Does anyone make shorty headers for a 5th gen? The universal block hugger style go right into the crossmember. The cheeper the better.

I also have a set of used (read: slightly banged up) Hooker Super Comps for sale. These things cost me $700 new. I need the ground clearance.

Thanks in advance.

You might look at Hooker. http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/ProdLine/Products/ES/ESHHSCH/Emission.html on this page these are smog legal so I'm pretty sure they are shorties. In the notes it also says that they will accomodate a vehicle lowered up to 4". Look under GM on the page.

That's one of the main reasons I still have stock manufolds. I think I will someday go the shorty route.

dynomax has a set that are for the single exhaust. i think you need a y pipe.

I want a set that does not have the air tubes. Precomputer emmissions. In fact I might modify the crossmember & go will true duals & cats.

flowtech does

I want a set that does not have the air tubes. Precomputer emmissions. In fact I might modify the crossmember & go will true duals & cats.

me and my dad took some 1/4" steel plates and made a c notch in the crossmember. it seems to be stronger.

flowtech does have the shortys the last time i got a price they were $180

For you guys that used headers into the ypipe & single cat. How much of a difference did it make? Was it worth it?

I have a set of DynoMax on my 76 that will work fine on the 5th gens and they are not made for single exhause but I guess if you wanted a single exhaust then you could do that too. Mine are Cerma Coated (Jet Hot Coating) silver in color. They have never discolored. Real nice I might add.

I actually got them for my 80 then decided I wanted them on my 76 insted. I'm using DynoMax Full length headers on the 80.

i used a set of flow tech headers from summit, made for 78-88 g-body cars price 89.95 drivers side slid right up from the bottom passenger side from the top part # in the summit catalog is "big-11102, easiest set of headers i ever installed

There are several different companies that make em. I had to use them becuase i put L-31 vortec heads on my 350...and there is NO SUCH THING as a stock manifold to fit vortecs in a passenger car.....learned that on a saturday after parts store was closed...killed the engine install for 2 days.

Thanks for the info guys, I'll make a note of it for when I have the cash to pick up a set.

As for the guys who were asking about dual exhaust crossmembers, I purchased mine from www.crossmembers.com and have been super satisfied with it, as I was able to get one to fit a 700-R4. At the time I switched to the 700-R4 I worked in the service dept at a chevy dealership and the head service manager came by to check out my el while it was up on a lift, and he was very impressed by the crossmember. I guess he purchased one for his big block 5th gen and has had no problems what so ever.

workNprogress - Are you talking intake manifolds? Cause we're talking exhaust in this thread. But to try and help you out you're correct that the intake manifold bolt pattern is unique on Vortec heads as opposed to other SBC heads. When you want to run a carb with Vortec heads you can either (A) attempt to modifying your existing Pre-86 carb manifold to use the Vortec bolt pattern. It can be done, but you had better know what you are doing. OR (B) buy an an aftermarket intake manifold. There's now a number of them offered by various companies, the widest variety by Edelbrock. I run Vortec heads myself, but when I switched over the only carb intake for vortec heads was made by GM Performance Parts for use on the Fast Burn crate motor. Thank goodness I worked at a dealership, because otherwise that's one expensive intake. Hope I could help.

That crossmember looks real nice with a real nice price, but I guess you gotta pay if you want to play.
Vortec intake manifolds are easy to get now and priced about the same as the early small block intakes.
And Tommy you got a beautiful Elky but it's crying out for a set of ceramic coated exhaust manifolds. Don't bother with the y-pipe and a single cat--go for true duals and add cats if you have to for emmision standards. I wouldn't be surprised if headers with dual exhaust gives you another 35hp and a difference you could really feel.

I am going to look closer that our emmisions standards here. The guy that inspects my cars said that sense my Elky came with one cat then it can have only one. That's the only reason I still have stock manifolds. After this year to is surposed to be emmisions exempt. If that's the case then I will do shorty headers & true duals. I know the manifolds & y-pipe are really hurting out put on this performance 350. I always run headers on my earlier Chevelles cause I didn't have to worry about emmisions. I am looking forward to true duals. 8)

How come he's so fussy about catalytic converters? Besides if he knew what he was doing he would know that two cats work just as good as one. And if it's so important that the engine remain the same as it left the factory than how come he isn't concerned about the appearance of the rest of your engine--it certainly isn't "factory". If a vehicle is subject to emission standards then it should be given a tailpipe sniff and if it conforms to the emmisions of the year it was built then it should pass no matter what it looks like. A poorly maintained engine with all the devices on and working could still be a gross emiter. I'm thankful that I live in an area where we don't have to deal with all that nonsense.

I install the factory air creaner & heat riser pipe. I route the hoses for the vapor canister so it all looks factory. I have taken it it several guys here & he is the easiest! I hope this is the last year for all that! I agree with you, It should not matter what it looks like as long as it's clean out the rear.

Ahhh...you're being sneaky Tommy! But if I know you like I think I do, that Elky's exhaust is cleaner than when it drove off the assembly line. Exhaust emmision standards shouldn't apply to us guys who love our cars more than we love our kids--it should apply exclusively to those slobs that open the hood only when the engine finally quits because it wasn't tuned in 10 years. Long live the four barrel carb!!!!

Man, You are so right! Except for the kids part. :) With the MSD & all it does read better than alot of new cars.

I have currently inside my 81 el camino a 400 small block..I have just discovered that the headers that i used..hooker shorty headers...dont really fit..on the passenger side one of the tubes is against the frame..Will the flow tech headers fit without any sort of modifications? A 400 small block shouldnt be bigger than a 350 or am i overlooking something..ANyone with more input please feel free to give me some..I read the other posts but im still kinda leary of getting another set of headers unless i know they are gonna work out..Also .do i have to have a special crossmemeber to have true duals? Or is that something a good muffler shop can work around..
thanks again guys..

You can't use a truck vortec exhaust manifold on a Elkie, the exhaust exits wrong, that is why i had to get shorties

A long time ago when I was first planning the 80 Project I went to the inspection stations locally to see what I could get by with and what I couldn't. I ran on the Single exhaust system, single cat issue here also. I argued with the guy, which in retrospect was a dumb thing to do my beef wasn't really with him it was the EPA. I wrote them and posed the same question, what difference it makes, pollution wise, between having two cats and two exhaust pipes over one cat and a single exhaust pipe.

There answer was it doesn't matter... The truck was certified by EPA with one and that is all. Had there been any El Caminos that year, Mine again was a 1980, certified by EPA for GM with dual cats/exhausts then it would be fine. Its not an issue of pollution its only a matter of what was certified as good that year model. The guy at the inspection station has no choices of what to look for.

Yes Pete you can't blame him because he was only a small piece of that mindless, senseless bureacracy--he was only "following orders". It irks me to no end that people with brains the size of a retarded mosquito have so much control over such important aspects of our life. I know that this is not a political forum but the "pursuit of happiness" is an essential part of our hobby and we have to protect it from people who don't see our enthusiasm for things mechanical as important to their world view. Strike a blow for Freedom, Liberty and the American Way of Life--piss off bureacrats at every opportunity!

My guy told me that it did not matter how my exhaust was after the cat. That's why I did the y pipe thing.

My guy told me that it did not matter how my exhaust was after the cat. That's why I did the y pipe thing.

It doesn't matter. EPA says the same thing. That is not true dual exhaust but I suppose you could look at it as sort of dual. Wouldn't the Cat, Not the GM Type though, be basically the same as an "H" pipe connection? Dual to the cats then dual to the back, out or what ever. With an "H" or an "X" you have basically the same type of deal, dual to the H or X then dual on out.

I don't care for someone that has not a clue telling me that if I did that then its going to be more poultion, that is the Jist of what they are saying anyway, than the original way. I could understand if I wanted to remove them altogether. That releases sulfer in the air and it kills paint jobs in the form of Acid Rain.

I agree with you Pete. It seems like two cats are better than one. The main idea is to help keep the air clean right?