Headers on a 1978 B series 3.0 (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Nov 22, 2022
Threads
15
Messages
78
Location
Colorado
Good evening,

Hoping to get some guidance/advice on people experience/thoughts on putting headers on my B series 3.0 engine. I recently bought it and the old exhaust is toast. I was originally planning to just build a new exhaust to connect to the manifold, but I ran across these headers online while doing some research. What are your thoughts? I have read some people stating that headers actually decrease the power of a diesel. This is my first diesel engine so I don't know much of anything about them, although I thought headers would decrease exhaust resistance and increase torq and HP. Thanks for your help in advance. Here is the picture of the headers in questions.

1669607142564.png


Ty
 
IF you want to make some. Go for it. But don't expect miracles. Don't even expect changes you can feel with a butt-dyno.
 
IF you want to make some. Go for it. But don't expect miracles. Don't even expect changes you can feel with a butt-dyno.
Thanks for the response. Yeah I need to do the exhaust anyways. I just didn’t want to do something that would decrease hp or torq.

Ty
 
I love the 'theory' of headers/extractors. They are meant to help your engine breathe out a little easier due to more streamlined exits. They are more complex to manufacture due to the funny elaborate tubey shapes so rarely are factory fitted. Turbos often deliver much more power as it forces air through the combustion.

Put simply if you have a fire place with a chimney, like a combustion chamber with exhaust. You can increase draw/draft with a bigger chimney or creating a more easy way for the combustion gasses to escape, ie;extractors/headers.
If you put a fan like a hair dryer on the same fireplace you would observe a much more dramatic burn; turbo.

I use to have a 'b' engine. Slow old donk, reliable as a tractor, good for towing , slowly. Extractors would only do a little bit as the 'b 'only holds a little fire. revving away in 4th on the highway..not sure if I would bother unless I had to replace the exhaust anyway on a 'b'.

Personally I like extractors upon principle to make the exhaust leave as easily as possible. I put extractors on my 2h and love it, increased the exhaust pipe size a bit, she breathes easier and sounds ace. Maybe a tiny bit more power but a negligible joke compared to what modern diesels can put out, honestly.

Some fit turbos to everything, but run some risk of cooking the head if the engine was not designed for the extra combustion/heat. I bet someone has fitted a turbo to a 'b', someone turboed a 'h' on here, and turboed '2h's are common and successful.

I would say if you are a happy with your 'b' and intend to keep it for your life, don't want to run the risk of turbo (which is not necessarily risky) and want to put some pretty pipes on which make a nice tune, go for it! Pretty easy. A turbo would be about the same price unless you find some secondhand headers/extractors.

You could aim at getting a 3b in the grand scheme..
 
also, I would be a little wary if the headers/extractors are made in china..I notice lots of 2h headers/extractors advertised on ebay, one bet where they are made.
 
also, I would be a little wary if the headers/extractors are made in china..I notice lots of 2h headers/extractors advertised on ebay, one bet where they are made.
Thanks for the advice everyone. The headers I’m look at are from performance exhaust in Australia. I would assume they are made there but idk. They are on sale for 250 right now. Does anyone have experience with this company or know where I could get an exhaust header gasket for a B series engine? Thanks.

Ty
 
Last edited:
I love the 'theory' of headers/extractors. They are meant to help your engine breathe out a little easier due to more streamlined exits. They are more complex to manufacture due to the funny elaborate tubey shapes so rarely are factory fitted. Turbos often deliver much more power as it forces air through the combustion.

Put simply if you have a fire place with a chimney, like a combustion chamber with exhaust. You can increase draw/draft with a bigger chimney or creating a more easy way for the combustion gasses to escape, ie;extractors/headers.
If you put a fan like a hair dryer on the same fireplace you would observe a much more dramatic burn; turbo.

I use to have a 'b' engine. Slow old donk, reliable as a tractor, good for towing , slowly. Extractors would only do a little bit as the 'b 'only holds a little fire. revving away in 4th on the highway..not sure if I would bother unless I had to replace the exhaust anyway on a 'b'.

Personally I like extractors upon principle to make the exhaust leave as easily as possible. I put extractors on my 2h and love it, increased the exhaust pipe size a bit, she breathes easier and sounds ace. Maybe a tiny bit more power but a negligible joke compared to what modern diesels can put out, honestly.

Some fit turbos to everything, but run some risk of cooking the head if the engine was not designed for the extra combustion/heat. I bet someone has fitted a turbo to a 'b', someone turboed a 'h' on here, and turboed '2h's are common and successful.

I would say if you are a happy with your 'b' and intend to keep it for your life, don't want to run the risk of turbo (which is not necessarily risky) and want to put some pretty pipes on which make a nice tune, go for it! Pretty easy. A turbo would be about the same price unless you find some secondhand headers/extractors.

You could aim at getting a 3b in the grand scheme..
Thanks for the great explanation. I figured it was probably the same for a diesel as a gas engine, but I thought I read somewhere someone claiming headers in a diesel decreased the torq. Thanks again.

Ty
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. The headers I’m look at are from performance exhaust in Australia. I would assume they are made there but idk. They are on sale for 250 right now. Does anyone have experience with this company or know where I could get an exhaust header gasket for a B series engine? Thanks.

