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How Important is a Header?

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I have the Falcon 6-3-2 stainless split headers on my car, along with the many other engine mods, and all I know is it sure sounds as if my performance is increased in the below-4000rpm range.
 
MadMarx said:
I use my race car as a daily driver and go shopping with it, visit the restaurant or clients (only if they know that I do racing - Germans are a little envy of) or enjoy driving around.

Sure the car has not that tremendous power at low revs as it has beyond 4000 rpm but it has a lot more at the rev cellar than a standard TR 4. Even If I stay below 4000 rpm the car is very fast. It performs like a standard TR 4 with just more power.
Click to expand...

I'd imagine there have been other things done to the car besides just exhaust. A little port & polish work on the head alone brings big results to a daily driver, too.
 
Thanks everyone for all the great information! The original motivation for the question was to determine if there is any reason a TR-6 engine would run better with the stock manifold than an aftermarket header. From the opinions expressed here, it seems to me that the same factors that effect most engines also apply to this one. I think for the $150 he's asking for the header, it's worth giving it a try. I can easily put the manifold back on if I don't like the header, and I think I can probably get most of my money back if I don't like it, so there's really little risk. This particular header, while never run on an engine, was installed in a 2500M with no clearance issues, so it has that going for it also (yes, I know that's no guarantee that it will fit mine, but it's something).
Thanks again for all the help!
Jim
 
well,
the header will help if you can get the correct one. you want a 6-3-1 with equal length primary tubes. the original design is by G.Thomas. It has been copied, but not correctly. He wrote a book long ago but i don't have it on tuning and other goodies (it's not in print anymore so if you find one i'll buy it from you). unfortunately, most production headers are poor. Chris Marx has a nice one for his 4 but it is for racing. DO NOT buy a racing header without a race motor to match it, you'll go slower. you are better off starting with a good head porting/combustion chamber modification first.
Rob
 
There is another key reason to replace the stock iron manifold, and that is if it is cracked! Mine cracked 20 years ago, and I wore TR6 perfume all the time. I remember not knowing where to buy a stock manifold, so on went a Monza header. Hard to install, tons of grinding. You really do get what you pay for here, and I have a much better one on the car now.

As far as Dyno results, I plan to dyno my car again this summer after pulling the head for a valve job (and other stuff :G). A year ago it dyno'd 75hp/114 lb-ft at the wheels. I hope to have better results than the Classic Motorsports TR6 did. But I wonder what that car would have done with a header instead of the late stock manifold?

Peak hp and torque for my car last year came at under 4000 rpm. The exhaust valves were badly recessed into the head, reducing lift greatly. My machine shop guy replaced the valve seats with hardened ones for an unleadded gas conversion. Never really gave it much thought, but after years of using unleadded gas it does apparently take a toll.

PS - I love the in-car videos from the TR4 racing guy. Too cool!

Kevin
 
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