Thanks HeyYou! I'm leaning towards the ceramic coated JBA or Gibson shorty headers. I've got the aftermarket Magnaflow Y-Pipe and Catalytic Converter already on the truck, with a custom exhaust system the local muffler shop put on there, sounds I need to install the parts and get a good tune.

 

You will very much enjoy the results.

 

Heads came in today, they look good. Only complaint is Fedex opened the box for me... Looks like they took a box cutter to the box and sliced it open and didn't even tape it back up. Nothing was damaged though.

 

Don't waste your time with shorties, ESPECIALLY if you're doing the intake and heads. Tiny 1.5" primaries barely flow more than stock and you're still trying to squeeze it out of a 2" ball collector into a 2" y pipe. Longtubes will yield higher numbers everywhere for nearly the same cost and easier install.

2bbl m1 or airgap won't lose anything when coupled with a tune. And everything else just helps.

 

Actually, dyno tests show that shorties produce more low-mid range torque than long tubes. Long tubes show their advantages at the higher end of the RPM spectrum.

Also, you actually WANT smaller diameter primaries for low end torque, they promote high exhaust velocity, thus, better scavenging at lower RPM.

 

Too much of a blanket statement that doesn't hold true in this application.
For starters, shorties adequately suited to an engine produce LESS low-mid and more high end. Much in the same manner of how a short large runner on an intake manifold vs a long skinny runner works. Longtubes, generally, show their benefit in the low to mid range. Of course, this all depends on the engine's desired RPM range and where the tq is desired. Where your description comes from is the use of larger diameter primaries to achieve active tq production in the mid to high range. The reality is if you're looking for low-mid, you don't want shorties, you want small-ish diameter longtubes. The 1.5" primaries of our shorties produce good tq yes...below 1500rpm. Considering our factory stall is above that, it's pretty much useless. And then you're still squeezing it through the biggest restriction of the entire exhaust system, factory downpipes. In these engines, a 1-3/4" primary tube has shown to be the best all around size for the largest average increase over the entire curve. Small primaries promote high velocity yes. So do long primaries. 1-3/4 is small enough to achieve respectable velocity and when combined with the long 36"+ runner of a pacesetter longtube for example it produces plenty of tq. That 1-3/4 primary is also capable of more cfm and rpm to carry that into an actual hp gain as well

 

Strange, my research tells me, from multiple sources, that in general, long tubes are for high-rpm motors, which the magnum engines most certainly are not. I am going to disagree with you in this instance, and let the OP decide what he wants to do. I encourage him to do his own research, and decide from there.

 

I'm leaning towards the shorties, what Hey You says on the topic lines up with what I've heard from years from people in the car community and most if what I've read online. I also believe they would be easier to install than long tubes because I could just bolt them in. If this were a high rpm car like a mustang, camaro, or firebird I'd go with long tubes, no doubt, but in a truck where I want low end grunt, I want shorties.

 

Yeah, ease of installation was another consideration there.....

 

This is again a blanket statement that is totally inaccurate. Longtubes are designed for a broad tq band that is effective for a wide rpm range. The reason for that common belief is rarely if ever is a shorty produced that has a similar primary diameter to the common available longtubes. 99% of the time it's going to be a smaller tube because the idea behind shorty headers is to have a slight increase over stock in a package that fits and bolts up to stock exhaust. They're really only effective for small bands because the generally small tubes are only effective down low and when a larger tube is used it's too short to produce an effective tq curve at anything but the low end.

Longtubes on the other hand are rarely produced in small primary sizes. Even 4 cylinder hondas usually start at 1-3/4" tubes and then they generally step up further down before they get to the collector. The wide tq curve a longtube is designed for is that very thing that produces nice hp gain. Hp is a function of tq and rpm remember. The wider and larger the tq curve produced, the more you gain in the hp department. Something shorties usually lack.
The longtubes produce a larger tq increase because they actually have a suitably sized primary diameter and length for these engines. Shorties don't have any notable collector, gains to be had there. They utilize factory downpipes which are more restrictive than the factory manifolds, gains to be had there as well.
Some vehicles yes shorties are an easier install.... these are not one of those vehicles. Shorties are a nightmare to install on these for a few reasons.
1. Have fun getting the bolts tightened with the way the tubes twist around. Studs don't really work any better
2. Good luck squeezing that factory y pipe back together to get it bolted up without cutting it.

Longtubes have room to get to every bolt easily and they drop right in. 4x4 is hardly a concern even. Seriously they drop right in, tighten the bolts, slip on the matching y pipe and clamp into existing exhaust at the start of the driveshaft. Worst case you take off the starter to get the driverside in position. Front driveshaft can hit collector when guys lift the truck and don't account for the track bar but other than there's plenty of clearance.