Stahl Headers

[Hemi Moose]

Originally Posted by Dan Bennett

I thought I saw a notice posted by Jere that he was no longer selling completed headers but was selling the parts that would need to be welded.

For those who never dealt with Stahl, rest assured that you didn't just call him up and order some headers for your car. He would insist on massive information including head specs, camshaft events, and almost every facet of your set up. Only then would he build a set of headers and they would be specific to your car, engine, and program.

I had the occasion to work with Jere some years back on a Pro Stock R&D project. There isn't enough bandwidth on the internet to properly explain the guy.

We would have hour long conversations where I struggled to keep up with his thoughts. It was almost like listening to a foreign language in that you'd grasp a bit here and there and try to put it all together. He uses a lot of science and physics to approach any problem and doesn't settle for "conventional wisdom".

I don't think he gets the credit due for being a true pioneer of the sport. He invented so many things we take for granted. At that time, in that area, we had some genuises at play. Think of Stahl, Jenkins, Moroso, Stiles - the list goes on.

If I'm not mistaken Jere was the first to use low pressure in the rear tires, adjustable collectors, bead screws, and was involved in the development of slapper bars. His refusal to accept "good enough" led to his legendary front tires and cable-driven tach among other items.

He was in a quest to qualify dynos, being tired of finding results that didn't reflect better performance on the track. He alone was responsible for a major step forward in getting repeatable and valid numbers. His emphasis on accurate measurement got him looking into data acquisition and he was one of the few who understood my insistence on much higher sampling rates than was available at that time.

As an example of his attention to detail, while working with dirt car engines he actually modified his dyno so that the engine could tilt to mimic the car going through a turn.

He's an unusual person to say the least, but he's one of a handful of people that really influenced my thinking and methods.

That's a nice write up about Jere Stahl...sounds like a guy ahead of his time.

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Dan Bennett

I thought I saw a notice posted by Jere that he was no longer selling completed headers but was selling the parts that would need to be welded.

I had reason to stop by the shop a couple of weeks ago for some stuff and was assured by a couple of guys in the shop (not Mr. Stahl) that if someone wants a set of headers, they will build them for you. Maybe the notice was a bit premature.

[Dick Butler]

Anyone have a picture of the original Stahl Traction bar?
I would love to get hold of the 2 x 4 carbs and manifold he used on the 56 cars. Purely Science I bet....

[Paul Ceasrine]

The single traction bar set-up from Stahl Engineering.

[Hemi Moose]

Originally Posted by treessavoy

OK, what's the story, is Stahl still making headers or just kits?

PS, last I looked Jere's Hemi car was in Floyd Garret's Muscle Car Museum in TN.

JimR

I've always liked his old '66 & '67 Hemi cars...here's a couple of old shots of his '66 426 Hemi Belvedere 2 door sedan.

[Dan Bennett]

Originally Posted by Dick Butler

Anyone have a picture of the original Stahl Traction bar?
I would love to get hold of the 2 x 4 carbs and manifold he used on the 56 cars. Purely Science I bet....

Years ago when I visited his shop, he showed me a 56 (57?) car that he planned to build as one of his junior stockers but drive on the street. As far as I know he never finished the project but I bet it would have opened some eyes.

As an interesting aside, he was telling me that a very large portion of his business at the time was building headers for BMW straight sixes. He was a bit unsure how he came to get that business. I've never been very politically correct and told him I'd bet that the bimmer yuppies were under the impression that someone named Stahl was a German engineer who had escaped from the factory.

Other than his stuff was very effective (as usual) I've never heard a better explanation as to why sporty car guys would flock to an died in the wool hot rodder.

[Billy Nees]

Well if you have a reason to talk to him, ask him about his Mazda Miatas and his Volvo SCCA cars.

[Dick Butler]

Paul, Thanks for posting the AD with the traction bar. I have a contact at Stahl who has located one for me.... I need the heims and wasnt sure if they were solid or movable.
Dick Butler
I sold my Stahl headers from my car about 2 or 3 years ago and sure wish I could remember where they went. I would like to have them back for this project....

[Billy Nees]

Dick, they will make you a brand new set! They even have a couple of sets on the shelf still!

[SAMATCOTOOLSMAN]

My friend the zinger has a set of vintage stahl headers for 1957-1962 corvette,i've seen them,......vht paint....no rust!...welds would make a(nyc)ironworkers local 580 finisher smile!....even billy liked them!!!!(lol)