Cats? Typically one that uses long tube headers does so on a vehicle that is either in a jurisdiction where cats are no longer required, or the vehicle is used off road.

But anyway, if you HAD to run cats you could run to spun converters before the Y, or run a 3" converter afterwards.

Here is how I did my y-merge.

-- Joe

 

So these look like mine but with a completely different collector welded on. Is this the new design?

 

I was looking at those as well. Sw told me they are cheap copys. They look pretty good to me. And the price is about a third of the sw ones.

 

They are cheap copies. Teenage Chinese welders are cheaper than white guys.

I can't find any way to justify the cost of SW headers.

-- Joe

 

Yeah that's your engine though? That's pretty sweet. What's it for?

 

My 82 trans am. Was going 495lsx but don't want to cut up the powerbulge hood

 

Joe, not sure why we don't carry Speedmaster. I would like to get my hands on one of those blocks and try it out. Ended up Hardblok in a factory block for now but I will get a Dart soon. Only a few hundred bucks difference. As you already know, I'm a firm believer in name brands hahaha honestly what justified the cost for me was being a true 304 grade ss. I've seen SO many 409 ss parts fail. It fatigues, cracks, etc. I know these headers will last 10 years + with NO issues. I understand a lot of people don't care because you can be 2 sets into OBX and still get 10 years and similar performance but I'm not one of those. Give me the good stuff! I buy what I feel my car is worth. Likewise I dress how I feel I'm worth

I have the headers on the car and went to get the exhaust mocked up and the collectors are aimed about 3/4" to 1" too far out (away from the trans) FOR MY LIKING. They fit fine and there is a way to make it work with a slight bend immediately at the collector but I was going to run a bullet/round short muffler right off them with turn downs and you cannot do that. They hit the subframe on the passenger side and the fuel lines on the driver side. However, if they were angled in 1" more on either side I could. So I welded a couple Schoenfeld IMCA609 mufflers right to collector temporarily. They were the only thing short and quiet enough to fit. I will be removing them to be coated in a few months, at that time I will it the collector and aim them inward. I will post pics of what I have now.

 

Most of the 409 stainless SLP headers I've had in my shop are older than most of the people on this forum

The mild steel headers in my '79 vette are 30 years old. Those SW headers should outlive YOU.

I wouldn't coat them.

-- Joe

 

Does the "Y" that comes in the header kit not work without mods?

 

So funny. The sales guy didnt know what to say to me when I asked him why I paid 899, and just found these obx carbon copies for 399. I told him I felt I got ripped off. Paid 1350 total with off road pipes. He just said they are chines junk copies. I could buy 4 sets for that price.

 

I didn't get the y pipe with mine because I was just going to run 3" shorties and turn downs. They don't have a y for the 3" setup.

Joe - Why wouldn't you coat the headers?

 

It works but hangs low and has a fugly merge. I wanted better ground clearance plus I had a good merge on the shelf.

 

Because they are stainless. And the coatings always fail and look like crap. The only cars they last on are slow stock motors with low egts.

I can't tell you how many sets of Slp headers I've had to sandblast cuz the coating was checkered. On non coated slps I hit em with the polishing wheel and they look nice again.