The '64-'66 A-bodies have...
The '64-'66 A-bodies have suffered in the area of available performance exhaust. Tube Technologies, Inc. (tti) solves the problem.
Depending on what you're working on, parts availability can be sporadic. In the often overlooked early A-Bodies, some areas of restoration parts are available, and some . . . well, let's hope you have a good part you can restore.
In the past, if you were planning on building a high-performance engine and you wanted headers, you had to have a custom set made or settle for not having them. But those days are over. Tube Technologies, Inc. (tti) has just released a set of headers specifically designed to fit early Barracudas, Valiants, and Darts.
We know the available real estate under the hoods of these cars is limited at best, so we wanted to see for ourselves if they really fit. We talked to the guys at tti, and they were very up front with us, explaining the install is probably harder than any of their other fitments. Let's face it. These are small cars with small engine bays, so things will be tight.
The crew at tti did tell us that a four-speed car is easier to install headers on than an automatic-equipped car. With that in mind, we found a guy locally who just happened to be getting ready to restore a factory V-8-powered '65 Barracuda with a four-speed.
This article will not show you how much of a power increase you can expect. We all know headers make more power than manifolds. We will, however, show you what it took us to get them installed. Let's make one thing clear-these headers require patience and time to install; you cannot simply remove the manifolds and throw the headers into the vacant opening. You will need to do some minor modifications to the bellhousing if your car is a manual-shift car. you might also have a starter clearance issue. So be ready to put some work into the install, but the results are definitely worth it.
The car we checked fitment...
The car we checked fitment on is a '65 Barracuda that was ready for a restoration and has a V-8 with a four-speed transmission under the hood. You are going to need quite a bit of ground clearance to get the job done, so use the tallest jackstands you can find.
According to the instructions,...
According to the instructions, items such as the steering column, starter, and steering linkage needed to be removed. We also found that removing the steering box made a lot more room and was worth the effort.
Another way to get more room...
Another way to get more room is to loosen the engine mounts on both sides, and place a jack under the oil pan to raise it up. While it's on the jack, you can move it from side-to-side to help.