Fenderwell headers on Fat Fords.

[Dooley]

Tuck's post got me thinking...

Anyone here using fenderwelss on a 35-40's Rod?

I did see the pic of the blue (40?) and they look great.

Is there any problem with routing the exhaust from outside the frame back into inside?

I don't plan on using open headers, and I currently have block huggers, but there are advantages for full length headers.

Has there ever been a problem with paint blistering on the fenders due to too much heat??

Any one with pics?

Pros?
Cons?

[38Chevy4door]

Inquiring minds want to know! I'm thinking to do the same thing on the '38, headers to straight lakes...paint blistering problems? Similarly, preventing ankle blistering problems on the lakes?

Thanks,
Steve

[CruZer]

I ran them for years on my '40.See the yellow '40 Ford coupe in feature cars. They were originally chrome and after 10 years or so,I had them stripped and powder coated. After 2 years the bottoms of them started to show rust stains,but they cleaned right up.I had to cut a section out of the inner fender to fit them and the exhaust pipe went under the frame and back to the rear inside the frame. I did have a firewall mounted mastercylinder.I never had any paint blistering. I did have to repace gaskets every couple of years because there was nothing holding the headers up except the exhaust pipes and the header bolts.
They were easy to install and remove whenever I needed to.

[40Tudor]

I've had S&S fenderwell headers for many years on my '40.

Paint blistering has not been an issue in my installation, but they do a great job of heating up the kick panels. I put some scraps of 3-1/2" house insulation behind the upholstry below the dash and infront of the doors.

They do restrict the front tire size and/or steering radius. I have 185-60R15's up front - that's about the biggest tire I can run.

In addition, the clearance between the rear tube and the lower LH firewall pinch-weld is really tight.

Right now, my exhaust dumps out in front of the rear wheels on the sides. My plan is to move the exhaust inside the frame rails and route it to the rear. The front of the frame starts to rise below the front half of the door. It will be a pretty tight bend, but I'm planning on diverting the pipes inboard in near the master cylinder.

There is some room to do that at the rear by sneaking the pipe between the rear kick and parallel leaf. I think that might work better with a stock rear end.

If you're interested, I can take some pictures - it's pretty easy since I have the running boards off.

C

[Dooley]

Great, pics would be awesome.

Did you have to reinforce the inner fender at all?

[40Tudor]

No metal was added, but I did leave a tab at the bottom of the cutout so that the inner fender could be mounted to the frame just below where the header comes through. I'll run out and take some pictures - hopefully tonight.

C

[Assdragger]

This is now in a buddy`s 40 pickup, coulda swore I had pics of it in the chassis but I dont know where I stored em.?.? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[40Tudor]

All of these shots are on the driver's side.

Here's the overall. Note the gap between the pipe and frame towards the front.

[40Tudor]

Straight horizontal view just behind the front fender.

[40Tudor]

Looking up under the rear of the front fender so you can see where the collector ends up.

[40Tudor]

Top side showing the hole in the inner fender.

[40Tudor]

A slightly different view topside. You can see the collector in this one. These headers are probably 8 years old or so. The rust that you can see between the tubes looks much worse in the photo than it does in person.

[40Tudor]

This is the space that I was talking about at the rear between the frame and spring. That's a Chassis Engineering setup.

BTW - Everything downstream of the collector is 2.5"

[40Tudor]

Last one - a shot of the engine last time it was out of the car.

I hope these pictures are helpful and not too confusing.

Note that with the exhaust routed the way is is, it interferes with the braces on the bottom of the stock running boards. I had fiberglass boards on previously and now have the steel ones ready to go, but I'll have to move the exhaust before they can be installed.

I think if I knock it down to 2.25" pipe, I should be able to make the sharp turn after the collector and run inside the frame the rest of the way back.

[Dooley]

Looks great, I would want to run it inside the frame after the collector as well. I am using a transverse spring set up and think I might have the room, thanks for the pics...

[burger]

40Tudor-

How do those "mufflers" sound? They're the Z-28 style ones, right? I've been thinking about running those or a set of Smithy's behind my 283.



Thanks,
Ed

[40Tudor]

I like the sound. They have a nice rumble at low rpm's and really crackle when you let off the gas to shift at higher rpms.

Unfortunately, thay're loud as hell - especially on the highway. It would be better to run them out the back for this reason alone.

[Digger_Dave]

40Tudor, if the body was yellow (like my '41 truck), I would have mistaken those pictures as being of my truck.

Same headers, small notch in the inner fenderwell, and the same muffler and tail pipe arrangement. I still use the running boards and after a long haul, the boards get a bit "toasty!" (they are powder coated, and so far no blisters)

The header are ceramic coated and still look good.

Have to agree on the "sound" (a bit loud at speed) but by adjusting the direction (angle; points out and down) of the exhaust tip, I can live with it. Kinda like the "crackle" though!!

[manyolcars]

On my 31 chopped and channeled A coupe, I did the sidepipes just like 40tudors first pic.

[BIG RIC]

I have speedway fenderwell headers on my '40 with 2.5" pipe run inside the frame, tail pipes all the way out the back. looks good and sounds great!

[mikev]

Anybody have problems with steering shaft clearances?

[HELLBILLY]

I got this set from a guy who had them on a late 30s or 40 something Ford for a long time. Going on my 31 Coupe now! :D

[AnimalAin]

I had fenderwell headers on my 40 coupe when it had the 390 Ford in it. Not really too much of a problem. The first exhaust setup was long glasspacks under the running board that turned out in front of the wheel. Not bad until the fiberglass was mostly blown out of it, then it got loud. Went to turbo mufflers under the car, and it made the car much better to drive (daily). The current motor in the car (351W) allows under chassis headers. Would have had them with the big block, but they were not available at the time.