Big tube headers have always used flat-steel flanges cut from plate, and tubing sections that are bent using traditional tubing benders. When compounded by tight engine bays and limited space underhood, vehicle customizers have had few options to fit a set of large tube headers into a small space – until now. 

The unique solution presented by Ultimate Headers involves a set of their cast header flanges, which feature aerospace-derived engineering techniques and metallurgical processes. The flange castings are made from 316L stainless steel that offers superb heat and corrosion resistance while retaining strength, and reduced weight thanks to the flange rib design. The flanges are available in four finishes – as cast, vibratory polished, satin, and mirror-polished. 

The big advantage comes when these flanges are paired with the company’s patent-pending stainless-steel header elbows. The rule of thumb for bending a tube is that radius of the bend cannot be less than the diameter of the tube, and in the bending process the outer wall of the tube is stretched and thinned out, where the heat of the exhaust can weaken the tube.

These new parts from Ultimate Headers have taken that theory and kicked it to the curb. Their stainless-steel investment-cast bends allow them to create turns with a much tighter radius than the traditional bending process – nearly 90-degrees right off the port surface – without impacting tube wall thickness whatsoever. 

This setup makes engine swaps simple, like putting that LS engine into a Mazda Miata, because it keeps the header tubes very close to the engine block and allows the builder to squeeze ten pounds of stuff into a two pound bag. By tucking the header tubes in tight, room is freed up for other components. 

For more information, check out the Ultimate Headers website.