|
The Hooker Header’s for 62-65’s story –
|
||
|
Sold a “K” 64 Fairlane to a Ford engineer in Michigan.
Bill
couldn’t leave well enough alone & ordered a set of Hooker
headers. Upon
receiving them it was obvious, without even trying to install them that
they wouldn’t fit.
Bill
called Hooker & they practically told him he didn’t know what he
was doing!
He then called me to say that “my” car had a problem! Upon learning that the Hookers were listed to fit 63 to 67 Fairlanes, I knew they weren’t made for the 62-65’s. Any time you see a parts listing like this it’s sure not to fit the 62-65’s. I see this a lot, why, it's the easy way out, they think, I guess!
So being only 30 miles from Hooker in Pomona, Ca., I motored out
there in my 64. Upon contacting the person who Bill talked too, I
request that he bring the headers out to the parking lot so we can
eye-ball the fit.
He returns with a Log book showing the history of the prototype
build up. I
didn’t even look at the book (my curiosity wishes I had now) but I
insisted he bring headers out to my 64!
Upon bring the headers out & looking under the hood, it was
obvious without a doubt that they were about 2” too wide.
After the shock wore off, Hooker was very interested in
correcting the miss-fit.
Couldn’t use my 64 (darn it!) for building the new prototypes
as I had a AOD trans which is wider that a C4 or T10.
So I contacted Dave, a local 64 owner who had installed a 302
which has a wider (but not too wide) 6 bolt block , along with a C4 with
aftermarket console shifter.
Hooker decided they wanted 1st class performance
headers, 1 ¾” equal length tubes. This turned out
to be a bigger challenge that they expected with the tight fit early
Fairlane.
Dave’s mock-up car must have been there 6 months or more.
Then I found a T-10 car & a 63 Wagon with a C4, a origonal
owner.
Hooker was surprised to find on the Wagon with the column shifted
C4, that the shifter arm on the C4 pointed down, not up as on a Mustang
or 65 SC Fairlane which both have a console shifter.
So with the shifter arm interference & Dave’s car having a
tube hitting a little against the block on the drivers side when driven, they
decided to redesign the drivers side.
Over a year has gone buy now & it seems like several Forman
have come & gone. This is not good as it appears they lost track of the
plan for the headers to fit Dart heads.
Back then the Dart heads had relocated spark plugs that sort of
stuck straight out. I
had call Dart at the beginning about this & they sent a head to
Hooker for reference.
After getting the car back on the road with the prototype
headers, Dave orders a set of Explorer GT40P heads which are supposed to
be good for about 20 HP out of the box.
They also have a new spark plug angle much like the early Dart’s.
Not a problem thinks Dave, until he gets in the mail the
redesigned drivers side, It’s obvious they won’t
work with the GT40P’s & probably not to with the early Dart
either.
To clear these “straight” spark plugs, the tubes need to come
straight out of the head. You
can see the difference now by looking at a production set.
The passenger side tubes come straight out while the drivers side angle
back. Cylinders
7 & 8 are where the interference is. Dave is lucky in that his prototypes will work with the GT40P’s! Big
performance gains -
These headers are really good for performance.
"X"
magazine reported that a 351W with these headers put out 400 HP
while the same engine with the “K” cast iron factory headers only
got 300 HP.
No
GT40P/62-65 Fairlane headers?
I know of no header (stock Fairlane cast iron’s may work but would cut
way down on power!) that will work with the GT40P’s in the early
Fairlane. Have seen
mention that the “K” cast iron’s will work, but I need to see this
before believing this. Hope
to be trying this combo soon & reporting on it!
|
||