I've got myself a problem. 1995 Buick Regal, L67 swap in progress, trying to fit SpeedDaddy headers. These are SLP knockoffs and are very well done.

I need to make headers fit in this car one way or another, or my aftermarket will be limited. That, and I already paid for them.

Bob is doing this swap. Here'* what he posted on w-body.com.


Does anyone have any ideas? Its looking like we're going to have to modify the headers.

I need some help if anyone can offer it. The car is ni Elyria, OH, right west of Cleveland 20-30 miles or so. He has a guy that can weld properly, but we're doubting if its possible to get any welding done. If the headers do indeed need to be modified, he was thinking of having the header pipe bent downward a bit near the flanges and then have the downpipe bent up so it would clear the ground and not scrape on anything, but apparently that would have to be welded properly as its stainless. I have no idea about any of this.

What do you guys think? He'll make some phone calls tomorrow to see if he can find a guy who can bend and weld this, but for now, what does everyone else think?

Oh, and another thing. It was already considered to tilt the engine backwards a bit, but the problem with that would be the suspension geometry. The axles are already tilted slightly upward because the car is lowered on adjustable coilovers, so tilting it any further backward would increase that angle. I'm being told that could cause vibration at WOT and potentially premature axle failure.

Borrow Dan'* big hammer. Honestly. Last weekend I did a trans install, header install and wheel bearing on an 01 GP. The SP'* have an o2 bung that hits the firewall when the O2 is installed. We "adjusted" the area with a hammer and air hammer. Then afterwards you can give it a spray of rubber undercoating to give it a clean look.

The problem is, that u channel crosmember isn't the firewall. Bob thinks its structurally required to be there.

If you can add a little to the front dog bones to tip the engine just a little, you will have to do as Bill suggested. Modify that area to make a little more room.

But that'* the problem. The car is lowered, so you can't tip the engine farther than it already is because then you make the angle of the axles even greater than it already is. As it is, they're every so slightly angled upwards. If you tilt the engine back 15 degrees or so, then it will make it slightly worse. Do you have any thoughts on that? Will having an axle angle other than factory cause problems in the future?

Having more angle on the CV joints will cause a bit more wear, not much, but a bit more. Looks like your going to need to do some pounding.

Two more problems with tilting the engine that I thought of:

1. the ABS unit won't fit anymore with the engine tilted that far back.
2. the downpipe will be dragging 2" from the ground and I'd need a new flex hose and possibly new downpipe

Do you think its safe to pound back that crossmember? He needs ~2-3 more inches on each side and another 2-3" going up in order to pound it to make room, and get some sort of heat shield in there so the interior doesn't melt. That'* a lot of pounding/cutting. Do you think its actually possible? Would you really not advise modifying the headers?

Is there any chance of lower the engine in the cradle?