Rams horn exhaust manifolds

[FL71C10]

What is so special about Ram's horn manifolds? Are they a stock part?
Do they breathe better thana a regular exh manifold?

[beebster]

they breathe pretty good, better than other chevy stock manifolds.
I added headers and "gave" away my stock ram horn manifolds to a family member.
big mistake! Those ram horn manifolds flowed well, gave a good sound with the right mufflers,etc.
these headers get hot as hell, leak, and have been nothing but problems since i put em on. Never again will i go with headers.
Now i've got a reason to buy "new" rams horn manifolds. LOL
The "gains" everyone said i'd get, never happened. Just not worth it for me.

[Longhorn Man]

Ram horn manifolds are stock for our trucks, and the later style 'log' manifolds don't fit so well.
Also, ram horns are the best flowing stock manifold they used. The vette ones which are a little bigger than truck ones, actually outflow many of the low cost headers.

[FL71C10]

Would the vette ones fit the same? If so, are they hard to get?

[71meangreenc10]

Originally Posted by FL71C10

Would the vette ones fit the same? If so, are they hard to get?

If you got a good pipe bender dude, you may get the vet ones to work, they dump straight down unlike the ones for the trucks which dump at an angle. I tried a set and they wouldnt work on my 71.

Smitty

[CSGAS]

Originally Posted by FL71C10

Would the vette ones fit the same? If so, are they hard to get?

Originally Posted by 71meangreenc10

If you got a good pipe bender dude, you may get the vet ones to work, they dump straight down unlike the ones for the trucks which dump at an angle. I tried a set and they wouldnt work on my 71.

Smitty

They do dump straight down but if you put the small block in the "rear position" that clears the crossmember for a straighter shot--the 4X4 ram's horns also come with straight dumps using that position for the engine (dunno the logic) but the Corvette's flow better.

[James the III]

Originally Posted by CSGAS

They do dump straight down but if you put the small block in the "rear position" that clears the crossmember for a straighter shot--the 4X4 ram's horns also come with straight dumps using that position for the engine (dunno the logic) but the Corvette's flow better.

Nice tip on the back motor mount spot to get the straight shot ram horns to clear..
but does this kill the use of an HEI in these trucks putting the SBC in that spot?

[Robertjust777]

i have a pair on my truck now and im not going to get headers im just going to heat tape them and im set. i dont think a 350 dollar set will out flow them just my opinon

Originally Posted by FL71C10

Would the vette ones fit the same? If so, are they hard to get?

[Longhorn Man]

Originally Posted by Robertjust777

i have a pair on my truck now and im not going to get headers im just going to heat tape them and im set. i dont think a 350 dollar set will out flow them just my opinon

Wrapping headers or manifolds is not a good idea on anything less than a full race car (truck). The tape/wrap retains the heat and the mwtal becomes brittle, also it speeds up rust.

[fdbdw]

I have to agree with beebster, when I did mine I was expecting great results and got little if any. What I did get was alot of head aches, leaking, melting plug wires, fitment issues and they get hot as heck. They look cool but IMO not worth it .

[Longhorn Man]

People install headers and expect a huge gain. The fact of the matter is, even the best headers will do little to nothing at most 'driver' RPMs. Exhaust flow doesn't help much at lower (under 3000-ish) RPMs.
Headers will always be hot, you should expect that. They are thin tubes with fire in them. Manifolds are thick and retain heat. With that added header heat, one should expect burned plug wires unless you take action and secure them where they wont touch the pipes. (they'll burn on manifolds too for the record)
Also, the lower cost headers are more prone to leaking. I've run $99 craptastic ones and they leaked like mad. A little grinding and quality gaskets, and you'll have leak free cheap headers.
The higher cost ones are way less likely to leak with thicker flanges and higher quality craftsmanship. They are also less likely to get in the way of the plugs and everything else under the hood.
Headers is one of the pieces where you get what you pay for.
But for 99% of the trucks on the road, and for 99% of the people owning them, Ramhorn manifolds are the way to go.

[71 super]

Just went from craptastic headers to the correct rams horns on my 68 and as has been said previously truck runs better, is quieter inside and everything fits as it should. Get the horns trash the headers- I cant believe I just said that, look out 40 here I come

[bobbo]

This is very good information to read, I have the stock ram horns on my mildly built 350 but was going to install a set of headers I acquired form a friend. Guess I'll leave the ram horns alone if they are better than headers. I knew about issues with headers sealing but was willing to tolerate that if the performance was better... Thanks for the info!

