Engine Rebuild
 

Well, after several years of babying my very worn 289 in my '67 Mustang I finally bit the bullet and decided to get it rebuilt. To be honest, my wife finally allowed me to get it rebuilt. OK, I'm a wuss - it takes a real man to admit it. Anyway, it turns out that my 289 is really a 302. At least I don't have to worry about the numbers matching anymore. Now, to my question. A friend told me that as long as I am getting it rebuilt, I NEED to put "headers" on it. Excuse my ignorance but what would be the advantage of doing that?
The car is my daily driver. I'm not into drag racing although I do take some delight in showing the high school studs that their low rider Honda Civics are also low performers. Additionally, I like a bit of a throaty rumble - not loud but healthy sounding.
So, my question is, do I go with the "headers" or just stick with the current exhaust system? I need a quick answer so any assistance will be appreciated. E.

To get that strong sound out of your exhust does not require headers. If you desire that "tinsey sound" from the engine conpartment, then yes get full length headers. That in itself will make the overall car sound meaner.
If you want more power over all, then the headers make sense.
I don't believe you need headers to just beat some high school punk's Honda Civic.

I understand that an unmodified classic (at least by a visual inspection) is worth more money so I would personnaly do without the headers and get a set of Flowmaster mufflers instead.
You can also do some internal modifications that nobody needs to know about, to get more power. :D ;)

If you get a set of headers get some that are ceramic coated. But, coated or not you will improve your power and probably gas mileage too.