Here's some pictures showing the Dynatech headers in relation to the floor pan and how low below the subframe the header goes. One thing, I do not have the transmission crossmember installed, so the engine is tilted back further than it should be. Also, the car is on jackstands

Also, I'm working on setting up my rearend. What do you all think of the pattern thus far.

That was kind of you to post the header pics. It is virtually identical to my Hooker Comps as far as apparent height but if your engine is tipped then they would likely nestle in a bit higher. I am referencing the centerpoint of the primary into the collector.

In my case 2 primaries actually go forward from plumb and then curve back to the collector at 90* or less while all 4 of yours look to be converged higher, closer to the head. It was one of those two forward sweeping primaries my pitman arm hit in my '96 crash. You cannot turn the steering far enough to duplicate that much motion.

I can't comment on the pattern for lack of experience, but I think I have seen a pattern interpretation guide/tutorial on Strange's website. I'm not sure if that is where I saw it but that is all I can offer.

I was just thinking:wow: yeah, I need to check how much the transmission needs to come up. I have a TH400 crossmember and a 4L60E transmission. I have to modify the crossmember, so that is why its not installed yet. I was thinking, though, if the transmission still needs to come up quite a bit, I may, just may, gain some clearance at the header for the steering box.

My gear pattern looks good on the coast side, but the drive side I'm not crazy about. I've setup rearends in the past, but it has been a while.

Back to garage and check on that crossmember

So, since the teeth are shaped a little like a sharks tooth can you tell the uninitiated like me which side is which?
I'd call one the round side which would be the head and the other less than 90* angle side would be the tail. Which is drive and which is coast?
One side has a small round pattern and the other looks to be the full face wearing. I have a rear end out right now too that I could at least clean/paint the teeth on out of curiosity and see what sort of pattern it has.

It would seem to me the side toward the "tail" would be the drive side because the teeth woul dbe more engaged that way but I am just speculating.

The steering box still does not fit:(

The concave side of the gear is the coast side and the convex side is the drive side of the gear

Huh. Well, not the first time I was ever wrong and probably not the last.:D

Don't feel bad. At glance, that is the way it would appear to be, but its actually the opposite.

I've been on the phone, off and on all day, with Dynatech. So far, no solution. It's not looking good at this point. They asked me to measure my heads from side to side. I got 18 5/8" from passenger side head, at the header flange, to the drivers side head, at the header flange. They told me, they built the headers based on 18", which is stock head size.

If anyone out there reading this and has aftermarket aluminum heads, non-Edelbrock, can you please measure from the passenger side head to the drivers side head and see what measurement you get? This is with a SBC.

Hey I just measured my 327 w/AFR heads and came up with a measurement of 18 3/8 inches, hope that helps!

Dynatech told me they built the revised header off of the stock heads, which according to them, measured 18". They said I was the only one that has had interference problems with the revised header hitting the 600 series box.

I'm wondering, who would buy a $600+ steering box and $500 headers and use stock cast iron heads?

Mine is the OE 327 sbc block with earlier camelbacks, 18 1/4" at the head faces, not including gaskets or measuring to the header flange.

I'm not so sure a more stock set of iron heads would or could be any narrower but you make a good point. Most would have gone aftermarket aluminum before all that.

Besides that, I thought the smaller 600 series boxess were supposed to be a clearance advantage? WTH?!