I originally planned to build undercar headers which I will still do…read on.
There will be a long sequence of posts to present this information. I will do the best I can to present the job as completely as I think necessary to convey the ideas and procedures required.
This job requires a fair amount of skill and specialized tools but the most important thing is patience.
I don’t know when it started, maybe it was Rapids avatar or I was spending too much time on GT40s.com. You will not find a higher percentage of 180's per capita than with the GT40 crowd. Whatever it was I became obsessed with the 180 Header design. I decided I had to have 180’s.
I particularly liked the Symmetry of this design.
Here is a pic of Rapids awesome 180's that I shamelessly stole from his thread
The reason I did not originally consider going the 180 route is that I wanted to keep my A/C in the rear of the car and I wanted to use my trunk. I decided that although I could keep my A/C with 180's to meet all of my needs I would have to build two exhaust systems. I will build 180’s and a undercar set for use of the trunk when I need the car to act like a car such as going to the fun rally or other long distance events.With the 180's I will also have to build a heat shield to protect the paint on the decklid.
The 180 design header is not for everyone. Like anything else there are compromises. You have to decide if you can live with those factors before determining if 180's are for you.
I have been modifying and fabricating headers for years. I started in 1993 when I did a engine swap (460 in a 69 Mustang) and could not get a header to fit the way I needed it to. After that I began to modify headers for a better fit or collector upgrades, this way I did not have to settle for header manufacturer's design limitations. The first time I built a set of headers out of thin air(Zoomies for a Supercharged 460 in door car tube chassis) was when I could not buy something to fit a custom application. After that it was just something I did when a off the shelf header was not available or what I could buy was not available in a size or configuration I needed.
I don’t make a living building headers it’s just a skill I have developed over the years.
Before I start any project a little research is always in order. For those not familiar with what a 180 degree header is here are some sites to help with the basics.
Please take the time to look at these links. They will answer a lot of basic questions concerning 180 header priciples.
Here on the PIBB you can see where they have been discussed here before.This is one of those threads.
http://pantera.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/5650045562/m/2460086584/p/1
I primarily want to deal with the construction aspect of the build in this thread.
http://www.pro-touring.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-218.html
http://www.ssheaders.com/header.htm
http://home.alltel.net/bsprowl/Exhaust/180FEHeaders.htm
http://www.gt40s.com/forum/all-gt40/9358-header-design.html
Here is a cad drawing made by Adam C. on GT40s .com it gives a pretty good visual of the typical layout for a set of 180’s. Adam is an engineer who started fabricating GT40 parts as a hobby.
Adam calls fab “art class for adults.”
I love that quote!
Here is a link to his incredible work.
http://www.gt40s.com/forum/gt40-tech-engines-induction-...-summer-project.html
