Somebody help please.
I have a 454 crate engine with the rectangle ports.
Ive been on the internet and the phone a couple hours now. Anyone know which headers will work? Summit guy says Hooker 2213 HKR but I think they are the round ports.

I just want something that will fit easy and work well.

Thanks
Dave

The exhaust ports will be square on all of the factory heads except for some very rare 60's aluminum ones. All of the headers I've been exposed to have round ports on big blocks. What I'm saying is, is that the exhaust port shape doesn't matter as far as fitting properly.

So the ones I have will fit most any big block? And most BB have the same shape (square) exhaust ports as mine?

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

The guy at the parts store sells two types of header gaskets though shouild I use the round ported cardboardy ones that came with my hedman shorty's or go with the silver colored square one that the parts guy sold me and said were better.

The flanges on my header arent flat the tubes protrude very slightly through the flanges. I just dont see how a gasket is going to seal this up.

Am I wrong to be worry this? Dang it I could a put the engine in today if I knew what the hell I was doing.

Dave Struggling in Ventura

So the ones I have will fit most any big block? And most BB have the same shape (square) exhaust ports as mine?

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

The guy at the parts store sells two types of header gaskets though shouild I use the round ported cardboardy ones that came with my hedman shorty's or go with the silver colored square one that the parts guy sold me and said were better.

The flanges on my header arent flat the tubes protrude very slightly through the flanges. I just dont see how a gasket is going to seal this up.

Am I wrong to be worry this? Dang it I could a put the engine in today if I knew what the hell I was doing.

I used the paper gaskets that came with my Hedman Headers. These sealed up perfect with no leaks.

I used the paper gaskets that came with my Hedman Headers. These sealed up perfect with no leaks.

Ditto! :thumbsup:

I used the paper gaskets that came with my Hedman Headers. These sealed up perfect with no leaks.

I did too...and then they leaked...they are the ONLY ones I have got to seal though....and at $8 or whatever a set, you cant go wrong.

Were your hedman's flat across the flange on the head side? Or was each tube "raised" sort of? This has cause considerable pain in getting them to seal along with the whole square port- round header tube thing....:sad:

I have had to take a file on new headers and go over the mating surfaces (evenly) to ensure a flat surface. As soon as you start to do this, you'll see the low spots. This is very common on headers, and is THE reason why they leak. They'll seal with the cheapest gaskets if the mating surfaces are filed flat.

65, the tube extended past the flange. Mine are the Elite headers and have the 3/8" flange. I did check them for flatness with a straight edge, looked good - didn't try hitting them with a file though, probably a good idea as long as the file is long enough to hit all four tubes at once. The paper gaskets are soft enough to allow for compression and irregularities. Maybe I got lucky, mine don't leak.

I have the Hedmans, not the Elites though, in the 2"x3" flavor. I was using the $$$ Felpro gaskets and they sealed good. Then I tried the cheapo ones at Pepboys or Autozone for like 1/2 price and they seal just as good. In fact, I think I like the cheapo's better b/c they come of easier. The Felpro's kind of stuck on there and needed to be scraped off - not good if you need to change gaskets with everything still in the car.

BTW - I had the crate 454 w/iron rec's, now I have alum heads. Same headers, same gaskets, everything seals just find!

Also, test fit the headers on the motor before you install - you dont want any surprises! Shouldnt be an issue with the iron heads though.