67 Fairlane GTA 390 Headers

[amdscooter]

Hello all, first time poster here. I used the search function but could not locate the exact information I needed hopefully I can get some help. I have a nearly all stock 1967 Fairlane GTA I've owned for about 15 years. Replaced the front end when I got it with a PST poly kit and put a 4 barrel 625 Holley in it with an aftermarket free flow air cleaner in it. Those are pretty much the only non-stock parts on it. 76k original miles:





Wife and 2 kids making huge dollar investments a no-go for some time but I've been able to keep it streetable for the entire time I've owned it. That brief history aside... I have a hairline crack starting on the passenger side exhaust manifold. Probably not worth it to repair if it's even possible. Considering the cost of a replacement manifold at a few hundred dollars I'd really rather like to get a set of headers to replace the stock manifolds instead if economically feasible. I've read from numerous sources including this forum that it's the best starting point to help a 390FE. Quick Specs:

390 GT 14 bolt heads C7AE-A
C6 column shift
Factory AC
Power steering
Power Brakes

I've yet to find a set of full length headers for my application from Hooker, Sanderson, FPA, Crites, Dougs, JBA and a few others. Some come really close but don't quite cooperate with all the factory equipment. The 14 bolt GT heads with the slightly offset pattern have been the biggest gating factor by far. I've read I can probably get Hookers to cooperate but I'd need to hog out~elongate the holes to make the ports line up.. not ideal by a longshot. Cutting to the chase.. does anyone know of a set of full length headers that will fit out of the box? -or- Know of a manufacturer that carry's a set of shorty's that will accommodate the GT 14 bolt head that I can get a local shop to custom the rest to fit? Dropping $1500 for a set of headers or stock CJ manifolds are not an option at this point unless I hit the lotto soon. 

Thanks in advance
-scoot

[jayb]

Welcome to the board, and that is a really good looking car.  You said that FPA didn't make a set of headers, but I found a set of tri-Ys on their site that should fit, and they are available with the 14 bolt 390 GT exhaust port configuration.  Here's a link:

http://fordpowertrain.com/FPAindex/Fairlane1.htm

The dyno tests I did for my book indicated that those headers work pretty well, despite being the tri-Y design.  Their big advantage, though, is a lot of ground clearance; most FE headers in Fairlanes and Mustangs don't have all that much.  I think that probably the headers would require a drop bracket for the power steering ram in order to fit, but that's no big deal.

Good luck with the project!

[amdscooter]

Thanks for the welcome and reply, I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. I know this site is geared more toward fine tuning FE's for maximum HP/Torque than my "what fits?" question. Honestly, I felt a bit sheepish even asking.  You know.. I was at that exact same FPA page just a few days ago and I could swear the breakdown notes stated it would not cooperate with something that came factory equipped. I'm reading it again and none of the notes listed (A    B    C    E    H    K) indicate anything of the sort. I'll be getting in touch with them for a quote. I'm not planning much more under the hood until after paint unless something drastic happens as the engine still runs very strong. But I am thinking about turning it into a stroker sometime in the future hoping for a conservative 400Hp build with a decent amount of low end torque. I will be stopping by reading the information here for head, cam, intake combination ideas as much as possible in the meantime. Thanks again for your time and recommendation. 

 

[66FAIRLANE]

Nice choice of motor vehicle. 

[JamesonRacing]

Stan at FPA will take care of you.  That's the only header I'd consider on your car, with what you want to do with it.  The ball/cone header collector is a real plus for street exhaust.  You may also want to take a look at the Flowmaster American Thunder exhaust kit to go with the headers.  Very nice stuff, fits well, 2.5" all the way out the back.  Then when you get that finished, consider a Blue Thunder aluminum intake manifold.  Looks factory, top quality, really wakes up the 390s.   I have one on my 465" street engine and have zero complaints.

Good luck, great looking car.

[amdscooter]

66fairlane.. thanks mate! Nice silver fox you have yourself.

JamesonRacing.. thanks for the suggestions!

