I have a '95 sbc 350 to go in my '54 3100. I have removed the wide set of Hedman headers that came with the engine and got a good deal on a set of Hugger headers that are on the way. Can anyone tell me if the Huggers are going to fit in my stock frame after I relocate the steering box for power steering?
Last edited by redwing; 01/25/20188:48 PM. Reason: Add Photo
Redwing, Not sure about your '54 but I used the block huggers on my '37 and they worked fine.
FWIW....I used the old style ram horn on my 52panel and love them......but also put in power steering with the box outside the chassis. ( I have room and wish I had used the ram horn on my 37 which is modified 350)
It will depend on the clearance for the top u-joint of the steering shaft heading down towards the power steering box. Even if it does clear the header, it may be cooked by intense heat coming off of the header. Ramshorns will be close to that u-joint, but they don't put out heat like headers do. Carl
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
Another option for coating those headers is flame sprayed aluminum. When I restored my '36 Chevy pickup in the early 1970s I had the exhaust pipes and muffler flame sprayed and that aluminum coating has protected them with not a single rust spot showing.
I also had the pipes on my '32 Ford roadster street rod flame sprayed with aluminum nearly 15 years ago and the results are the same.
Does the aluminum spray reduce radiated heat? Aluminum is not known for that particular property, if fact it is known for just the opposite. Perhaps someone did not read the entire thread?
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
Well--- I had agreed to pick up the Block Huggers from the seller tomorrow, but he went ahead and sold them today. I can't blame him. A buyer with money today is more sure than a stranger's promise to buy tomorrow. I would have never backed out of the deal, but now I'm free to buy Ramhorns, which sounds like a better choice anyway! Thanks for the input
You should go give the guy who sold the headers out from under you 30 dollars for saving you the headaches that they would have caused you. Make sure the ramshorns are not for a Corvette. They are too big and stick out too far.
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
I'm currently working on a 55-2 that the owner put on block hugger headers against my advice. Now he has a starter heat soak problem and since it is a stick shift there is no aftermarket mini starter available. I'm a big fan of rams horns. Fred
1956 3100 Pickup/Red/350/3sp OD/PS/Disc Brakes 1957 Bel Air Sport Coupe/Red/355/TH350/PS/Disc Brakes 2017 Silverado LT Single Cab SB/Black/5.3/6 Speed Trans 1947 Willys CJ2A w/F-Head engine
Best luck you've had lately- - - -missing out on buying a set of leaky plug wire burners that would have raised the under hood temperature to pizza oven level! Now find a set of cast iron manifolds and save yourself a bunch of grief! Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
"Does the aluminum spray reduce radiated heat? Aluminum is not known for that particular property, if fact it is known for just the opposite. Perhaps someone did not read the entire thread?"
Hi Carl.
I had the parts coated with flame sprayed aluminum only as a permanent rust preventative. In 40+ years on the restored '36 Chevy pickup that has worked out. Aluminum is definitely an excellent conductor of heat. That becomes obvious when welding aluminum. Much higher heat input is required than welding similar pieces of steel. So I would definitely agree with you that aluminum coating would not reduce radiated heat.
Many people have never seen flame sprayed aluminum so seeing it for the first time on my '36 Chevy or '32 Ford starts some interesting conversations. I first saw flame sprayed aluminum on radial aircraft engine jugs at an aircraft engine rebuilding facility. In addition to looking very cool, the shop foreman told me it prevents rust. That was the place that I had coat my exhaust parts.
I have not personally had any adverse effects of radiated heat. On my street rod '32 I built a cold air duct that feeds the air filter ambient air. That makes header heat irrelevant. Another problem I have not personally had is header leaks. That is probably because I had a summer job in 1967 welding at Doug's Headers and learned how to make headers that fit properly and don't leak. I would guess that the leakers are imports from China.
