ebay headers?
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 464
Likes: 4
I am a fan of the chinese headers. I think I've had them for 2 years now with no issues or leaks and very little rust to speak of. Some of the tube bends make installation difficult, but it is possible. I think they are actually 200 series stainless. Tubes seemed thick, flanges beefy, welds nice.
The only fitment issue I had was the flanges needed clearancing around the plug wire heat shields, but all considered I was expecting much worse. I can tell you they have held up much better than the ceramic coated Edelbrock set they replaced. Those rotted between the collector tubes, leaked, and drove me nuts. The tube lengths design also sounded very odd / rough whereas these chinese ones really smoothed out the sound under load.
Highly doubt any performance increase. If I were to go back I would have left the factory manifolds. Anything but longtubes are just not worth the hassle.
The only fitment issue I had was the flanges needed clearancing around the plug wire heat shields, but all considered I was expecting much worse. I can tell you they have held up much better than the ceramic coated Edelbrock set they replaced. Those rotted between the collector tubes, leaked, and drove me nuts. The tube lengths design also sounded very odd / rough whereas these chinese ones really smoothed out the sound under load.
Highly doubt any performance increase. If I were to go back I would have left the factory manifolds. Anything but longtubes are just not worth the hassle.
Grand Champion
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 5,156
Likes: 723
From: S.W. Indiana
I'm in S.W. Indiana. That's looking over the drivers side fender. I'm not really good at taking pictures with a phone.
Administrator
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 87,467
Likes: 4,220
From: Clayton MI
Grand Champion
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 7,055
Likes: 7
From: Lee County, North Carolina
Not really worth it over stock. I ran them for years before going back to stock manifolds. I replaced three sets of wires and had to pull the headers off twice to weld a crack near the flange.
Here's an old reply from me with a modified wrench that you'll want to copy if you're going to get them
Here's an old reply from me with a modified wrench that you'll want to copy if you're going to get them
You will probably have to buy some bolts after getting them, the bolts that came with mine had the wrong threads on them.
Mine had a tight fit to the y-pipe (I bolted one side on then had to push the other side toward the one that was bolted on already to get it on the flange) and over time it made one of them crack. That wasn't an issue after a little quality time with my welder. The up side to the crack happening is that now they fit like a glove.
Those gaskets that come with them have never leaked on me. Some people say that they will but I don't believe them.
The back bolts are a pain to tighten because of that bend in the pipes. You should pick up a cheap wrench and modify it to make it a whole lot easier on yourself.
You can see that I bent the box end flat and cut the open end off at an angle, turned it around and welded it back on.
Attachment 44544
Attachment 44545
I've heard that welding chrome vanadium puts off toxic fumes so if you're going to do this then you need proper ventilation or just do like I did and take a deep breath, weld then take a few steps back to avoid the fumes.
Mine had a tight fit to the y-pipe (I bolted one side on then had to push the other side toward the one that was bolted on already to get it on the flange) and over time it made one of them crack. That wasn't an issue after a little quality time with my welder. The up side to the crack happening is that now they fit like a glove.
Those gaskets that come with them have never leaked on me. Some people say that they will but I don't believe them.
The back bolts are a pain to tighten because of that bend in the pipes. You should pick up a cheap wrench and modify it to make it a whole lot easier on yourself.
You can see that I bent the box end flat and cut the open end off at an angle, turned it around and welded it back on.
Attachment 44544
Attachment 44545
I've heard that welding chrome vanadium puts off toxic fumes so if you're going to do this then you need proper ventilation or just do like I did and take a deep breath, weld then take a few steps back to avoid the fumes.
Legend
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 8,098
Likes: 318
Not really worth it over stock. I ran them for years before going back to stock manifolds. I replaced three sets of wires and had to pull the headers off twice to weld a crack near the flange.
Here's an old reply from me with a modified wrench that you'll want to copy if you're going to get them
Here's an old reply from me with a modified wrench that you'll want to copy if you're going to get them
Thread Starter
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Record Breaker
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,852
Likes: 109
From: Va
I am a fan of the chinese headers. I think I've had them for 2 years now with no issues or leaks and very little rust to speak of. Some of the tube bends make installation difficult, but it is possible. I think they are actually 200 series stainless. Tubes seemed thick, flanges beefy, welds nice.
The only fitment issue I had was the flanges needed clearancing around the plug wire heat shields, but all considered I was expecting much worse. I can tell you they have held up much better than the ceramic coated Edelbrock set they replaced. Those rotted between the collector tubes, leaked, and drove me nuts. The tube lengths design also sounded very odd / rough whereas these chinese ones really smoothed out the sound under load.
Highly doubt any performance increase. If I were to go back I would have left the factory manifolds. Anything but longtubes are just not worth the hassle.
The only fitment issue I had was the flanges needed clearancing around the plug wire heat shields, but all considered I was expecting much worse. I can tell you they have held up much better than the ceramic coated Edelbrock set they replaced. Those rotted between the collector tubes, leaked, and drove me nuts. The tube lengths design also sounded very odd / rough whereas these chinese ones really smoothed out the sound under load.
Highly doubt any performance increase. If I were to go back I would have left the factory manifolds. Anything but longtubes are just not worth the hassle.
First off, Im sorry for such a late response. Work has been crazy.....
But thank you for your input.
I think I am going to take your advise, (at least for now) and stay with the manifolds. This is a 2000 5.9 that I am putting in a 87 dakota 4x4. I tore the motor down, needed a crankshaft, so I put a reman. in there. I kept everything stock.
FWIW. the biggest fight I am having is making myself stay stock. I looked really hard at a different cam..... But all of that starts on a down hill run. Cam, then springs, head work, where does it end?
I am using a carb intake with a small 4bbl. .....
I agree with you on long tubes. My problem is, I dont believe they are made for the 4wd dakota.....
But again, thanks for your input.
Captain
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 505
Likes: 3
From:
I bought cheap headers for my dakota years ago they leaked immediately. The problem was they didn’t weld in between the pipes where they all come together it was leaking in the middle. I was not about to go through the painstaking process of remove and replace again so I packed a bunch of this high temperature muffler repair stuff I bought down inside the middle of them and they were fine for several years. They leak horribly 14 years later now but they weren’t stainless and the truck is just a beat up play toy now so I don’t care. If I could do it over again I would have left the stock manifolds I’ve been fighting burnt spark plug wires for years now every once in awhile something ends up coming loose and touching them. One time it was the coil wire in a downpour in the middle of a busy intersection. That one was completely my fault though I was a dumb kid at the time too lazy to route wires correctly I laugh at it now.