l20B;) Posted October 16, 2012 Report Share Posted October 16, 2012 I"m looking for some new or used headers for my L20b circle port exhaust. It's not the square port. All the ones I've found are square port. So if you live in the 909 area, and you have some new or used let me know. Thanks Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 16, 2012 Report Share Posted October 16, 2012 Unless running multi carbs and a big cam save your money and buy some tires. The stock exhaust is fine. 1 Quote Link to comment
metalmonkey47 Posted October 16, 2012 Report Share Posted October 16, 2012 Unless running multi carbs and a big cam save your money and buy some tires. The stock exhaust is fine. True story. I lost a decent amount of mid range power on my L20B with my short tube header. Quote Link to comment
Radim Posted October 16, 2012 Report Share Posted October 16, 2012 I've got a Round Port long tube header, but might not clear torsions. Quote Link to comment
bonvo Posted October 16, 2012 Report Share Posted October 16, 2012 for the record you can use a square port manifold on a round port head just not the other way around Quote Link to comment
Z-train Posted October 16, 2012 Report Share Posted October 16, 2012 True story. I lost a decent amount of mid range power on my L20B with my short tube header. I went from a header to an early manifold and lost nothing under 5500...which is where my cam quits anyways. Quote Link to comment
l20B;) Posted October 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 I'm running a l20 with dual side drafts with a cam and the head is ported and shaved so is the intake manifold. I fucked up the stock headers that's why i"m looking for some headers, long tube. @Radim, how much are you asking for them? Can you send me a picture. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 Can you tell the difference? Most people can't. The regular spread on the right tastes just like the premium butter on the left but costs about $150 $250 less. Tastes like butter!..... but it's not! . Quote Link to comment
Guest Rick-rat Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 Putting on headers is like my putting disc brakes on the rear of my truck, doesn't help that much but it sure looks cool 1 Quote Link to comment
Laecaon Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 I want the exhaust mani on the right of Mikes picture. Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 NEW round port performance headers for L20B out of Oregon. Quote Link to comment
metalmonkey47 Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 I want the exhaust mani on the right of Mikes picture. I actually think I have one of those if you want it. Quote Link to comment
Guest 510kamikazifreak Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 Headers on a L motor are a complete waste of time and money. They leak like a bastard, and gains are non existent Quote Link to comment
Laecaon Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 NEW round port performance headers for L20B out of Oregon. Thats like a sin. Why would you ever link someone to Bill's Datsun Shoppe? Such a terrible place. 1 Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 I've had a hate on for headers since '78. Put them on my L20B 521. Took all weekend (budgeted Sat afternoon)... had to remove the torsion bar, unbolt the MM and lift the motor over. Flange thickness was no where near the intake flange thickness so you can imagine trying to bridge across with those thick washers. Eventually after three tries I got the head to hold water. Over the years the collector bolts came loose every two months regularly except in the minter when it was every month. (hate laying in the slush holding two spanners)They say when things are too loud, your too old. Well I was about 27 back then and I was sick of the sound it made in about 3 weeks. The sound, the ill fitting collector and a day and a half making it fit and work could have been excused if you actually felt like there was any improvement in performance but it was..... underwhelming. The biggest disappointment was paying almost $80 in '78 currency to find this out. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 Thats like a sin. Why would you ever link someone to Bill's Datsun Shoppe? Such a terrible place. Heard of this guy. Quote Link to comment
l20B;) Posted October 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 One of the reasons I would have thought the headers would make a difference is because the stock exhaust manifold, if you look at it from the inside, it does not have a good flow of air off the back. Once the air exits out the head and goes into the header, it hits the back of the header and goes straight down. So I would assume if I had some nice headers that had a good flow to it from the get-go, I would have felt it would have made a difference. Hope I make sense. It's hard to explain the stock manifold, it's like an L-shape inside. You get me ? Thanks everybody for your comments, I appreciate it. This is my first Datsun and I'm going all out. Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 Yes about the bend in the stock manifold, it is somewhat restrictive. The headers shown in the photos have the same restriction. You can get headers that come out a ways (make a long-radius bend) but then the intake manifolds don't fit well. Quote Link to comment
