first off i ordered some hedman elite headers for my 83 z. i just wanted to get away from these old beat up rusted out longtubes that are so tight that they severly beat up against the engine x member and leak really bad cause the old flanges are all bent up. i got the elite headers in today and they swung out so wide from the flanges on the pass side that they had to be wedged between the motor and that ledge area thing that the gas line sits on and stuff. i called jegs and they had no idea why the didnt fit so i called hedman and they said that my port angle is some .020 ( and i really meant 20 thousandths) on an inch different because they cant copy GM exactly. but .020" angled in the right direction would not have made a difference at all anyway!!! i called holley and they said that all the dementions of the exhaust ports are the same as the stock dementions..

anyway...i now have car in the garage that is supposibly (according to hedman hedders) not able to have any type of exhaust system at all because it has aftermarket heads and will not accept any type of header unless i spend big bucks that i dont have to get some drag engine company to make me some . where can i get some reasonably priced ceramic coated shorty headers that are atleast 1 5/8dia and y-pipe that will fit a thirdgen with a th-350 trans and aftermarket holley heads.

 

I feel your pain. I just went through the same scenario with Hooker & AFR. I finally solved the frame to header issue by running the engine to get the headers hot & using a bottle jack to push the headers away from the frame. Not pretty, but it worked.

 

thanks man, i'm glad to hear i'm not alone!! i ordered some hooker comp shorties today, since it is the same company as the heads i'm sure it might work, then i am going to rig up the hedman y-pipe to work. then hopefully i'll be good to go