I am having an LS installed in my 52 3100. There is little to no room between the steering gearbox and head for an exhaust manifold. I need recommendations for a tight fit header that will clear the stock steering box. Thanks in advance.
52 Chevy 3100 5 Window, LS Swap, 4spd Auto, Vintage Air AC / Heat, CPP Power Front Disc Brake Conversion with bearing upgrade, Power Steering Conversion, LED Tail Lights
Thank you I will take a look. I am considering having the shop install rack and pinion steering.
52 Chevy 3100 5 Window, LS Swap, 4spd Auto, Vintage Air AC / Heat, CPP Power Front Disc Brake Conversion with bearing upgrade, Power Steering Conversion, LED Tail Lights
R&P steering with a straight axle is a disaster waiting to happen. I've never seen one that wasn't deadly dangerous to the people in the vehicle, and everyone who has to share the road with them. Either do the whole independent front suspension conversion, or stick with the OEM steering box. 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!
My friends father did a R&P on his with stock fron end and he said it was almost not driveable. He ended up putting a complete front clip in it. I personally have no issues with mine with the stock stuff. Simple and effective and has worked fine for 70+yrs. when I was looking for info on my swap I noticed everyone would say thing like just change the front end if going LS or build a custom manifold or something to that effect. I then figured out that people have been dropping V8’s into these things since the 50’s so I went back and looked at how the old timers did it. They spaced the steering box out off the frame and ran it forever...... so thats all I did. I put just about 10,000 miles on my truck over past year and I have not had one single complaint about it or any issues.
Okay so no on the R&P, how about the power steering upgrade? It moves the steering box out of the way. R
52 Chevy 3100 5 Window, LS Swap, 4spd Auto, Vintage Air AC / Heat, CPP Power Front Disc Brake Conversion with bearing upgrade, Power Steering Conversion, LED Tail Lights
The fix when installing the earlier small block V8 engines was to use a driver's side exhaust manifold for a 55-57 265 engine with the outlet flange at the front. I doubt if that would be an option with an LS engine, unless the exhaust port size and spacing is the same as the 265.
Edit: Check these out- - - -block hugger cast manifolds with rear outlets:
"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!
Take a look at the 2004 CTSV driver manifold. It's a tight fit, but it may just get you the clearance you need.
If you need to turn the manifold around, the port and fastener spacing match so you can run a passenger side manifold on the driver side if you just don't have any space left on the driver side at all
Tightest manifold I have found was the F body camaro style drivers side manifold. I run 99-02 with the multi layer stamped steel but the slightly newer ones were regular cast and were about the same. Very tight 90 off the head and the flange is clocked where it will clear the frame.
