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Stahl Headers - Manufacturing racing exhaust headers and camshafts |
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Stahl Headers was started as Stahl Engineering in 1963. The idea of exhaust systems intrigued Jere Stahl as early as 1955 when he built his first "Hot Rod". It was a 1939 Chev coupe with a 235 truck block bored out to 253 cu in. The engine was modified using a Harmon-Collins 3/4 race cam, modified cyl head with larger valves, McGurk dual carb manifold and twin Stromberg 97's. The car would outrun both the 55 Chev "Power Pack (180HP 4 brl)" and 55 Ford "Whatever". The Ford optional performance engine which was normally a 272 cu in manual trans cars and 292 cu in the auto trans cars. A friend (Carl) worked at a Ford dealer and he talked the dealer into letting Carl swap his 272 for a 292 high performance engine in a stick shift car. The car ran very well and would run dead even with the 265-180hp Chev power pack. On the '39 he used 1954 Corvette 6 cyl exhaust manifolds and fabricated his own exhaust pipes from the manifolds to the mufflers and twin tail pipes exiting along side each other like the Jaguar XK120. Incidentally, the car was shipped over to Germany and back at government's expense in 1956 and 1957. It was actually driven on the roads used for the LeMans race track 2 days before the race in 1957. The car ended up life as a modified stock car in 1960 or thereabouts.
While in the service in 1957 Jere got caught at the US Airbase in Frankfurt due to fog one night and went to the library. While browsing through the automotive section he came across a book "The Sports Car" by Collin Campbell. The book was published in England. Several years later after finishing college he found someone to get the book from the English publisher for him. It contained a section on intake and exhaust tuning. By 1962 the only headers being built in this country were tri-y's as produced by Jerry Jardine (Jardine Headers), Frank Sanders (S & S Headers), Douglas Muffler, Doug Thorley (Dougs Headers), and Bob Hedman (Hedman Hedders). During some drag races held at night during Daytona speed week at a nearby drag strip Jere met a Corvette racer named Don Gist. Jere convinced Don to have a set of headers built for his Corvette to specifications he dreamed up from reading "The Sports Car". The headers outperformed the Hedman's and during that year he baby sat the car for a few races, convinced Gist to have Bill Jenkins (Jere did not know Jenkins at that time) go through the engine and, in fact, he tuned it one night at the York drag strip during a NHRA WCS meet when they were as prestigious as the "National" meets now being held. Gist was able to beat the Old Reliable II (1962 BFX, 409 w/Z-11 cyl heads & manifold), Ramchargers AFX, Harold Ramsey 421 Pontiac and others. Quite a feat for a 1962 360hp 327 Corvette! In any event, he got the idea to build a set of 409 headers the next winter. Phone calls to Dave Strickler (York) and Bill Jenkins (90 miles from Strickler in Berwyn) resulted in an assurance they would test the headers when they came to Detroit to match race in May of 1963. When they arrived at Jere's gas station in Romulus and looked at the headers, Jenkins said he didn't think they would work (probably due to the ugly appearance). (Incidentally Jere got this first set back some 15 years ago.) Strickler said, "I gave the man my word we'd try them" and so on the race car they went. Jere won't tell the whole story of Jenkins driving the car on the highway over 120 mph and spinning off the road into a farmer's front lawn but... Bill said the seat of his pants told him they were better than the S&S tri-y's they replaced. A trip to Detroit Dragway produced the best times ever run by a Chevrolet AFX'er up to that point in time. The following week there was a Super Stock meet at York where Strickler became the first of the AFX'ers in the East coast or Midwest to go into the 11's and over 120 mph. The performance increase of going from the 12.teens at 118.xx mph was attributed to the headers. It wasn't long before Dyno Don Nicholson, Sox and Martin, Eddie Shartman, Malcomb Durham and others had to have their Stahl Headers. Ah yes, the good old days, when everyone paid for everything except for maybe spark plugs.
Contact:
Phone: 717-846-1632
Fax: 717-854-9486
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