[techteacher5561]

Got my new motor and Doug's headers installed last week. Had what I consider a "fitment" issue with the headers. I will post a pic or two tonight, but just wondering has anyone else put these on a 68 GTO/Lemans?tempest and had the collectors pointing at the tyranny cross member verses the "hump" in the cross member?

One of the things that sold me on the Dougs was that they were supposed to fit "perfectly"

Am I being too picky? for $600 I expected them to fit like a glove.

[triathlonx13]

My Hooker Super Comps didn't "point" perfectly either in my 1968 GTO.... I lived with it. But I do hear you... those Doug's are supposed to be the best .... $600 ain't cheap..

.

[techteacher5561]

Yeah man at almost twice the cost of most brands I'm thinking theres a reason for it.

Now don't think I'm a big whiner, as far as the real critical areas- frame, oil filter housing, clutch linkage, etc- they do fit nicely.

I heated the cross member in the obstructed areas and banged it into a bit more of a concave surface to clear the ehaust. Not sure what'll happen when the motor twists from the new motors torque.

Guess if I hear ( or feel) banging on the floor underneath my seat I'll have a good hunch of what it's coming from.

I did replace the engine mounts with new pieces. Maybe I should have gone with the solid motor mounts.

As a street car I didn't think I'd need ( or want) solid mounts.

Howard

PS, Triath,,, whats in your 79 that puts you in the 11's????

[David Jones]

This isn't a great picture, but mine pretty much seem to head right at the humps. I was even able to hook into my existing exhaust system, which came under the humps. I used Mity Mounts, which are slightly modified Korean made mounts.
Is your cross member original to the car?
Are they wide of their hump? Inside?
Are you hooking up to an existing system?

[triathlonx13]

Originally Posted by techteacher5561

PS, Triath,,, whats in your 79 that puts you in the 11's????

461 (Pontiac 400 with a stroker assembly)

.

[Slick 50]

Just walked in to cool off some from installing the passenger side Doug's header on a 68 Bird, non-AC. Took the oil filter off and raised the engine about an inch or inch and a half and header slipped in no problem. If the drivers side goes in this easy this will be the easiest set of headers I have ever installed. Fitment is great so far. Exhaust hook-up will be easy so far. After drvers side is in I will make more comments.

[Slick 50]

Finished up the Doug's header install on the 68 Bird a couple hours ago. Took about 3 to 4 hours, including a few beers and a sandwich. The fitment looks great. I don't see any issues about ground clearance like I've seen with the Hookers and the Heddmans. The only thing is see issue with is number 2 pipe is touching the engine mount as it heads toward the collector. Wondering if I should try and cut some of the rubber of to give a little relief?

[techteacher5561]

heres some pics.
maybe I'm exaggerating but the drivers side wasn't going to fit w/o some "heating and beating"
Passenger side was OK, or at least workable.

Is it possible they are "wide" in case some one is running a Automatic tranny?
Maybe? would that be a possibility?

Slick you are correct about ground clearance issues, nice and tight in that respect.
This is my first set of headers so its all new for me.

Triath, NICE !!, that stroker hums for sure!

David, I'm going to go w/ a pypes systemeventually,,but for now I'm going to hook up to the 2 1/2 inch duals to the back. Need to save a bit for the pypes setup. Then I'm rocking!!

Howard

[goathead68]

David or Howard,

What's the ground clearance at the lowest point, either pipe or flange, of those headers? Does the rest of the exhaust tuck up nicely to the humps in the crossmember and floor pan?

I gotta pull the engine out of my '68 for a head rebuilding, gonna install a new cam at the same time. I have RA exhaust manifolds and 2 1/2" mandrel bent head pipes which hang awful low, so low, in fact, that I scraped the passenger side. I'm not happy with how low the exhaust hangs from the engine back to the mufflers and if the headers have more ground clearance, I may just go that way.

Thanks.

[David Jones]

I used to scrape the down-pipes (TorqueTech brand.) coming off of my RA III manifolds on the gutter when I left my driveway if I didn't go across it just right. The headers have done away with that problem. Much better ground clearance.

