Tom, I'm catching this thread late, but I looked up my receipt and I have the Hedman 68290's in my '70 small-block. I've had zero trouble with them, and they've been on the car since '98. A couple of the header bolts have loosened a little over time, but it hasn't been what I'd call even a minor headache. Based on my experience, I'd recommend them to anyone looking for a decent, inexpensive header.
To specifically answer your question, the fit on the driver's side is fine. It doesn't have near the amount of clearance the passenger side has, but I didn't have any real headaches putting them on, if I remember. I do seem to remember that I put them in from the bottom, which let me get away with not having to un-do the motor mount. But I do not have any of the alignment issues with the crossmember that you mention. The car isn't here, so I can't go look, but it does seem like they were kinda close to the lower control arm, but not enough to cause me any trouble. It sounds like you did indeed get a header that shouldn't have made it through quality inspection. Just thought I'd pass along my $.02 -Dave -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Tom Tomlinson Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 6:12 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [Chevelle-List] Header Question Thanks for all the suggestions; I'll look into the Sandersons. However, I think I'm on the trail to identifying the headers that came with the car (Hooker Comps); they fit, didn't leak, and stayed tight, so I might switch to them. Tom -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of William King Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 9:50 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Chevelle-List] Header Question One word when it comes to headers..Dont. Look into Sanderson Exhaust manifolds. Hi flow, bolt on, never tighten. At 11:48 PM 3/3/2003 -0500, you wrote: >My experience with Hedman for street headers has been very good. I'd try >to work with them before switching manufacturers. >Don >----- Original Message ----- >From: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Tom Tomlinson >To: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sent: Monday, March 03, 2003 7:47 PM >Subject: [Chevelle-List] Header Question > >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 ----------------------------------------------------- To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----------------------------------------------------- To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----------------------------------------------------- To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