[cammerfe]

I'll also say welcome and please don't feel as if ANY question is too basic to ask here. At the very least, it'll bring back memories for some of us. My first new car was a '64 Custom with a 427 and I've been asking questions ever since. This is a friendly group of guys!

KS

[amdscooter]

Thanks! Picking up a lot of useful information just cruising the forums the last few days... happens every time something breaks on the old Fairlane. It's a learning process I really enjoy. I'm sure it's a road many of you have already traveled to some length.. brakes.. suspension.. power steering.. heater/AC boxes.. radiators.. carburetors.. electronic ignitions~points to my latest adventures in exhaust work. It never really ends.... and that's fine by me 

[ScotiaFE]

Nice Fairlane.
Looks like an interesting combo.
That air cleaner that was on it. Was it a stock GT, got a pic of it?
The C7 head exhaust port is about 0.220" lower than a Cobra Jet or about 0.250" lower than an Edelbrock exhaust port.

[manofmerc]

Hedman is what I have on my 66 comet .There is plenty of ground clearance and everything fits .I am running edelbrock heads and that is different from your 14 bolt heads .Why not give them a call or checkout hedmans web page .Good luck with your project nice looking fairlane headers will wake it up .I put that flowmaster american thunder exhaust system on my car too.I had to modify the h pipe but other than that it fit fine .The exhaust pipes where perfect and I like the sound .Doug

[amdscooter]

@ScotiaFE: Sorry, no photo of the stock air filter. It had an aftermarket free flow on it when I purchased it.

@manofmerc: I tried several different vendors. Been in communication with Stan and it looks like I'm ordering a set from FPA on Monday.  Here is a good pic of how far offset most headers are from the GT heads..



^^ GT head is on the left.

[My427stang]

The FPAs are a good choice.

Slather the bolts with a generous amount of antiseize, be sure to tighten them evenly, and use as many of the bolts as you can, minimum of 2 opposing per cylinder.

Then  technique I use is fire the motor up, get it hot, and snug them down one more time hot.  You may pay the header gods with a burn or two, but you'll never have to worry about them again

[amdscooter]

^^^ Thanks for the advise. What brand of antiseize do you normally use? Think I should be able to use all but a few of the bolt holes, there are a couple on the top row toward the front that are really close to the shock tower support. I might "massage" the tower material back a tad to see if I can get better fit. On that note.. the stock manifolds only use two of the four available holes in the head roughly located at the 3 and 9 Oclock positions. The top and bottom holes at 12 and 6 have never been used. I'm thinking of cleaning the threads up a bit with a bottom tap once I get the stock manifolds removed. Anyone have experience~issues using these holes?

Thanks!

[My427stang]

I use whatever silver stuff Napa sells with a brush in the can, but the copper stuff works well too

Chase every hole, it doesn't need to be a bottoming tap, a cheap thread chaser works great too.

You only need 2 opposing bolts per tube, but more can't hurt.  The key is tighten them all evenly like you would any other flange.  Sometimes guys are careful in a build, the get to the headers and over-tighten the easy ones.  Sometimes it takes a bunch of different wrenches, 1/4 inch drive sockets, 3/8 sockets etc to be able to tighten them all the same, but in the end if you do, they'll last for years and years with no leaks.

The manifolds are a bit easier, one piece machined flange, so they can be zonked down with a little less thought, but be careful and you'll be happy with the results

[amdscooter]

Well I spoke to Stan over at FPA yesterday and ordered my headers and a drop down bracket for my power steering, should arrive in about 2 weeks. In the meantime I'm on the hunt for a good 2.5" exhaust setup. Already been 1 recommendation for the Flowmaster American Thunder exhaust kit by JamesonRacing. Any other kits you guys would recommend looking at? One related question while I'm on the topic. Where do you guys prefer the exhaust pipes to terminate? The current exhaust setup has the exit point located just behind the rear wheel inside of the wheel well. I'm thinking at the very least I'd like the tip out of the wheel well an inch or so. Should I keep that location or run the pipes all the way to the back bumper as I'm used to seeing?