[Indyuke]

Yep, bought my truck with headers. They don't leak, they don't get too hot and everything clears just fine. I can even change the spark plugs without taking them off so I just have some nicer ones.

BUT, I don't like them, and I will be putting rams on when the exhaust gets redone.

[custom10nut]

Originally Posted by Indyuke

Yep, bought my truck with headers. They don't leak, they don't get too hot and everything clears just fine. I can even change the spark plugs without taking them off so I just have some nicer ones.

BUT, I don't like them, and I will be putting rams on when the exhaust gets redone.

Same here. Truck had headers when I got it, and at the time I couldn't justify the cost of new Rams Horns. Now, 25 years, 6 fried starters, burnt wires, and three "let me see if these will work" headers, I should have just bought them.
I will get them the next time I replace stuff.

[Sanduners]

Great info. My right side ram horn has a crack, purchased a new set on Ebay. My left side has the 2 bolts holes for the alternator, the new one doesn't. Is there a bracket to use in place of the exhaust manifold bolt holes? Thanks

I didn't even notice those 2 bolts under the alternator supporting it, only once I had all 6 bolts removed and the ram horn wouldn't come out!

[4carbcorvair]

Had Headman Headers on the TBI 350 in my Jeep CJ. Kept leaking at the ball collector. Reason I went with headers is due to the engine mounts, couldn't find cast iron exhaust manifolds to fit until I stumbled apon the 2wd truck ram horn manifolds. Haven't had to touch them since installed. Quieter under the hood, and no leaks.

[storm9c1]

I'm having a 383 stroker built (for torque not for racing). I've done lots of reading on the subject of headers on these trucks and I also have experience with headers in other applications (and most of the time they have been annoying). I've seen dyno results comparing headers to each other and and to ram horns. And have been overloaded with it all. Back in April, I ordered a set of Doug Thorleys since they seem to be the best headers for these trucks from what I researched (ordered from DougThorley.com -- nice discount for board members). But for some reason they are having trouble getting them now and haven't shipped them yet (since April!!!!). I've debated canceling the order and using the stock ram horns. Anyone ever use the rams with a 383 stroker in a non-racing application (towing for example)? I don't want to shoot myself in the foot either way. If it were a stock 350, it's a no brainer (ram horns!). But what about a 383 built for torque?

[Longhorn Man]

383 for pullin stumps, I'd recomend manifolds, unless you are working it at 3000+ RPMs

[storm9c1]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

383 for pullin stumps, I'd recomend manifolds, unless you are working it at 3000+ RPMs

I was thinking the same thing. If I ask this question to any car person, they all say "heck yeah, run headers". However, my experience with headers has been mixed. On a relatively stock motor, on an often-driven vehicle, I've seen little gains and more headaches from heat, leaks and cracks.

On the flip side, nicely modified motors seem to like headers, esp as you said at higher RPMs and they sound better! What I have determined is that "good" headers are the way to go or not at all. Never buy cheap ones unless you want problems left and right.

But I've read and heard many truck folks saying to keep the ram horns. I'm having the engine built and tuned for lower RPM, higher torque use. And I already have a good set of horns on the 350 that I am yanking out. I have always wondered about some "real life" opinions. I've read many of the other threads here on this subject, and still couldn't come to a conclusion. And this thread opened the door again.

[Longhorn Man]

oddly enough, I have always had more problems with manifilds... and i will be ignoring my own advice and installing header on my longhorn with the new engine... but, in all reality, i would still recomend the manifolds.

[oldgold70c10]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

oddly enough, I have always had more problems with manifilds... and i will be ignoring my own advice and installing header on my longhorn with the new engine... but, in all reality, i would still recomend the manifolds.

Yeah, I love the ramhorn manifolds, but have had more problems with them than with any other style exhaust manifold or headers. But the cause usually ends up tracing back to stuff like bad engine mounts, exhaust system hangers, etc.

[AustinScott]

I ditched my ram horns for some hooker headers & have had 0 yes ZERO problems with leaks or spark plug burning.

As Todd said, I too was having heating issues, cant truly pin it on the exhaust, but I made the change to headers & added a tranny cooler and my heating problems went BY BY. no more over heating when driving down the high way.

I'm also running a modified 327 so the 4000 - 6200 rpm range is quite often a norm for me when I'm enjoying the truck on the weekends!!!

[faribran]

Huhh ??

['72customdeluxe]

the air ports on my manifolds were broke (had to jb weld in bolts) and new manifolds were more expensive than my summit ceramic coated headers. On my old truck one manifold split in half. Never had trouble with the summit/flowtech headers on either. You guys must be buying the wrong stuff