MustangRider wrote:

hey guys i was wondering if anyone knew which headers are the best to use when doing an efi swap into a 65 coupe.

ive read alot about the swap but some people say to use the long tubes and install the bungs and some are saying use others and i am kind of on the fence on what to buy.

 

if you have less than around 275 hp, the short headers are fine . . the hedman elites are very good . . jba's aree good but pricey.
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Last edited by barnett468 (2/26/2015 10:58 PM)

MustangRider wrote:

thanks for your input im really leaning towards these headmans.

 

keep in mind they two kinds . . the elites are the better ones . . thick tubes with 3/8" flanges and they fit.
 

Last edited by barnett468 (2/26/2015 11:07 PM)

I am in the same camp as MustangSteve,
I have had long tube, try-y's, equal lenght shorty's, regular shorty's, HI-PO manifolds and stock manifolds.

Long tube headers, ground clearance issues, fitment issues, hard to get on and off, clutch linkage issues.

Try Y's, hard to get on and off, clutch linkage issues, cost.

Egual length shorty's, hard to access spark plugs, fitting in the engine compartment, cost.

Regular shorty's, the best bang for the $.

HI-PO's, best option if they fit your car (not my early Falcon), costly.

Stock manifolds, cheap and ugly and poor performance.

This is just my experience, and it is comparing quality parts across the board. I think if you plotted the power curves on the same smallblock making around 350-450 hp, that the point where one of these options stands out from the rest and the amount of time you spend driving at that RPM point, it would be about 1% of the time.

For me a good quality, coated shorty that can be removed without removing the motor is the best option, I have the Hedman Shorty's on the Falcon and they fit around the Borgenson steering box, MustangSteve power brake set-up, and cable clutch.

The only thing I did not mention is sound, I do think you get a little better (opinion) sound from long tubes, and try Y's.
 

MustangRider wrote:

Gotcha thanks for the info, really good input. if i were to get shortys would the headmans be my best bang for the buck? and my last question is in the o2 sensors... they will be no problem installing into the shortys? 

   I believe the exhaust pipe that connects to the shorty headers is where you would put you bung for the o2 sensors.   It wouldn't go in the Shorty Headers.  
 

66fastback wrote:

I think that the key points have already been made, so I will simply add my opinion to the mix.  I favor the shorty headers for these cars for a number of reasons.  Long tube headers do perform a little bit better, but they are almost always a PITA when it comes to clearance issues.....the steering box, the steering linkage, the clutch linkage (or cable).  All of these issues are solved with a nice set of shorty headers.  I have not personally owned the Hedmans, but I have heard a lot of people say good things about them.  I have been running a set of JBA's since 1996, it was a wonderful day when I replaced my third set of Tri-Y headers with them.  The O2 bungs are typically placed in the section of pipe directly behind where you bolt onto the header collectors. 
 

+1, I've used JBA 1651's since 04.  On EFI 5.0 through EFI 331

Tubo
 

Had long tube Herman's in y first '65. The final straw was losing a radiator because the header scraped on a tree root (don't ask 😲)and losing the radiator (okay, the fan was a but too close). Put some JBA shorties in '92. In '06 I tried some Patriot ceramic coated shorties on my fastbac. They looked great but didn't fit. Went with the ceramic JBAs and have been very happy. Yes, they are a bit soendy but I figure they need to last about 35 more years,so...

I run my long tubes as a sacrificial rub strip since they hang down a little farther than my extra deep oil pan. They also have a much better torque curve. But yes, they drag on everything. Have not hurt my radiator yet, but that is because I have an electric fan. When I grow up and get rid of all the noisy stuff I will probably go with the cast iron HiPo manifolds. 

TimC wrote:

Maybe its time I should put my unused JBA 1650's up on the swap meet page.......

Tim,
I would be interested. How much would you want for them?

I am doing an efi swap in a 65, and decided to take a chance and buy the cheapest headers I could find, figured worse case I learn why I need to spend 2x+ the money, but will also know what to look for.

I did my test fit in the car last week-end and don't see any issues good/bad with the passenger side.  Any issue if any is going to be the drivers side.

This picture is kind of close-up, but it is looking straight down from the master cylinder and you can see where the collector is run close to the bell-housing.  There is no gasket in, but the header is snug.  In the upper right you can see the clutch cable running left to right into the mounting tab that is out of view.

The collector will be pretty close to the cable mounting tab off the bell-housing.  Closer than it needs to be since there is tons of room where the mechanical linkage would have been.  It looks worse in the picture than it is but I spent a few minutes underneath playing with the collector to make sure.

That would be my #1 question with looking at more expensive options down the road, but so far no regrets.  How close is the JBA or other brand collectors?

Last edited by afnid (3/03/2015 1:57 AM)