For over 60 years, Hooker Headers has been at the forefront of high performance exhaust systems. Our story began in the early 1960s when founder Gary Hooker designed and built the first effective tuned exhaust headers for his personal 409 cubic inch Chevrolet Impala Super Stock drag car. Gary’s homebuilt headers gained a reputation among local racers for unlocking substantial horsepower gains, and before long he was building custom sets for others looking to maximize their engine’s output.

As demand grew from racers and enthusiasts, Gary formally established Hooker Headers in 1968 and opened a small production shop in Ontario, California. Staying true to his roots, the company remained focused on the racing and high performance market. Gary advocated a scientific approach of using properly engineered header and exhaust components to balance the intake and exhaust tuning. This optimized the engine’s breathing for increased torque and horsepower.

Pioneering High Performance Exhaust Technology

During the golden era of Pro Stock drag racing in the 1970s, Hooker Headers came to dominate the scene. Many of the day’s top racers relied on Hooker’s premium headers and exhausts, including legends like “Grumpy” Bill Jenkins, Bob Glidden, and Sox & Martin. Hooker stood apart from the competition by rigorously developing exhaust components to shave tenths of seconds off quarter mile times. The company’s racing success accelerated product development, with new manufacturing techniques and materials being regularly introduced.

Hooker’s R&D engineers were pioneers in applying science to exhaust design. They employed special test equipment like on-vehicle dynos and exhaust gas analyzers. Countless hours were spent tuning primary pipe lengths and collector dimensions to optimize scavenging effect and reduce backpressure. The development approach focused on achieving the best possible power gains, not just meeting a price point. Hooker recognized that maximum performance often required custom solutions tailored for specific vehicles and engine configurations.

“The Hooker philosophy was simple – make real, useable power by balancing the intake and exhaust pressure waves.”

This expertise established the company as the premier source for high output exhaust components from muscle cars to lightweight drag racers. When engine swaps started gaining popularity in the 1980s, Hooker was at the leading edge in developing swap headers for engine combinations like:

• Small block Chevys into Jeeps
• Big block Chevys into Vegas
• LS engines into classic muscle cars

Hooker’s racing dominance and real-world performance gains earned the brand a reputation as America’s winningest exhaust. The distinctive Hooker heart logo became a symbol of power that performance enthusiasts associated with unmatched quality. To this day, Hooker maintains this hard-won position as the exhaust header of choice for discerning builders and racers seeking no-compromise performance.

Next Level Manufacturing and Coatings

As exhaust technology advanced, so did Hooker’s in-house engineering and manufacturing capabilities. The company pioneered the use of mandrel tube bending machinery and CNC machining equipment to enable tighter tolerances and improved flow characteristics. This provided greater consistency and allowed more complex port matching and transition profiles.

Hooker also developed proprietary thermal barrier coatings to reduce underhood temperatures and extend header life. In the 1990s, the company introduced Metallic Ceramic Thermal Barrier Coating, which remains one of our most popular finishes today. It displaces heat and withstands temperature extremes, providing outstanding protection on sustained high load applications like towing and racing.

Continued innovation in this area led to the creation of the contemporary Darkside coating, launched in 2015. This ultra durable, near-black finish has become the signature look for Hooker’s premium Blackheart line of LS and LT swap components. Darkside’s mate black color provides a aggressively styled appearance, while still providing thermal protection for high output street/strip and racing engines.

A New Era of Modern Muscle

Hooker is just as driven to push the boundaries of exhaust performance today as we were back in the 1960s. The past two decades have seen an explosion in modern high output engine platforms. As these new powerplants have reached the high-performance aftermarket, Hooker has been on the leading edge of supporting them with optimized exhaust components.

When the LS engine era dawned, Hooker engineered purpose-built LS swap headers before adapter plates were even available. As Dodge’s Gen III Hemi and Ford’s Coyote came to prominence, Hooker was there with custom designed exhaust manifolds. And today, Hooker is already developing specially tuned headers for the latest turbos and supercharged applications.

Hooker maintains an intense focus on R&D by investing in leading-edge engineering tools. Exhaust system design leverages computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to develop innovative Flow-Optimized and Pulse-Tuned configurations. Hooker is also outfitting dyno labs with the latest technologies like exhaust gas infrared (EGI) analyzers, rapid prototyping CNC equipment, and robotic welding stations.

Built by Enthusiasts, for Enthusiasts

While technology has greatly progressed, what remains unchanged is Hooker’s passion for high performance. Many on our engineering team own and actively compete in racing classes like drag, off-road, autocross, road racing, and Time Attack. This hands-on experience informs their efforts to build the absolute best performing exhaust components.

The individuals who hand-assemble Hooker’s premium offerings take personal pride in their work. All of us at Hooker share a mindset of meticulous attention to detail and continuous self-improvement. We are not satisfied unless each exhaust system exceeds what our exacting customers expect.

“Hooker still leads the way in design and technology with products like engine swap headers for putting a late model LS engine into early iron. And, Hooker still leads the way in coating processes with Darksides black ceramic.”

This shared enthusiasm ensures Hooker Headers continues to build parts “for racers by racers” – designs engineered to deliver maximum power, quality, and value. We stand behind our brand promise by providing an industry-leading Lifetime Warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.

For over half a century, Hooker has lived and breathed performance passion. We remain committed to providing custom engineered header and exhaust systems for whatever is powering your needs – from classic muscle to the latest modern performance engines. Hooker Headers continues pushing the limits of speed, right alongside you on the road and track. We can’t wait to see what the next 60 years holds!