Headers have long been touted as the muscle car's standard item. Those from Edelbrock are called TES or Tubular Exhaust Systems. They are fully street legal and hookup all emission controls. Shorty headers such as these will tend to give more power above 2500rpm. The sound is louder than stock and somewhat blatty at part throttle due to their thin wall construction. They are not loud enough to be bothersome and at freeway speed there is no difference in sound.
Some tips to remember. Coated headers last longer and tend not to rust as compared to noncoated units. Some are actually coated inside and out. I have had my noncoated units for 25,000 miles and they are still in great shape. However I would recommend anyone buying noncoated units to take the time to strip the shipping paint and paint then with VHT paint (Very High Temp). Often times the air injection ports are not welded in straight and the air tube sticks into the exhaust pipe. Use a grinder on the inside of the pipes to smooth any possible obstructions. Plan on a weekend to install the headers. FYI The right side header is installed by aiming the #2 cylinder port (ie the first one on that side) down along the radiator towards the bottom of the car. Push it all the way down so the header is standing on its nose. Then rotate the header and back it in next to the block. Though not all spark plugs have to be removed you should do so anyway. Once the headers are installed, you will find that the #1 plug may not go in anymore. The shank is too long on the stock plugs. Accel makes short shank plugs with removable caps that work. In addition, High temp spark plug wires with 90 degrees boots are pretty mandatory. A Sawzall may be required to remove the stock crossover pipe from the catalytic. Cut the pipe off and then stick the blade down the remaining piece in the cat to slit it. The remaining piece will then come out.
Edelbrock in Torrance, CA (310) 781-2222 Tech:(310) 782-2900 www.edelbrock.com