I visited Mike Leach Headers today in Orange, CA. What a neat place. They
do all the prototyping for Leach Headers, Positive Performance Headers, and
Mopar Headers. Their manufacturing plant is in Riverside, CA.
It is true they are looking for a 4.7 Dakota to prototype and yes, it would
take about four weeks, however, the 4.7 they're looking for is a
non-California 4.7. The 4.7 is a non-ULEV engine and would not have the
pre-cat on it. Problem is, 26 states are now following California emission
standards so there's not a lot of non-pre-cat 4.7's out there. For those of
you that have the California 4.7's. You may be out of luck as far as
headers go. There is not enough room to fabricate anything. Tom, at Mike
Leach, fabricated a 4.7 header but he had to chop off the pre-cat and even
at that he only had about an 1/8" clearance. So much for emissions-legal.
For my 5.9 the R/T headers fit nicely with no cuts or re-fab necessary.
They will be installed next Thursday. The cost is very reasonable. $430.20
out the door. That's without installation. Installation by Leach is $250.
$225 additional if you want ceramic coating. Headers, coated or not, are
warranted for life against, cracking, rusting, etc. What's not warranted is
the color. They will turn a bluish color if not coated. For those of you
not in SoCal, there is also shipping to consider. Those of you with 3.9
engines will need to talk to them directly.
If you buy your Dak Mopar headers through Mike Leach you will end up with
Positive Performance Headers. This is one of Leach's dba's. It's exactly
the same header, just sold through a different company. The reasons behind
that is another long story. If you wanna know, call them.
Mike Leach also carries Doug Thorley headers. I compared the two. The
Mopar ones definitely look better, less welds, so less places for possible
problems.
That's it. I hope this helps you folks with your decisions re: headers.
Mike Leach Company (Talk to Mike or Tom)
1443 West Collins
Orange, CA
(714) 639-5220
Ron
00 SLT QC 4X2 5.9 46RE 3.92 LSD
For modifications see my DML Profile
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