Please allow me to preface... I know there have been past posts regarding the Ford 223 and their cracked exhaust manifolds... But my daily driver is down and I feel desperate enought to reach out... I've replaced a cracked manifold a couple years back with one I got from a fellow HAMBer. Of course after a couple years, the replacement manifold has got more cracks than a Vietnamese massage parlor. Now, I understand that the right welder can braze or weld the manifold, but with THIS many cracks, and in their particular location, it may be worth my financial investment to look into a more permanent solution, like a new set of headers. The very limited few I have been able to locate online (Clifford and Patriot) are designed for the truck motor (same motor, but mount placement may differ)... Which leads me to ask... Has anyone replaced their manifold with pre-cut headers? If so, were you forced to do mods or did the truck headers fit? Also, did anyone continue to use the stock intake? If so, what did you do to bolt the linkage in place, without the original exhaust studs? Any input, photos, and/or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I cut my stock exhaust manifold and made a short one for the two front cylinders and sealed off the back part to work on the four back cylinders. I never did find a solution to mounting the kick-down leaver. I simply attached the rod to the firewall and adjusted it to shift at 35 mph. There is no kick down but the tranny shifts smooth and works well.
The Jalopy Journal
