After 3 or so years I finally got around to installing my hooker 2055 shorty headers [do they even make these babies anymore?]. In the time these headers were in my dad's shed the original package of bolts/gaskets were lost. I got new bolts and decided to use high temp silicone for sealing, but trying to find new gaskets revealed something troubling. The port on the head is square-ish [rounded at the corners slightly]. The hooker ports are oval, same width as the head port but 1/8" taller and more rounded on the corners. They only had square and round gaskets at the various shops I went to which is why I resorted to silicone. These headers are intend for 86-90 camaros as I recall, so I am confused as to whether or not they are acceptable for use, given the different port size. I have an 87 LB9, but I have reason to suspect that its an 86 engine, that may or may not have been converted from TBI to TPI. It's actually quite pathetic, the amount of hacking that has been done to this car as I've discovered over the years, but it is what it is. So in reality the heads could be anything, but does anyone have any ideas about this?

Also... I need to get short spark plugs, accell I believe. I noticed some guys here modified existing spark plug sockets so they slide onto the plug rather than go over them, since there are clearance issues between the main header pipe and the plugs. Do they make shorter sockets for these shorter plugs to give me more room to wrench on them?

Thanks guys, can't get the plugs until monday, but will be bolting up the y-pipe to the headers and welding to the cat tomorrow, + patching up some other stupid things I found out, like how my car has some AIR smog attachment towards the firewall, whereas the headers are designed for the AIR smog attachment towards the front of the car. =P

Oh, already looked through the 2055 sticky and did a long search through forum posts for info on this. Only one person acknowledged my question indirectly, but talking about the gasket shape.

 

Its common for header ports to not match the exhaust port on the head. Makes no sense to me but it happens. Try to find a gasket that will work. You wont lose any power with the port being too tall as long as the width matches. silicone for sealing will work if the surfaces are truely flat and smooth. I'd still like to see a gasket, even a thin copper type gasket with that copper silicone. It will seal, I use that on my turbo car and it works great.

On my headers, i didnt have to use shorty plugs. 89 L98 with stock heads. Cleared fine.

 

I found this spark plug header socket at Summit Racing = http://www.summitracing.com/parts/TFS-90500/ Or you can make your own .This is what I found regarding the making of a header socket . Take a cheap spark plug socket, the kind with a rear external hex for a 3/4" wrench (some are longer than others, choose the shortest). With the inner rubber removed, determine how much can be ground off the plug side, yet still engage the plugs hex. Then flat grind the end accordingly, keeping the opening square. In my particular case, I never use a ratchet, so the plug terminal can extend all the way into the sockets 3/8" square drive opening if desired. Next, viewing the plug opening, grind a notch the width of one of the six hex flats, approximately 1/2" deep. This allows an angled approach to the plug, as the notch can straddle the ceramic insulator. I also bevelled the outer diameter on the plug end.

This will reduce the clearance required to slip the socket over plug.