239 flathead fabricate headers

S

santino2010

Member
Hello everyone ,I seem to have an issue trying to find the right aftermarket headers for my car.
I have a 49 coupe .. I am on a budget so If I can I will make my own headers..
If someone has ideas I'm all ears thank you
 
Lots of people weld up their own headers, you can order the per-bent tubing from a number of suppliers, like Jegs, Summit, Speedways, etc.
 
You can also order the precut header plates that bolt to the block and that the tubing welds to.
 
You can't really appreciate headers until you have fabricated the flanges with a hack saw and a hand drill from rusty plate salvaged at a junk yard and cleaned up by hand with sandpaper...
Junk yard pipe also.
Nice set of headers for about $10 this way..(assuming your time is worth nothing)
 
I've not quite done them like 'Pete', but he is just a tad longer in experience than I! :)

Flanges: You should buy a set of pre-made flanges - if you can find them in 3/8" material, all the better. Here is a link to a set that one of my team-mates makes:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FORD-FLATHE...EEL-/200821928855?vxp=mtr&hash=item2ec1eb7397

Welding Clamps: I've made my own crude ones before - using stainless hose-clamps that I cut up (works well on straight pipe, not so well on curves). Here is something that will save you a TON of time - the idea alone is worth checking out:

http://www.trick-tools.com/Icengineworks-Exhaust-Header-Tack-Welding-Clamps-866

In the end, it is ALL about your design and associated fitment. You can buy u-bends, j-bends, etc - from a lot of folks, it comes down to how you use them, how well your fitment is before you weld, etc.. Try to spend the money on the thicker bends - 16 gauge instead of 18.

If you want a traditional setup (like Belond headers), then they are not super difficult to make. If you really want a good header (3 into a collector) and equal length, then you're in for some real work (especially if you haven't done it before).

Two Biggest Ingredients: Like anything else, will take you three times as long as you think and at least twice as much money. You'll probably NOT save much on making a single pair . . . just sayin. But, you'll sure learn alot!

Good luck!
 
MAN. you bye header plates, bent pipes, work a month trying to build them, you could bye a set of headers. Besides that you don't gain one bit of HP. If you want to stay busy, Peats got the way, HE HE HE Walt
 
There is a member here who goes by "House of Fab" or something close to that, who's main business seems to be built around fabricating all sorts of pieces and parts for the hobby of building/restoring all sorts of vehicles. When Reds Headers temporarily shut down their header business, House of Fab picked up the slack and started making their version of tube headers. There was a previous post here on this subject and their product looked very nice to me.
Of course there is something to be said about making your own, and I would also like to try my hand at it, not necessarily like Pete mentioned, which may have been the same thing I would have done as a kid in the late 50's early 60's when I had a lot of time and NO MONEY!!
I already have all the sections of curves/bends cut, a 35 to 38 hollow tubular driveshaft cut in half, and flanges with blockoff plates made for the large end of the tubular driveshaft. All that's necessary to fabricate a set of Lake Pipe Exhausts for my 35 hotrod project. Maybe someday I will actually get these pieces welded together :). I have some pictures of the pieces layed out to closely simulate what the final system might look like. If I can locate those pics, I will post them here.
 
santino2010 said:
10-4 I will look into it and I appreciate everyone's help
Click to expand...

Click on this link for House of Fab Headers. DD

http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=186701

DSC01640.jpg
 
Actually if you want to save yourself some money,just clean up the stock cast iron manifolds. And detail them as much as you can afford.
 
Headers on a flathead are not for power, they are for the cool factor!:D
If your on a tight budget, go with the cast originals.
 
I put a Saginaw box in my 39 with a flattie. Huge mistake to anyone who reads this. One of the things it forced me to do was build a driver's side header. It's really not hard to do except the joints where one tube runs into another. I did mine with one of those wire pattern tracers and a lot of careful grinding. ONe of those 'joint jigglers" (cheap one available from Harbor Freight) would have made a much neater and easier job. Note: Don't try this unless your well experienced at filling welds on thin gauge metal. There'll be a lot of gaps you have to bridge. I'd had experience building a set of lake pipes for a Chev powered roadster prior to this.
 
"Headers on a flathead are not for power, they are for the cool factor!"

Not entirely true.
I am not ready to leave 4 hp on the table on an all out engine.

If I was a car show judge, I would take maximum allowable points off for the crappy welds and tube fitment on most store bought headers also.
 
You can still get them from a number of sources, Speedway being one. I have heard that the current ones are not equal to the older ones in quality, but have not had any experience with the newer ones. None the less, I am a "Fenton Guy" and had them on my old '36 3 window and still have them on my '51 club coupe going on 30 years. I love 'em.
 
If you decide that it may be it bit much work, and time, you could check with Jim at Reds Headers. I just got a set from him about a month ago for the 40. Minimal wait time, so apparently they are back in production again.
 
I have Fentons with a 39 box in my 35 Coupe (click picture to enlarge)
 

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