The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop 235 headers

looking to install headers on my 235, is there any issue not putting the heat tubes on? any recommendations on header types? see headers on e bay as low as 80? thoughts? advice?

I have 2 trucks a 49 and 51 5 window, both have 1954 235 engines. Got Fenton headers from Joe Mendola 520-235 2659 AZ time. Have Langdons 32/36 carb on both with heat from intake manifold. Go to langdons site and read his tech tips--Good Luck Bill

What kind of racing are you doing? Headers on a street machine are as useless as a screen door in a submarine!
Jerry

not going for racing...my original manifold has been butchered by someone doing duel exhaust, just considering options or looking for an original exhaust manifold

There should be plenty of original exhaust manifolds available from people who took the P.T. Barnum sucker bait and installed headers. Try putting an ad in the swap meet forum.
Jerry

rad, you posted your question in the proper forum. No one should poo poo any custom ideas in this forum except for an obvious safety issue. Hotrodding or customizing these trucks/engines is what this forum is about. Sometimes folks get carried away with originality and forget what Forum they are in. Dual carburetors and dual exhaust are just plain cool eye candy even if they provide little performance improvement. To answer your question, hook up heat if you can. The engine will operate more closely to its designed purpose. Ignore the naysayers and make your truck your own not what somebody else wants it to be.🛠

Thanks I agree, didn't want to start a back and forth but making an engine breath better is fairly basic.

Yeah, This seems to be a common problem.

Yes. I agree. Do not let common sense, reasoning, and logic get in the way of one's dream of appearing cool.
If it were me, and I wanted to have better exhaust flow, I would try to repair the modified original manifold to function as a dual exhaust.
There is a real benefit to the original design of the heat flapper box during cold operation, as well as for some heating of the intake after reaching full operating temperature. Neither of these functions can be duplicated with pipes coming from a header to the intake.

If you want to install the fentons, or do a home made split manifold out of what you have, go to it! It’s a fun project. Tubes from the exhaust to the bottom of the intake, take a pass, they don’t work all that well. Run hot water to the bottom of the intake. Langdon has a plate that might fit a stock intake, otherwise just make one up with two fittings for inlet and outlet hot water. Tom has some other parts to help with this, a spacer for in between the therm housing and the head with a fitting for hot water, or you can use a 50s era gmc lower therm housing. Some come with a port on the driver side already drilled and tapped, others, just the boss so you drill and tap for the hot water.

Using the stock manifold, as mentioned above, has some great benefits. Primarily the use of the stock heat riser. So you split the manifold, weld on a cap one each end, install an outlet on the part that has no outlet, and you have true split manifold with factory heat riser.

Fenton use to make a split manifold with a heat riser but they are pretty rare.

You can also simply add a second outlet onto the stock manifold and get dual exhaust and same deal, you get to keep the stock heat riser.

Clifford performance also makes a set of true tube headers. Want to hear how they sound on a 235 chevy:



You can put a set of electric cutouts on those headers and open them up if you felt in the mood.

I have run headers on all of my 235 and 261 motors for over 40 years. Go ahead, have some fun!

I have tried both water heat and exhaust heat from the fentons to my standard intake manifold .

The water heat took much longer to achieve effective heat and was ultimately cooler than the exhaust heat . I have ended up using exhaust heat . The truck ran like crap with no intake heat at all .

The truck runs great with the fentons , slight adjustment to the carb (metering rod height) wee tweek on the timing

Never forget the "chicks dig it" factor and remember that polished parts are more aerodynamic. Both add HP.

I have had a chick or two pretend to dig my shiny parts, but I am nearly certain they had other nefarious intentions.

What species were these chicks?

Rad
I agree with Martin, it's your truck, build it the way you want.
But you can learn alot reading and asking questions on this site.

Off topic: Ignore the two thread stealing hoodlums that just posted, they can't help it.
Also, I see that you have Grafton as your location. I assume that is Grafton Illinois.
If so, check out the Heartland Bolters once in a while. It's about time to liven that area up in preparation for the Stovebolt Reunion.
https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/forums/68/1/the-heartland.html
There are plenty of bolters around St. Louis.

Don

Personally, I understand that most engines don't operate in the RPM range to make efficient use of headers, but you have to admit they sound great. I say use the headers, you get always change back once you find the right manifold.

If you had enough room, a tuned length will help, but it's probably close to 50" for the primary to get the RPM down.
The siamese exhaust ports confuse the whole thing, there are 2 "extra" reflections in the 2-3 and 4-5 tubes.