The root cause as I see it is typified by the answer given to me by a rep at what is probably the largest header company. There are a lot of heads made with exhaust ports raised .300", just enough for their stock style headers to not clear my steering. When I asked him why they could not revise their product so it fit a newer style head, as opposed to a 40 year old design, his reply was,"We can't build headers for every make head that's out there."
I worked in machine shops for 45 years. Whenever I questioned why something was done a certain way, when it could easily be improved upon, the answer was always the same, "We've always done it this way." That's your answer to most things, "We've always done it this way."
A well known racer friend needed a dozen special type of bolts because he takes pride in his work and the way it looks. Since he could not find what he wanted, he made a drawing and specs, and had a bolt company make 100 bolts, so if he ever needed some like those in the future, he'd have them.
Unfortunately, we are all not that rich or talented, so we have to haggle what we buy and hope for the best. Good luck with your project and don't let them grind you down.
