[Chevelle-List] Header Question

[Tom Tomlinson]

I'm in the middle of doing some upgrades to my '71 Malibu 350, including headers and exhaust. As far as I know, the engine is stock, but not original; at least the ports on the heads are the stock size. I'm not sure what headers came with the engine, but they were too rusted and dented to attach to the new flowmaster exhaust.   So I purchased a set of Hedman headers (pn 68296 to be precise), which I heard from (some on this list) should fit fine. The passenger side fits great; lots of clearance, and the collectors exit where they should to line up with the indent in the transmission cross member for the exhaust pipe. The drivers side is another story. After bolting them up, they hit the frame cross member as well as the lower control arm. The collector also misses the transmission cross member indent by quite a bit (too far to the outside of the car). If the header flange was at a slightly different angle, so that the pipes ran closer to the engine, I think things would fit fine.   I called Hedman and they said it could be that the one side got "tweeked", and that another may be ok. Luckly, Summit will take them on a return.   1) Do others on this list have experience with Hedman 68296 (or 68290) headers on a small block? How have they fit on the drivers side? 2) Should I expect that much manufacturing variance in headers such that another set might fit? 3) Should I look at another manufacturer?   As always, any help is much appreciated.   Tom Tomlinson '71 Malibu 350 ACES #4284