I forgot -- you want to have the bend occur about 1/2 way down the
vertical axis of the pipes. The only concern being the clearance at the
lip of the oil pan. It doesn't take much to cause an 1-1/2" of movement
at the lower end. It will then fit properly -- with no rattles.
John,
I recently installed a PaceSetter brand header on my '80 Spitfire. Out
of the box, it wasn't even close to fitting properly. First, I fooled
around with bending the lower lip on the chassis (downward) to gain the
necessary
clearance. You may also have to cut the end of the bolt that protrudes
from the lower "A" frame. Slacken the engine mounts and jack the engine
up. It is a tight fit, but it will go in. Then, proud as can be, I
realized the
end of the header to be too close to the frame and wouldn't allow the
three bolt flange of the exhaust pipe to bolt up to the header. So,
save yourself a day and a half and do this: lay the header flange (that
bolts to the
head) on a flat surface and measure the distance to the inside edge of
the collector pipe. Take it to a shop and explain that (when the header
is flush with the head) you want the pipes bent an amount to cause the
collector
to move inward 1-1/2". Actually, I had mine done 3/4" and ended with a
rattle against the frame at idle -- on a 1980, 1-1/2" would have been
perfect.
Regards,
Ed Hamilton
John Hartman wrote:
> Has anyone installed a header on a 1500 Spitfire? Do you have to raise the
>engine up to get the header in place? I did that but the header hits the
>frame and won't bolt tight to the head because of the lack of clearance.
>
> Any help is appreciated!
>
> John
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