Phone Order Hours:  1 PM - 5 PM
Central Time Zone
Mon-Thurs (closed Fri-Sun).

We're moving our shop to a new location in Hamburg, MN

and have a new phone number (952-777-0027). 

The old phone number (612-729-2802) still works but will

disappear some time next Summer (once we're done moving).
 

The first set of HEADERS BY "ED" was built in 1962.
2018 marks our 56^th year of not only
designing and crafting much better headers
but also helping others build much better headers.
   
We want to thank all of you who have
supported our efforts over this past half century.
  

In the "It's hard to believe but it's true" department:

The "My Old Dodge" at the top of this page was run at the Minnesota Street Rod Association's fifth annual 2010 Super Secret Fun Run (SS/FR) the weekend of August 27th through the 29th at Brainerd International Raceway (BIR) in Brainerd, Minnesota.
  

Assembled as a "driver" type car - definitely NOT a race car - but with strict attention paid to maximizing bottom end and mid-range performance (headers as well as other areas), on Sunday (the 29th), we heard comments that somebody thought they had seen daylight under the left front tire on a launch!  A couple of runs later, it was announced over the track's PA system that, on the last run, the left front tire had come off the track about an inch at the start of that run!  (Several days later, double checking this with the track's announcer, he said he had actually witnessed the car lifting the left front tire off the track 3 times for sure!)
 

If there was ANYTHING we NEVER expected to see happen with this car (3830# - with driver and using a stock - but retuned - 350" port injected small block Chev RamJet 350 crate engine) was to see it lift a front tire off the ground on a run!  (This was the also the first time we tried bolt-on "venturi" shaped collector extensions!)
 
Best times on that Sunday: 
ET - 13.683 seconds;  MPH - 96.51;  60' - 1.852 seconds.

ALSO:  On Saturday, using a data logger-type EGS Tach from
Tesla Electronics with their accelerometer module added, the
maximum recorded acceleration rate with "straight" collector extensions
on the headers was 1.22 Gs with a second best run producing 1.17 Gs.
On Sunday, with "venturi" shaped collector extensions
replacing "straight" style collector extensions, the highest recorded

acceleration rate was 1.41 Gs with a second best run producing 1.33 Gs.
Averaging ALL of the runs made on both days, the
Average Highest Acceleration Rate of 10 runs on Saturday was 1.103 Gs and
the Average Highest Acceleration Rate of 5 runs on Sunday was 1.26 Gs.
This means that, just by switching to better shaped collector extensions,
a .16 G AVERAGE increase in acceleration rate was attained
(and causing the left front tire to lift off the ground on three runs as well!).
AND, for what its worth:  NO BURNOUTS were made prior to runs!

(A very complete discussion about what took place above
is now available.  Go to the Venturi Extension page.) 

We have also added a fact sheet discussing this "event"
to our very informative Header Design InfoPak.)

 
The effective altitude was about 2,000' at the start of each day, but
changed to about 4,000' sometime between 10 and 11 AM each
day so weather was basically identical for both days.
In other words, weather CAN NOT be considered as a factor as to why
the car ran so much better with the "venturi" style collector extensions!.

For what it's worth:  A couple of years later (the Dodge doesn't

get worked on or raced much), the Dodge was put on a chassis

dyno, where in just three hours - nine pulls - engine timing

was advanced and fuel pressure increased with a resulting

gain of 30 HP at peak rpm plus HP gains noted everywhere else!

Two weeks later, at BIR, the best times recorded over two days were:

ET - 13.28 seconds;  MPH - 100.6;  60' - 1.79 seconds!

   
Over time, by using various bolt-on tapered collector extensions
I have progressively reduced the effective collector outlet diameter considerably.  Each diameter reduction resulted in a better
performing car.  Dyno tuning provided a big gain (establishing
how BAD the engine was tuned from the factory).
2 1/8" extensions have produced the BEST TIMES seen so far.
Later on (same day), the TOO SMALL (according to "them)
2 1/8" extensions were replaced by larger 2 1/4" extensions
and the car SLOWED DOWN - PROVING that 2 1/8"
did NOT restrict the engine and, simultaneously,
PROVING that "they" did NOT know
what "they" were talking about! !

To hopefully quote Einstein correctly:
"It's better to have people think you're stupid then
to open your mouth and remove all doubt".

Go to the My Old Dodge page for more information?

	STAINLESS STEEL SALE We've put our all of our 304 Stainless Steel J-Bends & Collectors on sale! Look on the left side of this page  for further information and links.
	If you are looking for completed headers, we are NOT making headers nor taking orders for headers at this time.   While unavailable for purchase at this time, our automotive header designs (we also have fixtures to make Vertical Exit header designs for pulling and mudracing) are TRUE Equal Length (DEFINED as all tube lengths held under +/- 1/2" tolerance with most tube lengths under +/- 1/4").  Our Automotive header designs are limited to about 30 different V8 powered U.S.-made cars from 1955 through the mid-70s.  Our Vertical Exit header designs (when available) cover just about every V8 U.S. engine ever made plus many of the aftermarket cylinder heads as well. For what it's worth (and to reduce needless e-mails and phone calls):  We do NOT make Stainless Steel headers - all of our headers are made with Mild Steel components.  We do NOT make four or six cylinder headers.  We do NOT make engine swap headers (if your engine and chassis combination wasn't assembled in a factory, don't call us).  We do NOT make headers for foreign-made vehicles nor do we make headers for vans or trucks - except for Vertical Exit designs for pulling and mud racing).  We do NOT make headers for turbocharged applications.  There is NO listing of the headers we can make (when time permits) on this website at this time (sorry!) but can be found in our HEADER DESIGN INFOPAK in case you are curious.
	However, if you can weld (or have friends that can weld that might help you), we STRONGLY encourage you to think about building your own headers.  The odds are very much in your favor that, with our Header Design Advice Service and the header parts we offer, you will be able to BUILD headers BETTER than any you can buy.  We're not kidding!  In fact, we even have a sheet (just recently updated CONSIDERABLY) with the title "Build Headers BETTER than ANY you can buy!" that has been specifically written about that subject. The information contained in this website as well as in our available HEADER DESIGN INFOPAK will show you how that is possible.  We even offer HEADER KITS to make the purchasing of header parts easy!
	Presently you can not order anything directly off this website.  This is not an omission on our part because we often find we are asking questions and/or making suggestions when taking header parts orders over the phone and NOT being able to talk to our customers would not only greatly increase ordering errors but would also deny our customers the possibility of them ever finding out that there is actually an even better way of designing and building their own headers!    (Unlike other companies, when you call HEADERS BY "ED" to place an order, you get to talk to someone that actually designs headers as well as fabricates them and is capable of giving you some REALLY GOOD and REALLY ACCURATE advice.  Many times our advice -  because of our design and construction experience - helps customers not only "squeeze" more performance out of their engines but often saves them time and money by preventing them from making ordering or design choice mistakes.  Keep in mind that this type of advice "help" is NOT available from anyone else!)

