The header choices for the 351-based Ford Boss 427 crate engine with the raised-port heads are very limited. In fact, when we did this install, FPA was the only source we could find.
They are very pricey, but beautifully made. They fit perfectly on the heads, BUT fit in the engine compartment was something else entirely! The basic problem is that the FPA headers do not hug the engine quite as closely as they should.
To get them in, we needed to do basically 3 things:
1) Notch the passenger side frame rail.
Frame rail notch
2) Grind down the passenger side shock tower reinforcement.
Hard to get a picture, but about 1/4″ notch ground in the tower brace where the pipe crosses.
3) Shim out the upper a-arm bolt on the driver side.
Originally, the bolt tip hit the header pipe. We shimmed the bolt head about 1/4″.
Thanks a million for the info and especially the pics. Helps a lot. Having motor built now should be ready in about 4 weeks. Really didn’t want to spend a bunch of money and have to beat the car to death to get the headers to fit. Looks like most decent headers are all around 800 dollars. It’s worth a little more if they fit. Thanks again for your help much appreciated.
Bill
More than welcome. Give us a shout if we can help. good luck.