i have a 358 in my 66.i have regular truck headers.im looking to get them up off the ground so to speak.ive tried shorty headers by hedman but they wont work.they hit the frame.my only choice is block hugger headers.if anyone has anything that they used i would appriciate the info.i just dont care for the block hugger look,but if thats all i can use i will.i dont want to see the exaust from the side profile.
The headers in the pic above are hot coated 67-72 Chevelle 3/4 headers from Patriot. I had to use them because I moved the motor forward 2 1/2 inches and block huggers would have come too close to the control arms. Some problems getting past the left motor mount perches, but it all worked out. Mine has a 700R4 trans so I can't tell you if clutch linkage would be a problem. I wanted 3/4 length so the rest of the exhaust could be tucked up inside the frame rails too. If your motor is in the stock location, up against the firewall, the 3/4 length might get too close to the lower firewall. If they clear, it would be advisable to use a heat barrier under the drivers's side foot well under the carpet to prevent cooking your feet in the summer. Val
they make a block hugger II,that off set to the rear of the header.i know they will work,cause a friend of mine put them in a 67 short,with a 66 frame.i like the shorty style header more so than the block hugger.what did you have to do to get them to fit.i hate the thought of beating on a new pair of ceramic coated headers that cost 300-500$.i also moved my engine forward 2 1/2 inches.i have a muncie 4 speed with low 1 st gear.got a trans crossmember from a 70 chevy,and with little mods it bolted right in.the front stabelizer bar bolted right up to the lower a arms and frame.it came off a 72 chevy.truck handles sweet now,the bar helped alot.i put a 12 bolt pos.from a 72 chevy and totaly rebuilt everything in it all new.the cross member where the trailing arms hook to, and drive line goes through.(i have leaf springs)( GMC) i plasma cut 4" holes and welded in 2"x 4" x 1/4" steel pipe.my exaust will go through the round pipe and through the cross frame nicely.exaust will follow the frame the whole way out the back.i also had to hand fab some traction bars.(was getting mad wheel hop) my rear sets under the rear leafs,that was another prob.no one had traction bar to fit.i made a template from the lower rear clam shell,and bars bolt up on existing u bolts.you can barely see them,they work sweet.(yay! no wheel hop)rambeling on i must go.let me know about the header iff you will. thanks!
I didn't need to bash in on the header pipe, although I could have. This was the problem. I cut away on the tower, then welded in some additional support. There are aftermarket mount towers that are designed to take advantage of the later style, safety mounts that I believe would also work. The stock towers are stamped steel that get their strength from the rolls that are stamped in. When you grind through those rolls you weaken the entire tower. Soooooo reenforcing needs to be added... Val ( sorry, no "after" picture..... )
If it has a crank bolt (mine did not) put a breaker bar on it and try to manually turn the engine. This will break any rust and allow the motor to turn over. If you don't do this it might not turn over. Also pull the spark plugs and squirt a little PB blaster or WD 40 in the cylinder to help break up any rust.
Ok, little update... I talked to the owner who is also a good friend of ours, and he said that we can go ahead and pull it out and see if we can get it running and if we get it running we can buy it, if we can't then we can just put it back. Anyways, here's a couple more pictures of the engine. Also, with the radiator could I just take one out of another vehical that would fit? It would save me quite a bit of money but not sure if I can do that. And, how does the engine look? Look like we can get it running? See anything missing becides the radiator? Sorry bout the pic. quality, they were taken when it was somewhat dark out. I'll try to get better pics. sometime soon these ones make it look a lot worse than it actually looks. -Thanks in advance.
Looks like your missing more than the radiator. All the brackets that hold your radiator in place are also missing. You will also need a cowl for the radiator. When the summer heat comes you will always be over heating. Start scouring the junk yards for those parts. Still the truck is worth the money. If you run it for a short time you won't need the radiator. By short time I mean long enough to see if it runs.
i think he means the fan shroud.looks like the hood latch is gone also.whoever got those parts new what they were after. hey val by saying 3/4 length do you mean shorty style headers.if so do you have the brand name and part number.
The hood latch IS there... sorry I took the pic. from an angle. Does anyone happen to have a pic. of the radiator assembly I could look at...or a link to one? -Thanks
That motor looks like it might be a 235 or 250 the 250 6clinders are tuff littte engines.You might luck out it might run we all here are hoping it does.
Thank You! I am pretty sure it is a 250 because I Tried to read the info. tag by the drivers side kick pannel. It looked like 250 but I'm not positive.
You can try and get it running without the radiator in place. Coolant will be needed after the motor reaches it's operating temp and the thermostat normally opens. Before that the motor dosn't even know it has coolant. Start by trying to turn the motor by hand. It don't need to turn all the way, any movement of the crank shaft will indicate it's not frozen up. Drain the oil and replace it and the filter. Replace the spark plugs and plug wires, distributor cap, rotor, points and condensor. Pull the carb and take it apart and rebuild it. Drain the fuel from the tank. If there is no fuel filter,,, add one. Use one that has a see-through type filter so you can see if fuel is flowing, or not, when you try to start it. Replace the battery. Check the battery cables. If they look bad, they probably are and replace them. After you have done all this you will have eliminated "most" of the causes that would prevent it from running. When it fires up, you can run it for 3- 5 minutes with no radiator. Val
Ive Always Had Exellent Luck By Using Marval Mystery Oil. Ill Add A Little To The Cylinders Through The Spark Plug Hole The Night Before Im Going To Try To Start A Motor Thats Sat For Along Time. That Way If Its Frozen With Rust, Or Even If Its Not, I Know For Sure The Next Day That The Motor Will Turn. IF YOU DO THAT AND DO EXACTLY WHAT DVALINTINE SAID, YOUR NEARLY GARENTEED THAT THE MOTOR WILL FIRE SINCE THE OWNER TOLD YOU THAT THE MOTOR RAN WHEN HE PARKED IT. CHECK YOUR ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS TOO. EVEN IF THE MOTOR FIRES AND RUNS, THAT DOESNT NECCASARILY MEAN THAT THE MOTOR ISNT WORN OUT AND IS IN NEED OF A REBUILD. BUT IT WILL GET YOU OUT OF THE FIELD AND TO YOUR HOUSE WITH THE HELP OF A RADIATOR. GOOD LUCK
