hooker 5903 header fitment

Anyone run these in a 68-70 b body with column shift? Headers are out being coated and want to have car ready for carlisle. Need to know if I'll have to buy a floor shifter or not in my 70 satellite...

If these are the 1 7/8 Hooker headers, they do clear floor shift, but the set I had hit the left torsion bar. I had to attach a piece of rubber to the t bar to lessen the vibration and to minimize heat transfer.
These headers are NOT easy to install. Take a pill before you begin!

I had an aftermarket cable operated floor shifter with them in my car. One thing I didn't like was the one collector went straight towards the crossmember, not to the raised area for the exhaust, which meant more work to get the exhaust to fit. They didn't take much dinging to fit. And yes they are a major pain to install!

It's a mopar headers are a pain. That said the shift linkage will all clear no need to go to the floor and as hard to install as they are being 1 7/8 tubes will make life much easier.Small price to pay for a B-body car....
I have 2" hookers on my runner and still using the stock column shifter with a reverse manual shift valvebody. Have fun

The "straight back" collector issue with most header designs really annoys me. TTI is the only manufacturer that I know of that directs the collector to the raised areas of the trans crossmember. Hedman, Doug Thorley and Hooker require a zig zag to get around the crossmember, and each bend increases backpressure.

I ran a 2" set of hedman headers on my 70 runner and they had slip fit tubes... easiest headers I ever installed in my life!

The Hooker 5209 2" headers also have one pipe on each side that is slip fit. The drivers side "Fits" between the T bar and the frame rail...IF you move the brake combo valve and bash the pipe in. What brainiac approved that design?

I always wondered where they came up with the designs. Do they even test fit the things? Or is there some other reason most fit so crappy? TTi's were the only really good headers I have ever installed... although the mini starter was a very very tight fit.

I've installed these hooker comps 1 7/8 in two other b-bodies without much issue. One barely tapped the torsion bar with the lumpy idle. I disconnected the exhaust and just pulled the header away from the bar by hand and it was enough to keep it from jingling... Both cars were floor shift so I wanted to make sure I didn't need to change the column shift with these...

so to put these headers 1 7/8" on a 68 Charger floor shift auto with a 383 is a royal pita? Will I or the shop have to "fabricate" parts to make these fit? I just hate doing that...man and the price for the TTI's is brutal.

For ME, knowledge is power. My first Mopar header install was the 5903 pipes in my 440 Charger. I didn't know about the various obstacles with these cars. I was used to Chevrolet cars. Front steering gear and coil springs leave ALL SORTS of room to work.
The TTI headers come with INSTRUCTIONS! Hey other guys, ARE YOU READING this???
When you begin the header install, it helps to go into it KNOWING that it isn't an easy job. My problem is that I am an optimist and get annoyed easily... strange personality mix to live with being a Mopar guy.
REMOVE the center link. REMOVE the starter. If you have access to an engine hoist, use it instead of a floor jack under the oil pan. When you do this job with open eyes, it isn't that bad.

ok thanks

?*&&^^&%$$#$#%*&@#%$&6!!!!!!! I knew I was gonna jinx myself. I installed the headers a few days ago and what a [Edited by Moparts - Family Friendly Site - Keep it clean]!!! they slid in pretty well but the passenger side header was the worst. The front tube comes back at such an angle that you couldn't slide the bolt over enough in the slot to line up with the head. I had the small 3/8" head bolts. I ended up grinding the head down half way and cutting down about a 1/4" off the threads after I took a rounded head spike on the air hammer to the tube. After being able to get the bolt in and tightening up the header two pipes were pressing up on the torsion bar. Hammered the hell out of the two pipes to make maybe 1/4" clearance. Oh did I mention i paid $240.00 bucks to have them caoted plus the $80 bucks to ship them to and fro??? After all that both headers have absolutely miniscule clearance between the length of the collectors and the torsion bars touching in some places. So I have a lovely rapppity rap rap at idle. What pieces of crap. Hooker has been making these for over 30 years! You would think they'd take some time and re-design these things. How hard can it be? I've got tons of room between the headers and the block and the trans....So enough of my rant. Do you think I should exchange for another set? Maybe i got bad pair? I bought them through Advance so I can either return them or the manager said if i want to exchange them for the coated ones he'd pay for 1/2 the difference between the non- coated and the coated. Are there any other alternatives that fit better like the heddman elites or something else? I don't have the $800 for TTI's So please don't go there...

Hooker will never get another red cent out of me. Bunch of lying no good SOBs if you ask me.

Sorry dude but ditto for me. I banged the hell out of the driver side had little or no clearance on the p/s sector then just like you said got no clearance on either t-bar. I tookem back off cutem up and made new header to clear whatever I wanted. Unfortunately what I made is 2-1 tubes but all you need out of the way to take in and out is the starter. HOOKER look great in the box but never seem to fit without just pounding them to pulp.

Think they'll be at carlisle? Doesn't Holley own them now?

You asked in the tread, then you bought them or already had them and wanted to know? I told my experience with them... never again

Already had bought them.... Like i said I've used them twice before a few years back and didn't remember that much of an issue. Is there quality control that bad? Could I have just gotten a bad set? Should I exchange them and try another?

The quality went down once they were fabed in MEXICO .

Hmmmm....I dont know if my Hooker headers are 5903 but I ordered them from Summitt specifically for my 70 Charger RT.
They are Hooker Comp 1 7/8 ceramic coat and they were very easy to install and fit very good with very good clearance. My car is a 4speed,Lakewood Bell,mini starter,RB block,Stealth heads with large 1.06 torsion bars.

I dont think I got the only set that ever fit cause lots of guys have had success with them.

Those headers SUCK! Put them in my 67 b body and they hit BOTH torsion bars. Had to heat dimple in multiple places. The worst part is the ceramic coating is JUNK. Flaked / rusted real bad in just a couple years. Hooker has had over 40 years for research and development on this stuff. They must not care a bit.

My ceramic coating on my hookers looks great after 2 years. So far so good.

well after carlisle off they came. I returned them to Advance who gave me a full refund plus cash for half the cost of the coating. I was impressed with that. TTI's are on there way from CA. Should be here monday!!! Live and learn....