Hotwire

The only set of quality shorty headers I can find for my swap are 1 1/2" primaries w/ 2 1/2" collectors. Would it be worth getting these or just run the factory manifolds? Engine is a 96 LT1 out of a caddy w/ 97 ss z28 aluminum heads, supposedly little bowl work done and rebuilt, but nothing worth mentioning, 94 obd1 computer w/ tunercat, and am hopefully looking at a small cam, want some low end grunt since the motor will be pulling all 4 tires.

I know the factory manifolds flow pretty well, just wondering if they'll be better than the shorties or not.

Thanks,

Jeff

LT1Squirrel

are you running shorties for space concerns or emissions?

Hotwire

neither, for application. They make long tube headers for a V8 swap into a 4x4 s10 blazer / jimmy application, but one of the primaries swings to the outside of the frame, cuts way down on tire life and turning radius. I'd rather have everything tucked in. I would love long tubes, but if you saw under this thing, it's pretty tight w/ the front axle and drive shaft running down the driver's side.

LT1Squirrel

you'll be giving up some power but not too much...anything is better than the manifolds

Injuneer

I ran 1-5/8" JBA shorties on my LT1, and felt they really strangled the engine over 5,000rpm. They produced good low end torque, due to the high velocity in the primaries, but as exhaust flow went up, they seemed to choke. The JBA's are a "step" header design, with the first couple inches of each primary being 1-1/2".

Hotwire

Thanks for the inputs, just wondering if it's worth spending $300 on or just keeping the manifolds and putting the money elsewhere.