Best long tube headers

[LewisL230]

I’m in the market for some long tube headers for my 83 Malibu. Most of the reviews I’ve read are conflicting. One person says one fits great and the very next review says they are junk and hit everything. So from experience which do y’all think is the best long tube header for an 83 Malibu with a 305?

 

[lilbowtie]

Why do you even want headers??

 

[LewisL230]

Well the 305 will not be staying in the car forever. I plan to build either a 383 or a 406. So I’m getting anything that can continued to be used when I switch motors.

 

[lilbowtie]

I would personally put the money aside till you do it and you know what heads you will be using and HP. You need to make sure the headers are compatible - air,auto, you will need a trans cross member and you will probably be upgrading the trans - food for thought. I have run quite a few different headers and the best bang for the buck (and hp) was Shoenfeld. What ever header you choose look up and read the fitment details of them.

 

[melloelky]

I agree with bowtie.like a lot of folks on here he speaks from real experience.
That being said are dead set on long tubes?long tubes can be/are a pain sometimes.everyones application is different but don't rule out the short ones.think of the project as a whole.

 

[LewisL230]

That’s a lot of what I’m finding, is that long tubes are a pain for these cars. I have a buddy who is trying to talk me into putting the 5.3 I have in it. He has an 82 wagon with a 6.0 and his swap parts fit fantastic and he has nothing but great things to say about the ls. That may be the road I go. Neither of these plans would be any time soon as I have yet to find the tree that grows money.

 

[axisg]

I want to say that Hearthrob in MN made a kit that would bolt up direct to Hooker headers making it a driveway install. You would need a dual hump crossmember. And looking back on my install I should have spent the extra cash on band clamps instead of welding and clamping the joints. Installed a few sets of dual exhaust on these cars over the years. One so extreme that we had a guy heating the headers with torches ( whole on a ladder ) while the guy below was pulling them below the car with a 6' long piece of pipe just so they would clear the clutch linkage. It can be a PIA. I have the TES headers on my car and even those needed to be massaged around the upper control arm bushings

 

[500/600]

Build your own and deem that conflicting information irrelevant.

 

[lilbowtie]

That’s a lot of what I’m finding, is that long tubes are a pain for these cars

I haven't found installation to be bad - the biggest problem I see people is getting the car high enough to work the headers in, BIG jack stands - a hoist is best. The bigger the tube the tighter it gets. Mini starters come into play along with recommended oil filters trimming eng mounts and A arms. The column hardware always seems to need work. People have put the headers in place before engine install - my engine will come out w/ exhaust left in place. Also an extra set of hands helps.

 

[565bbchevy]

For my 86' Regal I bought some stainless Ebay headers and I was quite impressed with the fit considering they were about $185 to my door, I had to cut the corner off of the driver's side engine mount and since for now I am using a column shifter I had to modify the linkage to clear the collector but a floor shifter would have no issues.
I have a mini starter and there is enough room to remove it without touching the exhaust and there is plenty of room for an oil filter but I am using a remote set up.
Very nice welds and thick flanges, I also installed these with the engine bolted in but jacked the car up really high.
Here are some pictures during the initial install and a year later the headers still look nice.