These are 14" and I built them this way so the owner of the headers could attach a collector at a later date. If you are building anyway why not consider lakster headers? A kit isn't really expensive, you can use your own flanges and you could in theory drop some muffled pipes off of them when you get tired of the wringing in your ears.
The main problem with short individual pipes is you will not take advantage of the scavenging effect of the collector. So you will have a little less low end, whether it can be noticed in your seat of the pants is dependent on your butt calibration. My opinion, and biggest complaint of the individual pipes is they do not sound good on a stock or mild perf engine. An open collector sounds better. Regardless of the noise level, the quality of the noise sucks with individual pipes
A few old timer dragster guys would say that they use to pull the plugs at the end and push it back to the pits with the clutch out and that would hammer the valves straight again
Ya Beaner,I run 40" drag pipes on my Shovel. I cut the slash cut off the end so they are squared off. I then run a 1/4" thumbscrew a couple inches forward of the tail end of the pipe and I SWEAR I pick up 20 horsepower as opposed to open drag pipes!!! There is a VERY noticeable difference!!!1 It is all seat of the pants of course but WHAT a difference!!! Try it some time! 'Liner
I'll try that. They are crisper with 1 7/8 pipes as opposed to 2". The bologna cut is to take the bark out of them. But it won't cost me a thing to give that a whirl. About anything on my old bike is seat of the pants, a dyno would only disappoint me.
I run a stripe of house paint down from the engine on each pipe, where ever it burns first, thats where I put the balance tube.
i think it's b.s., too, but one explanation i used to hear was that open pipes make the engine run so much leaner that it burns the valves.
I had originally planned on lakester style headers, but the cost of getting them welded up was the cost factor. Even with the lakester style, cutout pipes with mufflers under are not an option...getting through/around 2 crossmembers gets complicated Then I saw a set like this on a roadster with an old Caddy V8 I like the look, and much less fitting and simple enough welding to be within the ability of my good ameature welder friend. The wringing in my ears issue is why I was planning on the motorcycle baffles.
absolutely true and very very evident with my 51 flat 6, with the turn of the distributor it will go from a low rumble slight burble to crisp rifle shots and big bangs.
50 or more years ago, my uncle had a late '30s Olds jalopy hot rod. On the end of the header tubes he had what looked like open ended 3 lb coffee cans. Did they serve any real purpose?
I always figured that running the exhaust strait out of the headers or straight out of individual pipes off each cylinder was their way of saying that they didn't think the car had enough going for it to draw attention on it's own so they were going to make it extra loud to draw attention to it be it positive or negative attention. Same breed as the guy who fires up his car at a show every half hour on the half hour and guns the engine with open headers for five minutes until he gets a crowd around the car who leave as soon as he shuts the car down.
For me it's not about the sound at all. If I had my preference for the sound of this little car it would be a mild deep rumble at idle, and a mild roar on throttle. For me the reason for individual pipes is simplicity...and the reduced cost that brings. I can't see spending $400+ on headers for a $100 engine...LOL
In the town adjacent to ours, there is an old club that was sanctioned around 1949. They had a club car, ran it at the drags...the car was a flathead FED, dubbed "the Cotton Chopper". They were vary active. Years later, the club has been re-activated, the name is the same...but the charter members are ...older now, some have retired, some have passed. I questioned a couple of the elders about the name: "Valve Burners". One replied, "Back in the day...we ran 'em with open exhausts, and when they were cooling, they'd warp the valves! Yessir, they were that hot!" I couldn't resist answering, "Hmmm...I was in the trade for 60 years...Sounds more like Low Maintenance..." My apologies to all concerned, no 'correctness harm' intended. Side note: I did belong to a club when we ran Fremont drags in '62. Ironically, the club name was "Adjusters".
Biggest problem with open pipes [or even closed] is not letting the engine idle some or spin down with fuel/ignition off to let the exhaust valves cool down before you kill it..I found as a kid that the exhaust valve can/will get red hot at higher rpm/load as I could see the exhaust valve on my kart engine....
I run straight pipes all the way out the back bumper nice sound no burnt valves. I have wanted a car with straight pipes all my life and I have one, And it is f--cking COOL.Yes I am going throw my 2nd child hood. I cant spell Tonite To many Miller High Life no way
Wow Doc, thanks for the couch time. I must be the exception to the rule. I hate crowds and never rev the motor for attention. Crap, some times I roll it down the driveway before starting to keep the neighbors friendly. I put some baffles in to keep it sane but yeah its still loud. I really don't have a reason for putting them on other than I like it and enjoy the hell out of driving it.
Been running zoomies for years, street ,strip, and all over. NO problems ! I scare people , and make babies cry ! LOL
I used to do that without a car...now days not so much. Kinda hard to scare folks when they know they can get away with a walking pace.
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