Hedman Elite Headers Vs. Thorley's for BBC

[Leadfoot]

I'm getting ready to swap in my BBC and need to think exhaust. I have compared the Thorley'$$$$ with the Hedman Elites. The flanges and primary's have the same spec's for thickness, but I noticed the Thorley's have a 2.5" collector flange while the Hedman's have 3". If you have either of these what are your experiences with fit and finish, especially around the front spring shackles???

Also if you have the ceramic coat, how has the finish lasted. Thanks in advance.....

Chris

 

[k20]

I got the thorleys w/ the ceramic, finish is awesome, and mud wipes off of the finish so with a little time they will look good forever. Ive had mine for about a yr and a half, coating is still good. The only weird thing is how the passenger side collector comes down. It kind of points at the passenger side frame rail. If you have the stock fuel injection fuel filter there, it may be a problem, but I have redone my fuel system, so its not there anymore. A little exhaust pipe bending and itd be fine even w/ the filter there. I like the thorleys.

 

[1-ton]

I have a 1985 K30 Duallie with a 454, and it has a set of Doug Thorley's Tri-Y headers. I bought the truck with them already installed. The fit is good as far as the spring shackles, but are very close to the starter motor (too close for me). I had to build a custom heat shield for the fuel lines on the right side of the frame because the heat from the headers was causing vapor lock. The headers are probably about 10 years old, and they are Aluma-Coated, yet the coating is still in amazingly good shape.

I am thinking of going with a set of shorties in the future because I do not like how close full tube length headers are to the starter, and the problems with the fuel lines on the frame. Since the truck is not a racecar, getting every ounce of performance out of the engine is not a consideration, only functionality is.