Just wanted to get opinions on what’s the best budget long tubes for my 68 302. It has power steering so I’m pretty sure I’ll need a relocation bracket. Not really concerned with ceramic or any special coatings. Just wondering which ones make the most power and fit best. I’m planning on running header back glasspacks as well.
Thanks
On my '67, I used the Scott Drake tri ys for that vintage look, easy fit, budget friendly.
I used a set of moderately cheap hooker comp headers on my 69 with a 351w. I ran into a little bit of a fitment issue but with the 302 they would work better. Onw of the cheaper options. If you want to run glasspacks more power to you but many people find they have a drone at cruising speeds. There are some great mufflers available that flow great but are supposed to have a little less drone. Could easilly hijack your thread with that so I won’t name any brands, just something to consider.
I wouldn’t normally associate “best” and “budget” in the same sentence.
My '68 with a 289 has been running Hedman headers for a long time with no issues. I’ve got power steering and never used a relocation bracket. I can’t guarantee that you wouldn’t have to, or even that I shouldn’t be running one. One of the tubes gets somewhat close to the boot on the slave cylinder, and that may be why people use the drop bracket. One other potential difference from mine to yours is that mine has '67 motor mounts. I know they’re different from the '68 mounts, but don’t know if it affects height. They look like the 88300 part number, but I can’t verify that since mine are over 20 years old (edit - just looked, they are 88300). I will also note that I’m running a manual transmission, so I don’t know how well it fits with an auto. I remember putting them in the car without removing the engine. I just got the car up in the air as far as I could and shoved them up from the bottom (after removing clutch linkage). A few of the bolts are a little tricky to get to, but not horrible. Just get good gaskets and remember to retorque them occasionally.
I’ve actually been running glasspacks and dumping underneath the car. it’s been a while since it’s run, but my memory recalls it as fairly loud without being too obnoxious. They are small diameter (2") and 18" long, so not intended for a lot of HP. I can’t remember drone, but I was usually running a 3.70 gear with short tires and no OD, so it ran out of the typical drone range during cruising.