Could someone please explain the advantages and disadvantages between shorty style and long tube headers..thanks

 

I had some shortys on an f150 that leaked all the time but were an easy install and ground clearance wasn't a problem. I also helped a buddy put a set of long tubes in histruck that were a pain to get in, but it had lot's more power. The long tubes took away about 4 inches of ground clearance, that was ok in a truck but that would not have beengood in a car.

 

Shorties are an improvement over factory manifolds, but don't usuallyperform as well at higher rpm ranges (above 3500) as full-length headers will. The advantages are a more compact design (no ground or clutch linkage clearance issues) and less engine bay noise and heat. They're good for cars that don't (or can't) spend much time at higher rpm's.

Long-tube headers work much better at higher rpm's than anything else, but you can sacrifice low-end torque on an engine that isn't designed to wind up that high (ie. factory small block). So you may see an increase in peak hp, but you may lose some low-end driveability which may be more noticable. Other downsides are reduced ground clearance (unless you get a set of FPA's or Doug Thorley headers, which tuck up real nice) and increased engine bay noise and heat.

There are also headers that fit in between these two, like tri-y's and equal-length shorties. In the end, the "best" header for your vehicledepends on what kind of engine you have and what kind of driving you're doing.

 

ok well, im building a 347 with about 440hp. its going in my daily driver 66. i want excellent low end torque. so i should go with shorties??

 

Unless you're planning on using a blower (which I wouldn't recommend with a 347), you're not getting low end torque and 440hp. As soon as you hit the 1hp/ci mark with a NA engine, hp starts to become real expensive ($ wise)and alsocomes at thecostof low-rpm torque. You need to wind the engine up quite a bit to make that kind of power, and there's no way to do that on a NA engine without sacrificing power on the low-end.

That said, any stroker is going to greatly benefit from headers. A lower-rpm motor making power off-idlewill probably like tri-y's a little more, while a more aggressively cammed engine (which sounds like what you're shooting for) is going to want full headers to let the engine breathe as it revs up.