OK Kustom Headers, Flint MI

I came across a set of 55-57 Chevy SBC headers made by Kustom Equipment in Flint, MI. Pretty familiar with the company's history but I wanted to know if there's any way to know when these headers were made. There is a nameplate tacked to one of the passenger side primary tubes that reads 'OK Kustom, Kustom Equipment Company, Flint Michigan' and the collectors have a round 4-bolt flange.

Appreciate the help!

Tony

 

Still looking for info on these headers.

 

I worked at speed shops for 12 years from the late 60's to 70's. Kustom headers were available about 69 till around 75 or so. They had a big deal large tube (17/8" primaries) for SB chevys starting around "Nationals" time in 1970. There was a big push on them for the racing crowd. The advertized "Bolt on a tenth".
Had a customer in Dayton get a set of em for a 66 Nova C/MP. They did not fit worth a darn. Too big the primaries hit everything. Never got em on the car.
Some people had good luck with them however from what I was told back then.

 

Oh man!!! Don't tell Matt at Ionia Speed Shop you have those. Kustom Equipment did a ton of headers back in the day. Good stuff. I remember seeing the shop when i was a kid. Now the building is a pond equipment supplies store.... I'll see if I can get more info from a guy I know who has a set on the 302 DZ in his Kustom Eq Vette showcar.

 

Kustom Equipment was located just a few miles from my house, and was the place to go drool when I was a broke teenager in the 80's. In 1992, Kustom owner Dave Lunkas was a passenger in a ridiculously powered T-bucket that was racing a motorcycle on the streets of Flint, after touching a curb with the rear slick, he and car owner/ driver Bruce Shoemaker were killed at the scene. The family attempted to keep the shop open, but it folded up just a few years later.

 

Don't remember the exact time frame but remember being commissioned by one of Kustom's inside guys to create a set of drawings of their Camaro Z-28 headers-the ones that came in the trunk. They had created a header concept by building/fabbing on the car. Problem was, the hot dogs at Chevrolet Engineering couldn't convince Central Office Purchasing to buy them based on only a sample-Purchasing insisted on a drawing or blue prints. A friend and myself took a set home and propped them up on my basement floor (surface plate with a 9" grid pattern). With a combination square we started picking up points and plotting them. we faked a reasonable set of pictures of the headers then ran blue prints of our drawing at work: Chevrolet Mfg in downtown Flint. The B/Ps satisfied Chevrolet Purchasing and the headers were sold. My pay was an old 2 X 4 Manifold from a 270 H.P. 283 with two AFBs. So what year were the first Z-28s? I just can't remember the name of the guy we worked for. At that time the Ogoreck brothers owned the place.

 

It took me almost 6 years to discover your replies to my thread...but here's a late 'thank you' for responding! Dale, what an awesome story. The first Z Camaros came out in mid '67.