1976 Cobra build

Still waiting for AFR motor. I decided to just throw in a 302 I pulled out of an 83 in 2019. Here are some pics.

So the build is semi back on. I will have to update this thread. I had a few questions though. The headers that were on my car are junk. They were some hobbled together garbage. I know blackjack seems to be what people like but I haven't been able to find a set. I have been searching for an old set but nothing yet. I am not really a fan of the headman headers. I really don't like the under crossmember design. I have seen someone do a build using 65 stock manifolds with 65 down pipes which I could do but I would prefer headers. I have seen the hooker super comps and they look awesome. That said they are expensive. Has anybody used these headers? I realize hooker is a good name but I was wondering if anybody on here had actually used them and could tell me a little about them. If they fit well then they are probably worth the money. The engine, trans, steering column and all the front sheet metal is off my car. I also have a lift. Installing them shouldn't be a problem as long as they are made well. Has anybody used them?

So this is the update. This car was hacked. Both bumper were held on with spray foam. I peeled them off. I dropped the dash to get a better look at the cowl. The vent was glued in. Once I pulled it out this is what I found. A crap repair from the 80's with fiberglass. The fiberglasss rotted the entire area it was covering making the cowl worse. After looking under I found a large crooked seam where they cut the top plate of the cowl off and bondoed it back on. The top plate of the cowl is just now and the bottom is much worse than I expected. When Pulling the front end I went to drop the C-6. Come to find out the crossmember under it was welded in. So I had to jack it up and cut the crossmember out from the bottom of the car hoping the C-6 would rattle or roll off the jack. The firewall was bashed with a sledge to fit the C-6 and headers. This must have been done with the dash in the car as when I took it out it was cracked to pieces. Then looking at my taillpipes I found another surprise. The entire exhaust was run completely under the car and welded solid to the car at 4 points. I could push a tailpipe and the car would move with it. After cutting those out I took a look at the rear end. When they installed the 9 inch they didn't change the leaf spring mounts on whatever rear they used. Installed they cranked all the bolts which torqued the leaf springs sideways blowing out all the bushings. I then spent about 6 hours round trip driving to the closest Junkyard that had a Mustang II near me to find out they never looked at the cowl and it was junk.

extra_stout said:

That was my build. It works, there are a lot of pictures in my thread.
I also have the GT40p heads, which have slightly different spark plug location and the old manifolds are known to clear that with a bit grinding.
Because I'm living in Germany it is difficult/expensive to send parts that don't fit back... I think that this mid-length headers could also work, because they are made for 65-66 mustangs and they have a "normal" version and one for GT40P heads:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/jba-1650s

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/jba-1650s-2

In the end I didn't want to spend the money, if I do not know if they will work and I'm not able to send them back.
What I like with the manifolds, is that they are more quite in the engine bay (surface radiated noise is very little compared to headers). I have still some db-Killers in the exhaust that produce a lot of back pressure, so I don't know how good the exhaust will flow, if I remove them. But you feel that the engine is breathing not so well above ~4500 RPM at the moment. I also have a tame cam (stock 2001 explorer cam), so I do not know how good it will be with a better exhaust.
Down low it pulls STRONG!
Ragarding manifold, shortys, mid-length, tri-y or long tube headers: in my opinion on the street it doesn't matter much which one you have, as long (!) they flow enough (which refers to diameter). I think you can gain more with a lot of carburator and ignition tuning. But the old exhaust manifolds have tiny diameter and will limit exhaust flow at some point.
What do you plan to do with your engine?

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My dad saw your thread and we both liked the work you did and planned on copying it. My main concern was the manifolds being restrictive. My engine is a 302 .30 over. It has a mild cam. I have an edelbrock 289 series intake and a 600 cfm edelbrock carb. I have AFR 165cc Aluminum heads. My concern was the manifold suffocating the heads. I was also wondering if a stock header replacement for a 65 would work in the place of the manifolds.

IICrew said:

My blackjacks were leaking and I ran across a set of never used Hookers for cheap. The hooker is a much nicer header. The walls are thicker and the flange is larger. Seals mich better at the head. Granted my blackjacks have close to 100,000 rust belt miles on them. They were on my old II in the 80's. But the hookers are much nicer. Clear the steering shaft without adjustment with a hammer. Heavier gauge metal.

I have a set of hedmans on the Mach I and the exhaust guy wouldn't put exhaust on as the collectors are too high. They are bent wrong and wont clear the trans crossmember. Not to mention the goofy under crossmember pipe. The Hookers are expensive but they are really the only choice in my mind.

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When you installed them did you have to modify them to fit? What kind of trans are you running?