Shorty headers for 351W

[PnutDr]

Going with a 351W crate engine in my 76 Bronco. I have a 1” body lift. I’ve been searching online for the right shorty headers but most are advertised as being for 289-302 engines. I did find the Sanderson FF758-351-BEC set that seems to be specifically made for the 351W in a 66-77 Bronco. They’re over $800…. I think I’ll end up getting these unless I can find another match. Am I missing something in my search for headers with the best fitment?

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[bigmuddy]

I am still using the hooker header shorties that I had on my 5.0, not on my 351w build. Works fine.
The main problem to watch for are the shorties made for the 302/5.0 and built for the fox body mustangs, the collectors will kick out into the bronco frame on the passenger side if memory serves.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Duff made headers I used with a 351.

 

[SteveL]

If you're gonna spend $800 spring for the long tubes. Then you'll actually gain some power.they did a comparison a while back and the shorties showed no real gains over the stock exhaust manifolds

 

[PnutDr]

I’ve got a set of like new shorties, pretty sure they are BBK, and 1-5/8, but I’ll have to check.

Came out of a 351W that went to Coyote in an EB.
Where is your location?

Suffolk, VA

 

[PnutDr]

If you're gonna spend $800 spring for the long tubes. Then you'll actually gain some power.they did a comparison a while back and the shorties showed no real gains over the stock exhaust manifolds

I read that the long tubes create a lot of heat under the floorboard.

 

[eBronc2]

Stock or aftermarket 5.0 shorty headers will fit a 351W just fine. The collectors end up pointing at the top side of the frame rails, but with some judicious fabrication of exhaust tubing, it's not a huge problem.

 

[Broncobowsher]

I read that the long tubes create a lot of heat under the floorboard.

Not really. Too many variables. Long tubes with good routing could be cooler floors than shorties that end close to the floor. Heat shields, carpet, lots of fixes to hot floors.

 

[bronco italiano]

Going with a 351W crate engine in my 76 Bronco. I have a 1” body lift. I’ve been searching online for the right shorty headers but most are advertised as being for 289-302 engines. I did find the Sanderson FF758-351-BEC set that seems to be specifically made for the 351W in a 66-77 Bronco. They’re over $800…. I think I’ll end up getting these unless I can find another match. Am I missing something in my search for headers with the best fitment?

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You get what you pay for with Sanderson Headers, They are worth every penny

 

[hunter1]

I've got JBA's on mine (351). I did use flex pipe at the collectors to help with frame clearance but could have probably done it with rigid pipe also bent just right.

 

[bigmuddy]

Stock or aftermarket 5.0 shorty headers will fit a 351W just fine. The collectors end up pointing at the top side of the frame rails, but with some judicious fabrication of exhaust tubing, it's not a huge problem.

But why do it, if you can avoid it?

 

[Broncobowsher]

But why do it, if you can avoid it?

Some people are cheap and don't want to spend the money to fix a problem. Old fox body headers are generally pretty cheap.

 

[svobronco]

Shorties are a waste of money. Either go with long tubes or stick with manifolds.

 

[Broncobowsher]

The whole history of short tube headers (from what I have been able to figure out) is they were an emissions era performance part. Late 80s and those trying to hop up there mustangs and camaros but needed to pass smog. In order to keep the stock cats they came up with shorty headers that would bolt in place of stock manifolds or factory headers but would bolt to the stock cats. This was the late 80s, it was something. Not much existed. You got headers, but could keep the cats, pass smog check, and drive it on the street. They are not really performance parts, that is the long tube. And they still sold a lot of those for 'racing' that happen to end up on the street in places that didn't have inspections. Shorties are also good for turbo builds. Not for the performance, but the keep the turbo closer to the engine.

I'm not a fan of shorties. They are a marketing compromise. In the hayday of them, the typical advertising consisted of being an easy afternoon bolt on you can do at home without any special tools. Then there was a HP number tossed in that came from questionable data. As my last dyno tuner stated, what do you want it to be? Play with some heat soak and other engine/air temps and he can make the HP number swing different directions.

 

[PnutDr]

Starting to look at long headers now. Guy at the restoration shop started up a 76 with 351W and long headers. Said installation of longs wasn’t a big deal to him.

 

[bigmuddy]

Some people are cheap and don't want to spend the money to fix a problem. Old fox body headers are generally pretty cheap.

Understood but then some people don't have the equip or skills to change old fox body headers either.

 

[nvrstuk]

Not really. Too many variables. Long tubes with good routing could be cooler floors than shorties that end close to the floor. Heat shields, carpet, lots of fixes to hot floors.

I'm going to say from experience that long tube headers produce more heat under the floor than shorty's do. 1- from experience and hating my long tubes and my wife's shoes sticking to the floor on long drives. Then making the SAME long drives with shorty's with the same engine and not having nearly the same amount of sole melting heat. Granted, the floor temp wasn't measured but the same brand of shoe didn't melt! LOL 2- if you have 4 tubes with the same amount/temperature of hot gases flowing thru it you have a lot more surface area of the 4 pipes compared to one pipe. So your "heat generator" of four tubes that are 1 5/8" dia has a lot more surface area than one 2" or one 2 1/4" dia exhaust pipe w/o getting into all the math.

The post that mentioned this didn't ask about how to block heat, just that long tubes he had read created more heat. Also, different brands route differently so it's hard to compare without knowing the brands and how close different ones are to the floor.

 

[nvrstuk]

I've bolted shorty's on a 302 Bronco and NOTHING ELSE and gained 10-12mph when shifting between 2nd and 3rd gears. Didn't have a tach! We tried to control the variables by doing this test on the same rig, same engine, no changes other than bolting on the Shorty headers and welding a connection btw them and the existing tailpipe. Heck, it was the same road, going the same direction and the same number of people in the rig and on the same day. I'm sure we left something out like the ambient temp was 4deg F more after we bolted the headers on but...

Anyway- that was unscientific but ANY shorty header with longer primary tubes than a cast iron manifold (I've never seen a long cast iron manifold with individual tubes longer than shorty primaries on a Bronco). With rough casting edges and nothing remotely smooth inside of them to help create smooth airflow -- especially for engines that actually create more HP than the whopping 150-200 hp from an OE sbf. SBF cast iron exhaust manifolds have an extremely high failure rate and that's one of the many reasons so many Broncos 40 yrs ago swapped away from OE manifolds.

Main reason I went with shorty's over long tubes 40 yrs ago was long tube headers were for mall crawlers. They kept getting dented and banged up. Mine sure did and so did my friends. Course you have to take them off road for that to be a benefit but back in the day they almost all went off road to some degree.

 

[Jetfixr320]

I read that the long tubes create a lot of heat under the floorboard.

There are products available to help block or cut down on the heat.

 

[bigmuddy]

There are products available to help block or cut down on the heat.

And most of them don't work well.