[fiveninelimited]

... is there ANYONE who has tried these? I can only find a single review on the entire Internet (and my Google-fu is pretty good, I think) of these headers. I would really like to get rid of the crummy stock manifolds but the other solutions require dumping more money into the exhaust:

6.4 Exhaust Manifolds - A pretty decent analogue to shorty headers, but they also require 6.4 downpipes and 6.4 downpipes don't bolt to my catback, which I just installed. Plus, catted downpipes aren't exactly cheap, even used. Had I planned this better, I probably could have held out for someone to offload their stock manifolds and downpipes and then get an SRT catback, but I'm not that smart sometimes.

AR Headers - Undoubtedly the best headers, but installation seems to vary from "pain in the ass" to "absolute disaster" depending on who you ask. If I was going boosted or with some crazy cam, they'd be a no-brainer, but I think they're probably a bit of a waste for the $$$ on an otherwise stock 5.7. They also don't bolt directly to factory-style catbacks without cutting the passenger side header and cutting headers that cost this much makes me feel queasy.

So that leaves me with the Blackheart shorties. Relatively inexpensive, should bolt in easily. But like I said, I can't find anyone who has ever bought these, except for one guy on Jegs who said that they cracked after a few months and that "it seems to be common". Which is strange, because he must have some Internet sleuthing skills I don't. I don't have Facebook, but maybe someone who does can tell me if they've seen any reviews of these? Any first hand knowledge would be much appreciated.

 

[IDoMy0wnRacing]

I went with the ARH, Long Tubes.

In my minds eye, if you are going to go through the hassle of removing the stock manifolds, why not replace them with something with notable gains.

You are correct, they are expensive, if you keep to the 1-3/4 inch, it isn't that big of a deal, whether you are going with the ARH, Kooks, or any other long tube style. 1-7/8 and 2 inch long tubes, now you have to raise the engine, remove the starter, reroute harness, etc.

But when it come to bang for your buck, the long tube headers will get to 30hp with out requiring a tune.

Minus having to cut off the ball on the right side down pipe, the steps are the same, shorty, replacement oem manifolds, or Long Tubes. AND, you will save $$ by reusing your oem catalytic converters.

 

[fiveninelimited]

Your posts have been a big consideration for me when trying to find some sort of header solution! I was peeking down into the engine bay earlier and I'm dumbfounded how they manage to fit long tubes of any sort in that minuscule amount of available space. That's truly an engineering feat.

I admit I'm also a bit gun shy about long tubes, since I've had a rash of terrible exhaust products on cars in the past. Leaking collectors, cracks, leaking joints, etc. They've really put me off of doing that on the GC because I really do want this car to be peaceful and composed. The downpipe on my project Regal has a leak that ticks, but I also don't care since the car is loud, crass, and aggressive and I can't hear the exhaust leak over the screaming supercharger. On my Jeep, it would drive me absolutely mental. I was leaning toward the Blackheart shorties as a way to keep it happy and leak-free while getting those choked out stock 5.7 manifolds off and letting it breathe.

 

[Stomper]

Have you considered these:

Twisted Steel 304 Stainless Steel Short Tube Header w/ Titanium Ceramic Coating

Jeep Grand Cherokee (WK2) 11-22 V8-5.7L HEMI

afepower.com

They're expensive and I'm not sure how crazy I am about the design but they are coated which would help with under hood temperatures.

I like the Hooker design better and assume you could get them coated but then if they did crack would Hooker honor the warranty or blame it on the coating??

 

[fiveninelimited]

I hadn't seen those before! Thank you! I'll have to check them out.

I did more research into the Blackheart headers. If you look at reviews of the same style Blackheart shorty header for the Ram trucks, you'll find a bunch of reviews of them cracking.

I found a couple of reviews for the Ram version of those AFE headers and they're much more positive. They are pricy, but for guys who don't want to deal with the mess of installing full length headers, they seem to be a better choice than Hooker. I'm happy to pay more for something if they won't fall apart in 6 months.