47-55.1 1950 gmc header options

[1957 chevy]

Looking for header option for 1950 gmc with 5.3 truck motor with mustang 2 suspension.ive searched but not finding anything that reasonable or that seems to give enough clearance for steering ,not sure if motor higher up then most or lower then most .I have 3 U-Joint for steering and tried a lot of different ways but I only can get about 3” of width between motor.any help would be appreciated. Thanks Jason

Not sure how to post pictures not smart enough!

[mick53]

You can always go custom. They make mock up kits so you just send the kit back after mocking it up. They are pricey.

[J48chevy]

I used these hooker headers with my LS. Fit just fine.

[e015475]

The cast iron manifolds from Hooker or Sanderson are probably your best bet. Summit has something similar too.

If you are willing to use a cast factory manifold, I've heard that the Trailblazer SS manifolds work well.

Pacesetter Headers is here in Phoenix and they let me try GTO, Camaro and truck LS headers. They all either interfered with the frame rail or hit the stock clutch/brake linkage.

Here's Pacesetter's Camaro shorty headers on the passenger side-


Here they are one the driver's side - they would have worked but I had a manual transmission and wanted to use the stock pedals, but the linkage interfered on the clutch


I found some cheap LS shorty headers a friend of mine was selling at the swap meet and tried those too. These would have worked with a three-ujoint arrangement, but they looked like hell and were 1.5" diameter primary.



Ultimately, I decided I'd build my own - you have to be some kind of masochist to do this, but i wanted long-tube headers with a simple two-joint steering and would clear the stock clutch pedal.

Here it is in mock-up before welding. You can see the space in the middle for the steering shaft to go through.


In the chassis


Mike Finnegan has a YouTube video up on building headers. He shows a bunch of fancy tools and makes it look harder than it really is - you can replace all those tools he uses with a belt sander, a Sharpie and a worm clamp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr-nraY0rsE

[1957 chevy]

Thanks for all the reply’s ,I did check out all your builds but for some reason I don’t have the room like all of your builds I’m not sure sure why,I did order some from speedway today the patriot tight tuck h8086 I think we will see if they work.I would build my own but waiting on back surgery so can’t do that I’m relying on my 16 old son to help get it back to steering and exhaust so I can move it out of garage for awhile.I had a c10 suspension in it and run and mostly driving and I switched for mustang 2 rite before they pulled out of work so not it sits.thanks for alll the help. Jason

Ps. How do u post pictures? Thanks

[e015475]

I'm not sure how everyone else does it, but this is how I do it.

-take a picture with the phone and send it to my email.
-open the email picture in Paint and resize it to about 1000 pixels, then save it to a folder on my desktop
-I use talk.classicparts.com to host the pictures - I load them from my desktop into my media account there. Nothing special about this site except they cater to trucks, I'm sure there's lots of other places that will host your pictures, but I have about 500 of mine hosted there.
-when I want to paste a picture, I copy and paste the image from talk.classicparts.com to this site (or any site you can host pictures at) using the icon above (the one that looks like a postcard of a mountain and sun with a yellow sky.

If you have a 16 year old, he's your best bet to show you how. My kid is 33 now and I have to do it myself.

[mick53]

Originally Posted by e015475

The cast iron manifolds from Hooker or Sanderson are probably your best bet. Summit has something similar too.

If you are willing to use a cast factory manifold, I've heard that the Trailblazer SS manifolds work well.

Pacesetter Headers is here in Phoenix and they let me try GTO, Camaro and truck LS headers. They all either interfered with the frame rail or hit the stock clutch/brake linkage.

Here's Pacesetter's Camaro shorty headers on the passenger side-


Here they are one the driver's side - they would have worked but I had a manual transmission and wanted to use the stock pedals, but the linkage interfered on the clutch


I found some cheap LS shorty headers a friend of mine was selling at the swap meet and tried those too. These would have worked with a three-ujoint arrangement, but they looked like hell and were 1.5" diameter primary.



Ultimately, I decided I'd build my own - you have to be some kind of masochist to do this, but i wanted long-tube headers with a simple two-joint steering and would clear the stock clutch pedal.

Here it is in mock-up before welding. You can see the space in the middle for the steering shaft to go through.


In the chassis


Mike Finnegan has a YouTube video up on building headers. He shows a bunch of fancy tools and makes it look harder than it really is - you can replace all those tools he uses with a belt sander, a Sharpie and a worm clamp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr-nraY0rsE

Would a hydraulic clutch/throwout bearing help? As for posting pictures I suck at computers. They put a piece of tape over my delete key in my offices. When I take pictures on my phone it automatically post to Google photos. Then I just download and post.I have never had to resize on this forum. I don't remember setting anything up. I have thousands of pictures there and have never had to give them any money. They also have tools for editing photos. Thank you for your time.

[e015475]

There's a business that builds high-end Advanced Design trucks here in Phoenix called Apicella Design. They show a LS header for an AD truck on their website - they say it is from Doug Thorley. (note that Apicella uses a TCI chassis on their builds so I don't know if it would fit a stock chassis or not)

https://apicelladesigns.com/engine-packages

You might call Doug Thorley Headers and ask. They also sell DIYkits.

http://www.dougthorleyheaders.com/thydiy

[Rickysnickers]

I just posted these in another thread. They are pricey, but might be worth a look.

https://www.fabquest.com/tci-ls-and-...ic-coated.html

[e015475]

FWIW-

$750 sounds pricey, but by the time you buy flanges, v-bands, mandrels, collectors, coating and consumables you're gonna have this much in it in materials alone if you DIY.

That's for 1018 steel. If you want 304 SS, add another 50%

Unless your time is free and you've got nothing else to do, you're much better off buying a set of headers.

[e015475]

I used a hydraulic throwout bearing on mine - mechanical linkage would have been a nightmare.

Here's an original pedal assembly modified to take a Wilwood clutch master cylinder