Hey fellow third gen'rs. So installed my hedman full length headers (p/n 68460) this past weekend.
The passenger side fit great but the driver side...not so much.

As it sits right now the entire bottom edge of the header flange touches the mating surface of the head. The top edge doesnt touch the head at all. It seems as tho the bottom of the header needs to come out away from the engine to make the top of the flange meet the head.

Think of a V. the left side of the v being the head, the right side being the header flange.

However, the bottom of the header where it turns to go under the car is actually touching the "frame rail" and cant be pulled out any further to allow the flange to sit uniformly on the head.

Are the headers bent? Is it possible my engine isnt sitting properly in the bay?

Im very frustrated with this and if anyone has any experiance or suggestions.. Im all ears..

 

You need to clearance a few spots with a BFH and then take care of part of the ear of the lower control arm mounting tab. It's nothing too severe, a sawzall and a hammer should fix it. I think it's around the steering box you'll need to clearance a little, but definitely there's a few spots on the drivers' side that dont clear perfectly. This is normal for the Hedmans and most long tube headers, really.

 

Awesome, thank you so much infernalvortex.. I understand the cutting part thanks to the pic. But using the BFH, would it be the frame rail I gotta beat in??? I don't see how anything remotely close to the steering box would create interference. Please help me further understand the clearancing.

 

I agree with InfernalVortex... The picture he posted up was pretty much how mine was.. I have a 92 RS that had the ProComp Alum Vortec style heads on it at the time I installed my Hedmans and I had to do some clearance work i.e. grind off some of the mounting tab for the lower A-arm.

 

I'll go check it out when I have time. Thanks guys.

 

You definitely dont want to be BFH'ing the frame rail. Only dent the headers. They're cheap and removable. Dont alter the car anything beyond what's necessary. If you can dent the header primary in a little to clearance it then you do that.

Anyway I know there's a spot on my driver's side that's slightly dented to clear something. But it's been quite a while since I've had them out. Just look out for that.