www.the351cforum.com

That's actually the bigger issue with the Falcon - I need a rear sump/front steer setup so I can get a diaper on the car. Strut, MII - whatever works. I can't go under 7.50 locally without the diaper and it's near impossible to fit one with the rear steer setup. The towers/steering box force the header tube in close to the block. I may try fabbing a removeable crossmember, but the diaper would have to be custom and metalized plus the headers coated to try and not set the thing on fire or melt it.

Strut would allow the towers to be cut back, keeping most of the inner fender and tower structure which is what keeps the nose and rails in place. IMHO going to an MII may force the motor up some and may require front down bars to re-enforce the front rails. I'd like to go to a 10 point cage with a hoop and thru the dash bars anyway.

One all that hoo-hah is done, you could motor plate in anything.

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Chris - Merkel, TX
http://raceabilene.com/kelly/hotrod
"Owner built, owner abused."

Well let me tell ya, with iron cleveland heads, it is a train wreck, that was set on fire. It's awful getting headers on it. I did it, once. Wont do it again. It was almost as bad as putting the 2 1/8" headers on my 9.2 deck motor. Except that was clearance under the car and getting them to clear all the steering crap. Putting headers on the 9.5 deck clevor was just trying to get them to fit, period, let alone trying to put bolts in them.

I have said it before and I will say it again, if they ever mandate I have to put a diaper on my car, I'll quit. There is absolutely no room to put one on there with the stock front suspension, and I'm not going to completely redo the entire front half of the car just to put a diaper on it.

Always made me wonder - Hooker lists the same header #6901 for "Headers, Competition, Long Tube, Steel, Painted, Ford, Mercury, 260, 289, 302, 351W, Pair" - no way those would work with a 9.5 deck block with W heads in the car. I have them on for the 302 and they fit well but there's not enough floor clearance to move them up and out from 8.2 deck to a 9.5. Weird.

I don't see the Tubular headers working on a 9.5 with C heads either as they are tight to the chassis and floor too. Looks to me like you'd need to cut the down tubes and add 3/4~1". Not to mention how tight you'd be to the towers unless those were cut back some.

_________________
Chris - Merkel, TX
http://raceabilene.com/kelly/hotrod
"Owner built, owner abused."