Anybody run shorty headers on an A body?
 

I am looking at exhaust options and I found the hedman tork step headers ceramic coated and was wondering in anyone ran them? Looks like it would be a good compromise between full length headers and ram air manifolds. What are your thoughts?

Tying to figure out what you are trying to compromise? You're not going to find anything that fits better than a Ram Air, and shortys aren't going to flow any better than a ram air, so in my mind you have two choices - ram air or long tubes and your choice there depends on what your end goal is and which compromises you want to make. If you want all the power you can get it's hands down long tubes, if you are after street performance, quieter with some power gains go with the ram airs. You said earlier that this was essentially going to be your daily driver. I think you need to slow down here, make a plan and stick with it. Don't buy anything else until you are certain about what you are going to build. I know others will disagree, but i just don't see much use for a shorty header on these engines since that is essentially what a ram air manifold is.

I don't see much use for shorty headers either. If that's what you're after, Pontiac already engineered that for you with ram air manifolds.

Weight savings, ceramic looks great and stays that way, exhaust manifolds look like crap after a while.

Exhaust manifolds can be ceramic coated also. Mine are.

Yup. But even the ceramic coatings give up after a while. Especially if you live in a moist humid climate. In Ohio I was only getting about 4-5 years out of Jet Hot ceramic coatings before they started to show signs of pitting, and the cars never got wet or were driven in winter. Out West here it's a different story though. Seems to last much longer.

I ran Hedman shorty headers on my last engine in my 69 Gto, loved them!
Only swapped them out as I needed bigger primaries for my new stroker. Had custom made full length headers built, and no way do they sound as good as my shorties did, I miss them.

I don't understand why you are telling me to slow down on purchasing parts? I am focusing on engine stuff while I wait for my bodywork. Anyway that aside the hedman shorties even coated are cheaper than the ram air manifolds. I have no problem running headers on a street car other than the fact that I have heard several times that fitment on early a bodies is a nightmare. Just from my own observation I don't see how you would get longtube headers that didn't interfere with the steering shaft. The shorties were just an idea. Isn't that what these forums are for? To float ideas and to learn from other people's experiences

With longtube headers, you get what you pay for, i.e. fitment and ease of installation of 4-tubers tends to improve with price. I have used Hooker Super Comps on a '70 GTO and a '71 Lemans. Been years since I installed them, but I do not remember any headaches whatsoever. I helped a friend install the cheaper Hookers on his '70 tempest and was ready to get out the torch. As I recall, Hedman 3-tube headers basically install with no problems except for interference with the neutral lockout rod.

Hot Rod did a Pontiac dyno comparison between headers, shorties, and RA manifolds click here: http://www.hotrod.com/articles/hppp-...-vs-manifolds/

Basically there is no statistically significant difference in performance among the Hedman shorties and the various Ram Air GTO-style d-ports. If dollars count the most, go with the Hedman shorties. If pure ease of installation, install them and forget them, or stock appearance counts the most, then go with the RA manifolds. If all out performance counts the most, go with full-size headers, but do not go with the cheap stuff.