go" is never a bad thing. Only modifications is a new Edelbrock Intake and 4 Barrel carb (upgrading from the stock 2). The car is an automatic. I will also be adding dual exhaust.

My husband is totally against me having this car, he fights me every step of the way. :banghead: So every time the savings account goes down, his temper goes up.


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

"My husband is totally against me having this car, he fights me every step of the way. So every time the savings account goes down, his temper goes up."

Wow, usually the other way around. Just put on your best and sweetest smile, look him square in the eye, and say, "Don't make me choose." :lol:


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## MrsJones68 (Apr 28, 2015)

I went with the summit racing long tube headers, I am going to give them a shot. Had a couple of recommendation on them....time will tell. I will not spend hours beating them into place if they do not fit....I will take your advice Pontiac Jim and order the Ram Air ones.


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

MrsJones68 said:


> I went with the summit racing long tube headers, I am going to give them a shot. Had a couple of recommendation on them....time will tell. I will not spend hours beating them into place if they do not fit....I will take your advice Pontiac Jim and order the Ram Air ones.



May work fine seeing you have an automatic. Another problem you may encounter that seems to be a common complaint is the oil filter clearance. There are a number of solutions, but the easiest may simply be a different oil filter that is smaller in diameter but full length. This may cause you to lose 1/2 quart of oil to your overall capacity, 5 1/2 vs 6, but shouldn't be a problem for a stock engine/oil pump. So *IF* you encounter a clearance problem with your header choice, I would go with a smaller dia oil filter first before you get into oil filter adapters or remote/relocating kits that some owners choose to do. Here is a list I put together from various sites, but you will have to be the judge and match them up to be sure.:thumbsup:

1. The NAPA filter 1042 which fits the GM LS series of engines is also a direct fit for older Pontiacs as well. I installed it and it provided plenty of clearance with the Doug's headers. 
2. AC, PF 61 is the small dia, full length filter. .....307 Olds 
3. Fram PH3675 small dia/ full length.
4. Wix 51045 ( smaller dia. and a little longer).


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## tguggino (Aug 31, 2013)

Good luck with the LeMans. 
Same topic different car. I hear great things about the RARE products. Any input on sound? Also, I have a 64 GTO. Will I have any clearance issues using Dougs? 


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

tguggino said:


> Good luck with the LeMans.
> Same topic different car. I hear great things about the RARE products. Any input on sound? Also, I have a 64 GTO. Will I have any clearance issues using Dougs?
> 
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


Unknown. I would say expect an issue or two and if they fit without issue, then your golden. It just seems there is one problem or another and each header choice possess:thumbsup: different problems on different year cars. I have seen one post that the owner used brand "X" headers and they fit perfect and then another owner used the same brand "X" header and it was a nightmare. The oil filter seemed to be one of the more common complaints when I did the research for my headers, but doesn't seem to be something you can't resolve with either a different filter or even a remote oil filter kit if you want to take it that far - but I research remote oil filters as well and I came away thinking they were not what I wanted to put on my car when I weighed the pro's and con's.

Another issue that also seemed to pop up depending on brand of headers was clearance issues with the starter and the pipes. Some headers had pipes bent to fit just fine, others not so good. The cure for that one seems to be the available hi-torque mini-starter. Did the research on those too!:yesnod: Again, like always, many opinions as to what is the best and what isn't. One guy toots one brand while another guy says the same brand was nothing but grief and he got his money back and bought another brand that worked great. I went with a RobbMc mini-starter which allows you to rotate the solenoid to any position for a better fit if you have issues with your header pipes. It also get wired up slightly different and directions come with it to do this. *BearGFR* uses one on his big 11 second ride and others seem to say it is a good choice. Not as cheap as many others -I cringed a bit on the purchase myself. What I am a little leery about is that it does not have a "nose support" for the pinion gear/shaft UNLESS you spend 'mo money for the upgrade. RobbMc does state that if your engine "kicks back" it can break the starter. I'm not running high compression nor any big distributor advance or locking it out, so I didn't feel I needed the "nose support" upgrade.


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## john23 (Mar 6, 2016)

depending on your starting point, headers and duals, a jet change and a timing bump will give you a noticable seat of the pants increase in power


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