426 Hemi w/TTI headers in 'Cuda

[mrwfp]

Does anyone have a 1970/71 hemi 'Cuda with TTI headers?  If so, how did the stock oil dipstick work with TTI headers?  If it did not work, what was your solution for a dip stick?  Thanks!

[floorit426]

I never ran TTI in mine, but I did run Hookers. I pivoted the dipstick tube 90 degrees and ran it, so the dipstick faced forward, in front of #1 tube.

[Topcat]

Possibly worth Researching. Call Summit tech support.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/mil-22040

@BIGSHCLUNK  fought with his dipstick for a while I recall.
I did as well too until I got rid of the Schumacher Mounts.   

[mrwfp]

Thank you for the responses. The engine is from Indy Cylinder heads and they put threads in the dip stick hole and plugged it with a small plug for shipping to me.  I removed the plug and a stock dip stick will not slde into the hole because of the threads. I also tried to bend a stock tube to clear the headers but after that, the dip stick would not go in past the bend.   I then spent money on the flexible dip stick from Summit and that did not work. The problem is that the hole in the block is also at a slight angle that causes the lower end of the tube to initially come away from the block where the headers now push it back the other way.  That slight "S" at the bottom will not allow the dipstick to go all the way in.  The tip of the dip stick hits the lip at the bottom of the tube where the tube meets the threaded base at such an angle that the stick hangs up. I tried using both the dip stick that came with the flexible tube and also a stock dip stick.  Neither can get past that point.  After spending a ton of money on the engine and headers, I'd hate to not be able to tell how much oil is in the pan.

[Chryco Psycho]

What happen if you put in the stock tube that you bent to clear & then twist the dipstick for a few inches so it can flex in all directions , would it slide in then ?

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Possibly worth Researching. Call Summit tech support.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/mil-22040

@BIGSHCLUNK  fought with his dipstick for a while I recall.
I did as well too until I got rid of the Schumacher Mounts.   

Fact... the Schumacker mounts made it a real PITA     At this stage I'm not ambitious enough to swap them out

[WhiskeyRebel]

Can you call Indy and see what they recommend since they were the ones that threaded the hole?

[BIGSHCLUNK]

I'm am cueently on my 3rd dipstick tube. Had a Moroso flexible one that worked well once I figured out a configuration. But then one day I was working on ....?  Steering gear maybe??? Had NIKKI to long can't remember. Had to remove the tube.  Anyway for the life of me I could not get the proper config back into the moroso tube to properly reinstall it. So I got a stock tube from Dave @ Roseville. Granted I'm not running headers. But I could get you pics of how mine is currently configed. It is a 2 handed process in or out and marks were made w my dremel so I know the level. It can be a real pain at times. And the stick must be positioned only one way (and the stick also has a bend) or you will never get it back in all the way.

[GCragtop]

No problem to use original style dipstick w/TTI headers, you just need to reshape it to clear header tubes.

[Flatdad]

Here is the shape of a dipstick tube that fits with TTI headers... & schumacher mounts for that matter. Unfortunately, that cloth sleeve covers up the curve at the bottom where it goes into the block. Wish I had pulled it off for the pictures.

The tube is a repop Hemi tube from ebay that I re-bent a bit to fit, but the stick itself is from a 400 because the tip of the repop stick would catch at the bottom.

[mrwfp]

Thanks to everyone for the advice.  I think Flatdad might have the best solution.  I have seen repop stock tubes on line and will get one and see if I can get the bend right.  I may have to shave the end a bit to get it in the hole.  I had a stock 440 tube that I tried to slide into the hole but it would not go in with the threads. I did not understand why it would not fit as the hole is allegedly a stock hole with threads which means that is the correct size but just has threads.

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Flatdad's set up looks pretty simple. It won't go that way using the stock manifold.... 

[mrwfp]

That's part of the problem that I am having.  When I used the flex tube, the header pushed the tube at a slight angle that a stock 440 dip stick and the one that came with the flex tube would hit that lip and all the twisting and pushing in the world couldn't get it to go past that point.  I finally used a brass fuel fitting cut down to about 1/2" tall with the flex tube but it came apart when we put the header on and buggered up the flex tube.  If I cut the buggered end off, it will be too short. The braided steel makes it tough to work the inner plastic tube onto a brass fitting.  I found a re-pop hemi tube that should arrive in about 4 days and will try bending and inserting that.  The alternative is to use the brass fuel fitting and find a plastic tube.  I can put a heat sleeve around the tube to keep it from getting burned or melted.  The issue now is that everything is so much harder to do because the motor is in the car with the headers on. While it was on the engine stand, it was easy to get the flex tube so it seemed like it would work. 

[Flatdad]

Flatdad's set up looks pretty simple. It won't go that way using the stock manifold.... 

Here's a pic of the same tube with manifolds before I switched to headers. It's routed in about the same place, but it had to be tweaked when I made the swap (per the pictures I shared before).

[Flatdad]

!!!I just remembered an important detail!!!

Bear with me, its been 4 years since I built mine...

The end of the repop tube was too big to fit in the block's hole (megablock, no threads in the dipstick hole) so i had to carefully slit the end of the tube using a hacksaw blade to get it to crush down to the right diameter. In retrospect, I wish I'd just drilled the block hole bigger.

Also, my dipstick was colliding with the pan rail and internal pan baffling. Discovered this on mock-up, or else it would have confused the heck out of me otherwise.

For installing the tube in the block while its in the car, slide an open end wrench over the tube, resting it on the flange/flare and hit the wrench to drive it in.

NOTE! My car has manual steering, I'm not sure how my dipstick tube routing would fit with power steering!