1964 Comet headers

Rory McNeil · 03-21-2010, 11:44 PM

A buddy of mine has a 64 Comet Caliante bracket car with SB Ford, 4 speed, and his old custom made headers are falling apart. Are any "off the shelf" headers available with 1 5/8" tubes, that work with the factory clutch linkage, and clear a scatershield? Supposedly early Mustang`s have a different firewall, and the headers are not interchangable. Thanks.

Jim Caughlin · 03-22-2010, 11:10 AM

I used to run the standard Hooker 1 5/8 on my Comet years ago and they fit reasonably well with the clutch linkage. As I recall, I had to do the typical 'illegal' trimming of the scattershield flange to make them clear. If you get desperate and want to bring the car down to my shop, I can build a nicer and more equal length set and/or maybe repair the existing pieces.

Jim Caughlin
SS 6019

Mile High · 03-22-2010, 08:56 PM

When I went to a 351W stroker in my Falcon I used headers from a company called Tubular Automotive in Mass. 1 5/8" tubes and 3" collector. Now using headers from Crites Performance 1 3/4" tubes and 3 1/2" collector. I did some cutting on the shock towers for extra clearance too.

69Cobra · 03-23-2010, 09:08 PM

We also have a set of Crites but have not put them on yet. I've seen them on other 64 comets and all looks well.

Rory McNeil · 03-24-2010, 12:43 AM

We have only seen photo`s of the Crites headers. The front tubes look much, much longer than the rears, and my buddy doesn`t care for the way the front 2 tubes on each side are routed under the lower control arms, ground clearance wise. He plans to patch the cracked tube(s) for this season, but is hoping to find something good for next year, without breaking the bank.

Mile High · 03-24-2010, 09:28 AM

I also cut off the sway bar mount brackets and you need to reposition the oil filter too. They do hang real low.

03-21-2010, 11:44 PM	#1
Rory McNeil VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: from Vancouver BC Canada, now in Nova Scotia Posts: 1,311 Likes: 319 Liked 1,106 Times in 303 Posts	1964 Comet headers A buddy of mine has a 64 Comet Caliante bracket car with SB Ford, 4 speed, and his old custom made headers are falling apart. Are any "off the shelf" headers available with 1 5/8" tubes, that work with the factory clutch linkage, and clear a scatershield? Supposedly early Mustang`s have a different firewall, and the headers are not interchangable. Thanks. __________________ NHRA 6390 STK M/S 85 Mustang

03-22-2010, 11:10 AM	#2
Jim Caughlin Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Woodburn, Or Posts: 685 Likes: 84 Liked 805 Times in 245 Posts	Re: 1964 Comet headers I used to run the standard Hooker 1 5/8 on my Comet years ago and they fit reasonably well with the clutch linkage. As I recall, I had to do the typical 'illegal' trimming of the scattershield flange to make them clear. If you get desperate and want to bring the car down to my shop, I can build a nicer and more equal length set and/or maybe repair the existing pieces. Jim Caughlin SS 6019

03-22-2010, 08:56 PM	#3
Mile High Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: My RV Posts: 218 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: 1964 Comet headers When I went to a 351W stroker in my Falcon I used headers from a company called Tubular Automotive in Mass. 1 5/8" tubes and 3" collector. Now using headers from Crites Performance 1 3/4" tubes and 3 1/2" collector. I did some cutting on the shock towers for extra clearance too.

03-23-2010, 09:08 PM	#4
69Cobra Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: California, Ky Posts: 669 Likes: 62 Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: 1964 Comet headers We also have a set of Crites but have not put them on yet. I've seen them on other 64 comets and all looks well. __________________ Kris Rachford 69 Cobra 428CJ 4 Speed C/S 3032

03-24-2010, 12:43 AM	#5
Rory McNeil VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: from Vancouver BC Canada, now in Nova Scotia Posts: 1,311 Likes: 319 Liked 1,106 Times in 303 Posts	Re: 1964 Comet headers We have only seen photo`s of the Crites headers. The front tubes look much, much longer than the rears, and my buddy doesn`t care for the way the front 2 tubes on each side are routed under the lower control arms, ground clearance wise. He plans to patch the cracked tube(s) for this season, but is hoping to find something good for next year, without breaking the bank. __________________ NHRA 6390 STK M/S 85 Mustang

03-24-2010, 09:28 AM	#6
Mile High Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: My RV Posts: 218 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: 1964 Comet headers I also cut off the sway bar mount brackets and you need to reposition the oil filter too. They do hang real low.