l20B;) Posted October 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 So basically what I learned today : Life is easier with a stcok manifold. Does the MSD make a big difference on the L20? Cuz I have a 383 strocker on my Chevy, and I can feel the difference on that with the MSD, and wanted to know if i get it for the L20 would it make a difference? Thanks. I never so many people in my life saving me money. Lol ;) Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 At low speed anything will flow well. There's plenty of time between exhaust pulses for them to get out and around any bends. This changes at ultra high RPMs and pulses are crowding up behind each other. But even on a stock engine the cam and intake/exhaust is maxed out by 5K anyway and stock exhausts are fine. Now if you're running more cam, bigger carb or multiple carbs, you have higher RPMs and a lot more exhaust to get rid of. A header might gain you a few more hp but only above and beyond where the stock exhaust starts to become restrictive. This is my first Datsun and I'm going all out. Completely understandable. I think you should move the header down the list as there are many more things that will give more bang for the buck. A weber carb will give a small noticeable kick in the ass performance, a mild cam around 270 duration and .480 lift would multiply this by 2X. For handling, new shocks (nothing, I mean nothing will improve the ride like a new set of shocks) Tires would be a close second. (rims? they do nothing for performance and are only for show so you decide... looks or go?) Maybe rims should be down the list near the header. Lowering blocks are cheap and part of a good lowered stance that will improve handling and stopping. Does the MSD make a big difference on the L20? Cuz I have a 383 strocker on my Chevy, and I can feel the difference on that with the MSD, and wanted to know if i get it for the L20 would it make a difference? Thanks. I never so many people in my life saving me money. Lol ;) Trust the later Nissan EI breakerless distributors. High output and maintenance free. Get one (called a matchbox) More than you will ever need and was used on the 280zx six cylinders to 7K which would be 10,500 RPMs on a 4 cylinder. MSDs are pretty. And expensive. Can't see the logic of multiple sparks. If your ignition goes it right the first time you won't need more than one spark. Never seen a dyno sheet comparing them to a matchbox dizzy. 1 Quote Link to comment
l20B;) Posted October 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 ok kool thanks everybody..... I will post pictures later tell me what you guys think Quote Link to comment
HRH Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 If you're going to get a set of headers, get a Troy Ermish set. Those will be worth it. If you don't rev the car over 6k and have insane compression, don't bother with a header on an L. For the upper end, headers are worth it, but that's if you're going to be racing. For stock/street motors, it's not very critical on an L. I have a header on my KAZ24 because it was readily available and fit better than the stock manifold. And I like it, but I also have some header ring that annoys me now. I just welded up a pinhole the other day. Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 I have a header on my work truck, I have since I bought a L20b for it, it is a work truck with a LZ23 now, since I have dual SUs, exhaust noise is not an issue, as the SUs drown out any exhaust noise. I am probably on my forth or fifth header now(15 years), about the 3rd year of a new header it needs fixing(re-welded), usually around the middle connection(collector) of the 4 tubes which necessitates cutting the collector, re-welding the middle, and then re-welding it back together, I have one more new header left and then will opt for a L16 type exhaust manifold. The fact is that except for show, less than five percent of this membership will benefit from the use of a header on a L block, as datzenmike said, cams and carbs would be the only reason for running a header, people like "dirttrack510" are the ones that use the benefits of aftermarket exhausts, as he spends a lot of time at 7000rpms on the track, where that 1 to 5 percent differance actually counts. I did it(header) because I didn't know any better, and why I still am using a header, as I said, I still have one left. Quote Link to comment
l20B;) Posted October 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 What year 280zx and is it easy to install?? Quote Link to comment
l20B;) Posted October 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 Kool thanks everybodys help Quote Link to comment
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