The prices on this website are current and we do not expect them to change in the near future (even though our costs are continually increasing!).

To get you up to speed as to what's been going on here:

Business History.  Condensing the business's history considerably, the first set of HEADERS BY "ED" was built on the very car at the top of this page, by me, in 1962 when I was approaching my 21st birthday. 

The first few years of the business involved doing "pure" custom header work (vehicles were brought into the shop and I built headers on them). 

Due to problems with local dealers not willing to invest in inventory, I soon became a distributor (and reseller) of various header parts.  As the years passed, I started making many of the parts I previously bought from others and also worked with outside suppliers to make parts to my specifications and, in the process, developed many new and, I believe, better parts based on my experiences gained not only by DESIGNING and BUILDING BETTER headers but also by helping others build their own BETTER headers.

In 1966 I decided to move away from doing pure custom header work and designed the first set of HEADERS BY "ED" - for the '62-'67 Small Block Nova - where I built header jigs off the finished headers so that I could make and ship headers to others elsewhere.  That change of direction in the business also initiated magazine advertising.

In 1974 I started to offer Vertical Exit HEADERS BY "ED" for pullers, mud racers, sand draggers, etc.

Through this time period, I also had started deepening oil pans for local racers and even purchased a Sun distributor machine and recurved a lot of distributors for local customers too.  At one point HEADERS BY "ED" even offered a complete cylinder head service!

Website.  The first HEADERS BY "ED" website was published 3/31/98.  The second (and considerably improved) version that you are now looking at was published in March 2009.  This new version encompasses much newer technology relative to website design, contains a few extra "bells and whistles", and also addresses many concerns and comments expressed by customers and friends over the years (but the reduction of my excessive verbiage has not exactly been accomplished).  It also addresses and/or eliminates a number of concerns that I had with the first website.

The writings (by me) are still VERY critical (maybe even more so now that I am also 20+ years older since the first website appeared) and thus might be considered offensive to those with differing points of view.  However, the comments are based on works accomplished as well as observations made over a 55+ year period of time.  I offer these comments to you in the context that you are sincerely concerned about making your particular vehicle PERFORM as well as possible and appreciate getting "good" as well as "straight" advice (even if it might be a little disconcerting at times). 

The website is FAR from being done and probably will never be REALLY done as I don't have the time to work on it continually.  (I only get paid for the work I do in the shop.  Unlike others who get paid for creating and updating websites, I get paid NOTHING for all of the time and work this website represents).  (Plus, over the past decade I have witnessed the passing of several close friends, many "car guys" and good/loyal customers and now find myself considering my own mortality.)

The website has two basic "sides" - a "parts" side that deals with what we offer to you as a potential customer and an "information" side that presents header and performance related discussion that I feel you should know.  Some areas of this "newer" website simply could not be completed on time or brought over from the old website without adding a lot more delay and delaying publishing past mid-March 2009 made no sense.  Under construction signs are posted all over this website and will disappear as pages are finished or at least reach a point where I feel somewhat satisfied with their content (I am seldom really "satisfied" with anything as I see room for improvement almost everywhere I look and I'm not just talking about this website!!!!!!).  Some comment pages - moved over from the old website - will be updated.  Other comment pages are minimally done and are more representative of a "wish list" of what I want to discuss as time allows in the near (or far distant) future.  Some pages (Ramblings, for example) will be added to continually due to their more general nature.  Please be patient if something excites your curiosity and then you find out that I've only addressed the subject minimally or not at all - because that page is marked under construction. 

Also - if you want to learn even more about headers, you really should purchase our HEADER DESIGN INFOPAK.  It contains discussion we've been offering since the late 60s -  discussion that might even "scare" you when you realize we've been saying some of these things for well over 55 years yet have NEVER seen them in a magazine article!  It will also help you understand how IMPORTANT GOOD header design really is (a subject definitely NOT discussed in car magazines!).

Magazines.  If you believe that car magazines are perfect - that they NEVER make mistakes, that they contain information ONLY written by equally performance-concerned individuals that are supremely informed as well as experienced, and have NO secondary or tertiary agendas - you might NOT want to expose yourself to the thoughts contained within this website.  Remember - you have been warned!

In conclusion, HEADERS BY "ED" has been around for quite a LONG time now (56 years!), has been VERY involved in the overall performance area - not just making products out of tubing - and is very capable of helping you buy or build considerably BETTER HEADERS.

Thanks for reading this, Ed Henneman

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