Headers on street cars, or anything else.

In most cases deep drop hearders like the 1 7/8 Hookers will take a 
beating on a heavily driven street car, but they don't have to. A person 
just needs to realize they are driving a hot rod with low slung headers 
and thus they don't drive like a maniac. If you are building a Canyon 
Carver type car, then you better bet on dragging headers, or any other 
exhaust a lot. Drag cars are a whole 'nother thing.

To keep gaskets from blowing, #1, don't buy cheap headers with flimsey 
flanges, you get what you pay for.#2, buy your Good Quality headers, 
then ''fix the flanges'' and fit/grindon them if anything at all is not 
as you want it, then get them coated inside and out. #3, buy a good 
quality set of header bolts, and ''tighten'' the bolts regularly for the 
first few heat cycles.Oh yeah, get the best gaskets you can. Cheapo 
gaskets blow.


Hot Star Problems are just an AMC problem when you insist on using a 
stock type starter.For Hot Start issues, it really does not matter on 
many AMCs if it has headers or not. The starters on AMCs, and many 
Fords[hum....same type starters] are very succeptable to heat problems. 
I have seen more than a few AMCs with bone stock exhaust sit and 
''groan'' the starter trying to turn over. In the old days we took H.D. 
Ford Truck field colis and put them in the AMC starters. That works 
pretty well. But over time heat will get those too. What you need to do 
[unless you just are ''all original'' is get oone of the Mini Starters. 
These cure the heat start problems. Headers or not, these cure the 
problem. Beware, not all Mini Starters are the same. The Best known 
brand name out there fails often, and is higher than other brands that 
are less money and have very, very low failure rates. Price also is not 
how to tell a good mini from a bad one.Some use Bushings, not Bearings 
for shaft support. But outside they look alike.Well, almost alike  And 
they[mini starters] also cure the problem on the passenger side of 
Headers & Starter must go in together all at once[if you hold your 
tongue in the right position'' before you can even begin to bolt the 
headers up.

The Edelkbrock shorty headers will certainly cure some exhauist hangin 
issues. They are a needed product. But you big time ''street racers'' 
don't waste your time. If you got a cam big enough to need a single 
plane intake, the shorty headers are just an exhaust cork. When you 
squeeze all 4  of the 1 5/8 tubes down to fit into a stock 2 1/4 inch 
outlet, well, that is not real condusive to high power output.

I will say this about the Edelbrock smog tube type headers I already 
have in stock. They are ''Very Well Made'' Heavy flange, and the entire 
back side is ground flat, not a weld[or missed weld] showing. Lower 2 
bolt 2 1/4 inch flange is also a heavy grade. Class pieces. Edelbrock 
also has relieved the area under the center and end exhaust side head 
bolts. In some cases header flanges hit the tops of the bolt heads and 
you must grind them to get everything to bolt up.

All the above is based on over 30 years of dealing with headers on AMC 
cars. Every bit of it is ''my opinion'' based on what I have built, 
driven, worked on, or seen personally on others cars.Some of you may 
have tried everything I mentioned and had nothing but problems with 
headers. Some of us are luckier than that.

I sure will be glad when my order of Non Smog Edelbrocks' get here. On 
the way I was told.

Regards,

Randy Guynn