Exhaust Manifold VS Headers

[superman3405]

I have the exhaust manifolds pulled off of my 350, I needed to replace gaskets. They are pretty rusted up and I am considering sandblasting and painting to clean them up. Before I do that I wanted to know what are the major differences between manifolds and headers? Are there any benifits to having headers as opposed to the Exhaust Manifolds?

[g_rod66]

the differance between headers and manafold it headers let the exhaust flow out better. it can increase horsepower, too.

[tom3]

If you do want or need more performance, the headers are a good deal. For everyday driving they are probably more trouble than they are worth. Expense, fitup problems, underhood heat, noise.

[bighillman]

Another common problem with headers is the fact that it seems to be a problem keeping them from warping and blowing exhaust gaskets.

[Elbert]

Originally Posted by superman3405

I have the exhaust manifolds pulled off of my 350, I needed to replace gaskets. They are pretty rusted up and I am considering sandblasting and painting to clean them up. Before I do that I wanted to know what are the major differences between manifolds and headers? Are there any benifits to having headers as opposed to the Exhaust Manifolds?

if your truck is otherwise stock then I think headers are mainly a waste of time. Installing headers even in a truck is a pain in the @ss. Expect to have exhaust leaks, and sometimes the A/C bracket is a half-@ass setup (AC bracket or PS bracket) depending on what year truck it is.

If you have a stock truck then I think your money would be better spent elsewhere. IF you do install headers save your manifolds in case you have a change in plan later.

[DrededSS]

If you should decide to go with headers, use the edelbrock shorties. They're easy to install, and I finally had a donut gasket blow after 2.5 years. I replaced it with a full-metal piece and never had another problem. An occasional check for the tightness of the bolts, perhaps at oil change time, will ensure you have very few problems.

Dred

[67malibu]

I'd agree with going with the shorties. Most are direct fits, including AIR (if you have it) and O2 fittings. When I boogered up the threads with a slightly bent stud on my '88, I found that a set of cheap Flowtechs (~ $160, five years ago) were cheaper than just the one manifold from a junk yard (searched alot of them.) They lined up with the stock pipes, did not need a head pipe gasket and the only leak in five years has been a blown gasket on one side. I went with the metal reinforced gaskets and haven't had another problem. Benefits, mainly you gain a little torque in the low end and perhaps some horses up top were most trucks spend little time. Fitting them in was relatively easy (full length headers, totally different story) but if you want to changes the plugs for numbers 5 and 7 the passenger header has to come off.