[1meancuda]

I've got a '92 K1500 with a 4.3L. I know Summit and numerous other places carry headers for this combo, but they are all $350+ and I cannot bring myself to pay this. I've tried searching Google and came up with nothing. I've contacted Hedman and they just told me, "We can't guarantee they will fit." So, can anyone here tell me if a header designed for a S10/Sonoma with a 4.3L will fit my K1500? I'm looking for the why or why not. Will it fit and I just need to make some custom down pipes or something, or will they not fit at all because they hit the firewall, crossmembers, etc. Surely I'm not the first to try this?!?!?

 

[joe_padavano]

I've got a '92 K1500 with a 4.3L. I know Summit and numerous other places carry headers for this combo, but they are all $350+ and I cannot bring myself to pay this. I've tried searching Google and came up with nothing. I've contacted Hedman and they just told me, "We can't guarantee they will fit." So, can anyone here tell me if a header designed for a S10/Sonoma with a 4.3L will fit my K1500? I'm looking for the why or why not. Will it fit and I just need to make some custom down pipes or something, or will they not fit at all because they hit the firewall, crossmembers, etc. Surely I'm not the first to try this?!?!?

Sure, header manufacturers make and stock many different part numbers of header designs simply because they like the added expense of a larger inventory. Seriously, if the S-10 headers fit the larger truck, why would any manufacturer carry two different part numbers?

 

[1meancuda]

You are missing the point. They may just not be routed the same way and so they won't bolt up to the flange of the existing K1500 exhaust. Most manufacturers view headers as a bolt in mod. It doesn't mean that one won't work in the other application, it just means that it won't bolt directly in. That is what I'm mainly looking for. I don't mind making up some custom downpipes and flanges, but if the S10 headers hit the firewall or a crossmember, that is a different story. At that point, I may as well just make a custom set. I work in the manufacturing industry and have a business degree. I understand inventory, the expenses of it, R&D costs, etc. I'm not making up some sort of conspiracy theory, I just know that sometimes parts fit applications that they weren't intended for. They just need a little bit of work to get them there. Case in point, I put LS6 valve springs in a Chevy 3100 V6 engine. Does any parts site out there list this as an application? No. Do they work? Absolutely.

 

[1meancuda]

Nevermind on the headers. I found some info last night from some S10 forums that the TBI 4.3 doesn't really benefit from headers. The heads are the main restriction and I'm certainly not going to be swapping heads right now. I think I'll save my money and work on getting a 350 or 383 and building that. In the meantime, maybe I'll just clean up the stock exhaust manifolds, build new crossover/down pipes with manderal bent tubing, and replace the stock cat convertor with a glass pack. I already have manderal bent tubing from the cat to the tail pipe and a Dynomax Super Turbo muffler.