Headers hitting road, 1970 challenger hooker headers

[Aussiedeza]

Hi Guys,
Chasing some help, just bought myself a 1970 Dodge challenger and its sitting a bit low every slight bump i have tp hold my breath as the bottom of the headers will scrape the road, i figure my options are tighten the torsion bars to raise the front end or get some shorty headers installed? how much can i raise the clearance by playing with the torsion bars ? anyone have experience with headers that have good clearance?

its currently a 318 with hooker headers, here some photos..

Photos http://imgur.com/a/3RuMS

Cheers

 

[moparleo]

First thing, Welcome to the site. Second, a picture of the car from the side at a distance to see how low it is. Third, you will need headers that down go under the center link. TTI are the best quality. They make both long and short tube headers. They are not cheap. Shop around looking for high ground clearance models. For now, go 1 to 1 1/2 turns on the torsion bars.

 

[mmissile]

stiffer torsion bars at low settings.

 

[challenger6pak]

The headers in your pics look like Headman or Blackjack. You need new headers. The application for the headers you have is for Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Dodge Dart, and Dodge truck. They don't fit any of them correctly but will bolt on. As mentioned, upgraded torsion bars will also help protect the new headers.

 

[Bill]

Welcome from Vermont (land of rough / dirt roads). If you don't mind loosing only a couple HP these shorty's from TTI look great. www.ttiexhaust.com . I purchased mine from www.robsrodshop.com . Another advantage with shorty's is it gives you more room to work. You can get to things like the starter without having to take the headers off. TTI is very high quality stuff.

 

[crash520]

TTI all the way, I have my car low, sitting on the LCA rubber bump stops (have cut them in half now) in my cuda, I dont have the shortie headers, rather full length TTI's barely hit anything, nice and high and worth every cent.

 

[DetMatt1]

Welcome to the site from the Motor City! Nice looking Challenger.

 

[js29]

welcome aboard! yes that is a good looking challenger indeed.

 

[71Plym]

I have Hooker Super Comps. Not as pricey as TTIs. Depending on your application, some massaging may be required.
I have no ground clearance problems with the Hookers.

 

[moparleo]

Looks like you are using a Milodon oil pan for a skid plate ! I think his car is a little lower than yours. Nice Cuda.

 

[Aussiedeza]

Thanks for all the info guys,

Think i will probably pop some TTI 1-7/8" RACE HEADERS on and hope i don't encounter to many fit problems that burn through my wallet, I tried playing with the torsion bars today tightened them by 5 turns and it looked like it raised the front 50mm so i went for drive around the block and check again and the suspension had settled and the height clearance looks the same as before. Feels like the front suspension being so soft is part of the problem, there is a lot of travel when i push down compared to other cars maybe its better to spend that money on new front suspension setup...?

 

[Aussiedeza]

Also how far can i go with adjusting the torsion bars? is there a limit? there still was a lot of thread left on the bolt and strangely one side is really tight to turn compared to the other..

 

[challenger6pak]

Adjust them too tight and they will break. I bought a car that someone had set too tight. It was a 4 speed car. The bar broke when I hit second. It came up through the drivers floor. It tore up the car when it suddenly had no suspension on the drivers side. The wheel and fender tried to become one. Luckily no one was hurt.

 

[Aussiedeza]

Wow, yeah i definitely want to avoid that.. I just don't understand how you tell where the limits are?

 

[burntorange70]

Going to need an alignment after adjusting the t bars or your tires will be all jacked up in no time.

 

[challenger6pak]

On the end of each bar are 3 numbers. You can see them on the end that goes to the rear of the car. What are the numbers on them? We are assuming you have the bars for 318. They could have been changed.

 

[moparleo]

Is it real easy to rock the car up and down from the front pushing down on the bumper ? You may also have weak/worn out shocks that allow the front end to dip very easily when going over bumps in the road. Take another picture of the adjustment bolts on the lower control arms so we can see how much adjustment is left.