DIY header collectors from www.coneeng.com

[JMortensen]

Just got these in, they look pretty damn cool so I thought I'd share. It's a collector with a "bullet" or "spike" to smooth the transition from the end of the 4 primaries to the collector. I hadn't ever heard of these but read a page on side pipe testing and they tried them and found a pretty consistent 11 hp on a motor that was making something like 500 hp if I recall.

 

Cone Engineering (www.coneeng.com) makes 3 to 1 collectors too. This is a "merge collector" like Burns Stainless sells as well. I wanted 2.5" collectors, so this narrows to 2" and then tapers back out to 2.5. They have 3 different tapers, and say that the sharpest one has a larger effect on high end power and the slowest taper makes better low end. I picked the middle one. The collector kit with 2 collectors, 

 

These parts are mild steel but they have the same thing in stainless, and they have muffler parts too. Really cool stuff, and the mild steel collectors were $115. Seems pretty cheap for a serious looking piece. I don't mind the DIY aspect when compared to the price of the Burns equivalent.

Edited September 13, 2013 by JMortensen

[74_5.0L_Z]

Those are cool. If I hadn't already purchased the slip-on merge collectors that I used then I would definitely have used the Cone Engineering collectors.

[1 tuff z]

I purchased components from Cone.  Spent time on the phone with the owner and received a nice 'exhaust education' at the same time.  Very informative and high quality products at a very reasonable price.  As Jon mentioned, a great bargain for us DIYr's!

[BLOZ UP]

I had Adam at Columbia River Mandrel Bends make me a 3-1. I tried and made one for one side of my turbo manifolds--never again. Way too much trouble with the tools I have. It turned out great, and was $120:

 

 

It's 1-1/4" SCH 10 pipe, with a 60mm ID outlet. 14 degree merge angle. Whenever, if ever, I get around to redoing the side I made the merge on, I'll have him build me another.

Edited September 14, 2013 by BLOZ UP

[NCchris]

Thanks for posting, Jon! Exactly what I have been looking for! I am planning to mod my Sanderson street rod headers to gain clearance and to better fit a 2-1/2" exhaust. I knew from initial mock-up the collectors needed to go but I didn't have a solution for replacement. Burns has nice stuff but damn, 2 of their merge collectors just about doubles the cost of my headers.

chris

[johnc]

That spike or a modified version of the has been around for a while. Gale Banks has them on their truck headers with a rounded tip and they call it the "power pickle."

[Xnke]

I've used the Cone Engineering parts for a little while, and they work pretty well...I can't feel a difference and so far the dyno can't tell either.

[1vicissitude]

I wonder if using a cone on a 6-1 collector would help resolve the issue of the collector having too much volume. Could be an interesting setup.