I am attempting to install a manual transmission for a customer in a 1967 Cougar with a 289 engine. He supplied me with a Scott drake clutch pedal, clutch rods, and bellcrank. The problem I’m having is with the bellcrank. When I try to install it, It hits on one of the header tubes. I don’t know what brand of headers these are. The only thing I know about them is that they are shortys. Is there anyone that makes a header that will work for this application? Also, this car is equipped with power steering, but there is no pump installed presently. Is a special bracket required for use with headers? Thanks in advance for the help.
You need a PS drop bracket - weld it on. The Z bar is tough with some headers. JBA makes a Z bar that is more compatible. Tri Y headers are generally better w/the factory Z bar. You could avoid the Z bar altogether & convert to a cable or hydraulic clutch.
I’ve got a 289 with toploader and headers in my '68. The headers are full length Hedmans that I bought back in 1990 or so. I don’t know if the new ones are identical, but these worked with the factory z-bar and power steering. I ran for a long time without a ps drop bracket, but added one when I refurbished things a couple of years ago. I beefed up the bracket by tying it into the torque box gusset. The trickiest thing was to get the power steering hoses routed so they didn’t make contact with the headers. It took a bit of tweaking, but was doable. As far as the power steering pump mount goes, I used a stock '67 setup with no modification.