[techteacher5561]

gh68,
clearance looks to be very good, If you open the opics above you'll see they are very tight to the floor area.
I just got the adapters I needed and the collector gaskets ( one blew out during the cam break in. must be the bolts weren't tight enough and was literally shreaded ) to complete everything.

Hopefully tonight will be a good night to work on the car.

Car is stored away from my house so it's not as easy as walking out into the garage and getting to work on it.

I can post pics once I'm done.

My current exhaust will be a temporary setup - Pypes system as soon as the money allows for it.

[techteacher5561]

OK.
This is becoming a PITA trying to connect to the existing mufflers and pipes to the headers with the "new angle" created by the headers going "wide" of the tranny crossmember humps. Not off alot at the tranny hump but as that path continues rearward it is magnified.

One related question, as this could be a contributing factor to my frustration.

What are other 68-70 GTO?Lemans/Tepmest cars running- mufflers with an offset inlet/outlet or mufflers with a center in/center out arrangement.

Looks like for me to create a temporary solution ( until I can buy a pypes system)
I need to get either a center inlet/outlet muffler or a 48" long pipe with a 4 1/2 in offset.

Just curious if my mufflers were technically "wrong" to begin with.

[Region Warrior]

Helped a friend put'm on his 69 about 5 yrs ago, and had no issues with a 3" exhaust.
Those are way off.
I'd contact Doug's or the place you bought them from.
Maybe they had a run of bad ones.

[David Jones]

Originally Posted by techteacher5561

OK.


What are other 68-70 GTO?Lemans/Tepmest cars running- mufflers with an offset inlet/outlet or mufflers with a center in/center out arrangement.


Just curious if my mufflers were technically "wrong" to begin with.

My mufflers are 2.5" Dynomax Super Turbo's. Offset inlet and outlet.

Is your cross member correct for the car?

[455Darren]

I feel your pain. I was (are) disapointed in my Doug's. '70 GTO 455 4spd, problems all over, should have sent them back. Doubt I will buy them again.

[GTOLou]

Doug's are not only good for fitting, but heavy gauge (lasts long), thick flanges (no leaks), and they don't drag (did that w/ cheap headers and my 442 when I was a kid).


I'll try to take a look at my crossmember - and alignment.

[techteacher5561]

I'm really not worried about the crossmember as much as I'm now worried about the direction the collects "point". I wasn't planning on buying the pypes system for a little while as I just dumped a bunch of cash into my motor and I'm trying to get my car nice and also keep the wife happy about the financial concerns.

Now I'm curious if there'd be enough adjustment in the pypes system to correctly hook everything together.

I'll give the place I bought them from a call as well as Dougs direct.

Howard

[carsmymistress]

I installed as set of Dougs on my 69 with a recent engine build. The drivers side header is not eactly lined up with the exhaust opening on the crossmember but was close. I have a magnaflow exhaust with x-pipe that fit perfect on the factory logs. I could not open it up wide enough to fit the Dougs after install.
Short story, I drove it open headers to a local exhaust shop and for $50 they made a pair of pipes from my collectors to the x-pipe that fit perfectly.

[techteacher5561]

I wasn't going to go w/ open headers but thought I could cut my current pipes sort and clamp on the flowmasters- it'd be loud but no where near "open headers" loud to do the same.
carsmymistress- What'd your local muffler shop charge for the "custom pipes?

howard

PS, David, Yes I'm pretty sure the crossmember is OK. I fellow POCI member brought over an original X member from a GTO HT and the humps were in the same spot but the overall lenght was longer (diff fram on the HT vs Vert? is my guess.

[carsmymistress]

I paid $50 for the two pipes in the photo. They custom bent the pipes, cut the collector so that the pipe would clear the crossmember properly and welded the assembly. Not exactly a bargain, but I do not have a pipe bender in my garage. Btw. It sounded much better with the open headers. (heh,heh)

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