[Steve W]

I just installed the drivers side Doug's header on my 71 Lemans with KRE heads. I had to dent in one of the header tubes so that it would not hit the part of the frame where the rear lower control arm bushing is. I'm a little disappointed after spending that kind of money on the headers and they still had to be clearanced. Anybody else having problems with this? Hopefully the passenger side goes on without any problems.

[Steve W]

I just installed the drivers side Doug's header on my 71 Lemans with KRE heads. I had to dent in one of the header tubes so that it would not hit the part of the frame where the rear lower control arm bushing is. I'm a little disappointed after spending that kind of money on the headers and they still had to be clearanced. Anybody else having problems with this? Hopefully the passenger side goes on without any problems.

[PMDRACER]

That is strange!
I put a set of Doug's Headers on my '71 LeMans and had no problems.
Could it be the KRE heads? I'm running 6x-4.

[Ron]

It is rare but it does happen. Our cars are old and can suffer from what is called frame spread. Frame spread can cause problems with headers. Your car could have been in a minor fender bender and caused your problem also.

[Steve W]

Well, I had a clearance problem on the passenger side as well. The inside tube hit the block (but just barely) so I had to dent in that tube to avoid any rattles. Hopefully I wont't have to remove them again because it's a real pain.

[Ron]

Are these three or four tube headers?

[PunchT37]

Had clearance problems on a 79 Trans Am with Doug`s d-port
headers as well.

[Steve W]

They are 4 tube and I ordered them ceramic coated. It really sucked when I had to bang on them to get them to fit. At least it is not visible from above. My old Hookers fit much better, but Doug's has much better clearance around the oil filter.

[Darrell]

Now I am worried!!! Could you have sent them back? Steve did you grow up in Brew town?

[Ron]

Don't be worried. Two or so incidents out of thousands of sets sold. Not a problem. As I posted before. Some older cars suffer from frame spread, that could be a cause. The cars could have been involved in a fender bender some time in the past, that could have been caused problems. Also another person, PMDRACER posted he has a '71 Le Mans and the headers fit great without problems. I watched two sets of headers, one set of round ports and one set of D ports being installed on cars last week. One car was a 1974 Super Duty Trans AM and it received the round ports without problems. The other car was a 1976 Trans Am and that car received the D ports without problems. No installation problems with either car.

[Steve W]

Darrell, Yes I've been around Milwaukee my whole life. I'm just getting back into the car scene though. The LeMans that I'm doing the work on is the one I drove twenty years ago in High School. I sold it and the person had it in storage for about 15 years until I bought it back last year. As far as sending the headers back, it never entered my mind. I figure another set may be the same way so I just did a little massaging on the tubes. Hopefully yours will fit without any problems.

[aquagoat]

FYI Just put a set on my 67 GTO after doing some research and deciding to go with Dougs do to their claim of good fit. Granted they fit the motor and frame well. However you cannot install your oil filter no way no how. Had to install a remote filter kit. (more money) Also their application guide said I would need a "Z" bar (4-speed car) for a 64-65 Model GTO (they didn't mention the oil filter issue)As it turned out my original 67 "Z" bar fit just fine but the 64-65 model "Z" bar I had ordered from PY would not fit at all.

[Ron]

On some cars, such as my '65 GTO, I had to use a different oil filter. I use the AC Delco PF58 oil filter. It is long but a smaller diameter than the regular size oil filter.

There has been a number of posts here and on Classical Pontiac about the potential use of a smaller size diameter oil filter for whatever reasons.

[DiamondJim]

NAPA Gold 1045 works well for me with my 66GTO/455/Hooker SC. It is smaller diameter but a little taller.Good filter, made by Wix.-JimT

[aquagoat]

I was tempted to use the small diameter filter but within hours after installing it I just happen to pick upan old April '93 issue of High Performance Pontiac and in the Tech column was
advice on not using the small filter due to the amount that bypasses because of flow restriction.Dan Whitmore stated that more than half of your flow bypasses using a PF-24. As a professional oil analyst I can attest to the fact that the cleaner the oil the longer your engine will last. We filter our new oil before use due to the contaminant levels allowed by the oil companys. Just because you pour it out of a bottle doesn't mean its clean. We do the same with our gear oils. Also the micron level automotive filters remove is marginal at best.
I have too much money and time invested to risk it. I installed the remote filtration unit with dual oil filters.

[DiamondJim]

I have used both filters, then cut them both open. Compare the holes and the guts. The 1045 is smaller diameter but taller. I would be willing to bet the flow difference would be very small. Total volume would be very close, at least close enough for me. I change my oil/filter every 2000 miles anyway.-JimT

[T/A 70]

Very disturbing to hear about the headers especially since they were coated. Best to order the headers clean, fit them, and then have them jet coated.