Ty
alas few things are made in oz anymore. performance sell stuff from anywhere, chances is that it is chinese, maybe worth the punt, not too much can go wrong.

Demand for 'b' engine extractors would be very low indeed!
It makes me smile a bit, should have put extractors on my dad's 1948 massey ferguson for the looks. More of a love thing than anything:smuggrin:

Usually the aluminised pipe is welded with mild steel so they can rust at those points.
'pacemaker' extractors (what you guys call headers) have the rep for the best made in oz, I recall 'genie' being another good one.
I think redback and hurricane extractors are chinese.

Bit of a gimmick imo about the ceramic coating. No paint surface can handle years of gravel road stone chips. I just repaint mine after 4 years or so with hi temp.

The first set I got for my running troopy I fitted and the fastfit exhaust fella told me to drive on down to fit 2 1/2 inch pipe. That turned heads due to the loud sound! All up, it was about $400 aud.
1669682577963.png


For my second 2h I am just finishing, I just got some secondhand ones from gumtree for $50 aud, he even dropped it of for me. Bit of a dog to wire wheel them tho, even after mollases soaking them, sand blaster is the go. Next time I'd paint them metallic as they look interesting at least. You don't really need extractor gaskets, the individual exhaust gasket would be fine.
1669682210001.png

have fun! they sound good
 
alas few things are made in oz anymore. performance sell stuff from anywhere, chances is that it is chinese, maybe worth the punt, not too much can go wrong.

Demand for 'b' engine extractors would be very low indeed!
It makes me smile a bit, should have put extractors on my dad's 1948 massey ferguson for the looks. More of a love thing than anything:smuggrin:

Usually the aluminised pipe is welded with mild steel so they can rust at those points.
'pacemaker' extractors (what you guys call headers) have the rep for the best made in oz, I recall 'genie' being another good one.
I think redback and hurricane extractors are chinese.

Bit of a gimmick imo about the ceramic coating. No paint surface can handle years of gravel road stone chips. I just repaint mine after 4 years or so with hi temp.

The first set I got for my running troopy I fitted and the fastfit exhaust fella told me to drive on down to fit 2 1/2 inch pipe. That turned heads due to the loud sound! All up, it was about $400 aud.
View attachment 3180398

For my second 2h I am just finishing, I just got some secondhand ones from gumtree for $50 aud, he even dropped it of for me. Bit of a dog to wire wheel them tho, even after mollases soaking them, sand blaster is the go. Next time I'd paint them metallic as they look interesting at least. You don't really need extractor gaskets, the individual exhaust gasket would be fine.
View attachment 3180395
have fun! they sound good
Hey sorry this is a very silly questions I am sure but it looks like your headers in the picture are the same style, How to the headers connect to the exhaust pipe at the collector? The headers I am used to usually have a three bolt connecter on the end that allows the exhaust tubing to bolt to the header collector. Are they traditionally just welded together? If so, wouldn't the lack of flex cause problems with cracking when the engine rocks a little? Thanks again.

Ty
 
Does anyone have experience with "Flex pipe". I have never used these before, but the previous owner has one on here. The engine is non-turbo.
1669853259862.png
 
Does anyone have experience with "Flex pipe". I have never used these before, but the previous owner has one on here. The engine is non-turbo. View attachment 3182313
All my diesels have had a flex joint. Just look at how much the engine shakes and moves when shutting down and starting, also moves quite a bit when under load with the torque. I temporarily run without one once and it transferred all the movement along the length of the exhaust causing it to hit the chassis and make unwanted noises. My current petrol doesn't use one as the engine hardly moves in comparison
 
All my diesels have had a flex joint. Just look at how much the engine shakes and moves when shutting down and starting, also moves quite a bit when under load with the torque. I temporarily run without one once and it transferred all the movement along the length of the exhaust causing it to hit the chassis and make unwanted noises. My current petrol doesn't use one as the engine hardly moves in comparison
Thanks for the info. So are these just direct welded to the tubing? If so, can I mig weld them or does it have to be TIG.
 
No dumb questions.
I have been thinking of those flex joints for the new build. My running troopy has a two bolt union bracket welded to the extractors then the rest of the 2 1/2 inch pipe is bolted to that which hangs off the ome rubber mounts.

The bracket goes on real tight super snug before welded. I am guessing tig, if I did it for a living, it is the go.

My local exhaust guy did it all fairly cheap for me. I think the extractors were 100 secondhand, then 300 for the exhaust guy. He has the pipes and benders, hoist etc, I think he enjoyed doing something different to off the shelf run of the mill stuff.

I added another bracket from the gear box to engine mount arm close to the exhaust union for extra support after the muff man.

You can also get ready to go stainless exhausts which fit the 2h, not sure about the 'b', prob not. But exhaust guy said stainless is a waste of money, and his pipe shall last my life.

One thing I wonder is whether without a muff is better. Exhaust guy said the loudness would drive me nuts on the freeway so went with a muff. The stainless kits do not have mufflers.


It has been good for 100k km and I can pull it all apart if I feel like painting under the carriage, which I have done. Pretty happy, think it contributes to 12km/l milage.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom