I recently acquired a '56 BN2 powered by a 265 small block Chevy engine. It is old and tired, but I've coaxed it back to life, of sorts. However, I have a huge exhaust leak from the left side exhaust header. With the variety of "shorty" or "hugger" headers available for SBC, I thought this would be no problem BUT, my new, actually quite nice $100 eBay headers arrived today and they extend about 4 inches out from the head. The blown out ones currently on the car extend only about 3 inches out. I can make further modifications to the body if necessary, but finding headers to mach my current ones would make things much easier. I am thinking with the many SBC powered big Healeys that have been done, someone out there must know which headers will work for me.
Thanks in advance,
Craig
Narrow ones that hug the head are hard to find. I'm currently replacing my complicated long tube headers with these from Sanderson
https://www.sandersonheaders.com/sanderson-qp1000-cast-series-small-block-chevy-header-set.html
They are tight fitting and extremely beedy / well-built. I found mine on ebay for way cheaper btw.
I wonder if Rams Horn manifolds would work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdhE2STnrCo
I purchased a paitr of Sanderson blockhugger headers for a 327 a while back and they were so out of shape that the collector flange was gouging the block. You could see plenty of daylight between the header flange which was between1/2" and 3/4" from the exhaust port face of the cylinder heads. Trying to get Sanderson to accept that their product was incorrectly curved and unusable proved totally futile. Luckily I had purchased on a credit card and was able to get a refund on their product.
I run rams horns on another car and they are much quieter than any tubular headers although not increasing horsepower. They do fit close to the block and may work for your Healey. Flowtech also have a reinvented Rams Horn:
https://www.holley.com/products/exhaust/headers_and_exhaust_manifolds/exhaust_manifolds/parts/11704FLT
Weird, mine are ceramic coated, about as heavy as an iron head and the flange is the thickest I've ever seen... and pricey.