Does anyone make Block hugger headers for a 350?

Discussion in 'Small Block Tech' started by dr, Jan 24, 2022.

  1. dr

    dr Well-Known Member

    Does anyone make Block hugger headers for a 350?
    or
    Shorties?
     
  2. sean Buick 76

    sean Buick 76 Buick Nut

  3. dr

    dr Well-Known Member

    Damn it.
    I got the flanges from you hoping to never use them. lol
    I weld and have a tubing bender but making headers look awful. I think there are kits to purchase bends and curves thus making your own headers.
     
  4. Jim Nichols

    Jim Nichols Well-Known Member

    s-l300 (1).jpg You could buy a set of SBC blockhuggers and cut the flange off and be pretty close.
     
    dr likes this.
  5. gsjohnny1

    gsjohnny1 Well-Known Member

    great idea jim. now if the pipes are big enough. now if 2'' or bigger are available, wow! be pretty good for built engine
     
    sean Buick 76 likes this.
  6. Jim Nichols

    Jim Nichols Well-Known Member

    Johnny, I think most of those are 1 5/8" You may be able to find 1 3/4".
     
    dr likes this.
  7. dr

    dr Well-Known Member

    Jim thats a great ide. Maybe I can contact the company and say Just sell them unwelded. I'm serious
     
  8. dr

    dr Well-Known Member

    Or heat and bend
     
  9. sean Buick 76

    sean Buick 76 Buick Nut

    You may be able to weld buick flange plates onto the existing sbc flanges. Maybe cut the sbc flanges in order to move things around then re weld.
     
  10. sean Buick 76

    sean Buick 76 Buick Nut

    most 350s aren’t limited by a primary header diameter.
     
  11. Fox's Den

    Fox's Den 355Xrs

    No just limited on being made but who races a 350 Buick lol
    You would have to buy the pipes and build your own
     
  12. Jim Blackwood

    Jim Blackwood Well-Known Member

    Biggest handicap of those block huggers is twofold: The primaries are unequal in length and they are too short. Because of that they cannot scavenge properly, and they slot into a spot part way between the stock iron manifolds and a true conventional header. A little better than stock but not all that much. For the small benefit, there are advantages to retaining the iron manifolds instead.

    However, it seems that most 'performance' headers still do not have true equal length primaries and can vary by something on the order of 2 to 4 inches typically, so you'd have to measure them to be sure. Having built true equal length headers I can assure you that they rock, and having large diameter primaries is then less of an issue. A primary length of 32" is pretty much considered standard and for most 350 cid engines 1-5/8" is quite acceptable when combined with that tube length.

    Most header comparisons that I have seen, usually big vs small tube, never took into account either tube length or whether the tubes were equal length or not. Without that it is apples to oranges.

    Racing would be different of course but no serious racer would be considering shorty headers.

    Jim
     
    Dano likes this.
  13. dr

    dr Well-Known Member

    I have a bender and have used it for simple builds. Headers looks like a bitch.
     
  14. Jim Blackwood

    Jim Blackwood Well-Known Member

    They are a challenge but there are aids available that help and save time. I had 80 hours in my first set of headers but they were rather complex and torch welded. With a mig and the right clamps you could cut that in half. Still a serious investment.

    Jim
     
  15. patwhac

    patwhac Well-Known Member

    I've always wanted an IC Engine Works header building kit, if anyone hasn't heard of it they are very cool, and also . . . very expensive :oops:
     
    Dano likes this.

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