diff --git a/src/parallel b/src/parallel
index d0d61739..68a79c8b 100755
--- a/src/parallel
+++ b/src/parallel
@@ -79,6 +79,12 @@ if($opt::header and not $opt::pipe) {
     # $header force $colsep = \t if undef?
     my $delimiter = $opt::colsep;
     $delimiter ||= "\t";
+    # regexp for {=
+    my $left = "\Q$Global::parensleft\E";
+    my $l = $Global::parensleft;
+    # regexp for =}
+    my $right = "\Q$Global::parensright\E";
+    my $r = $Global::parensright;
     my $id = 1;
     for my $fh (@input_source_fh) {
 	my $line = <$fh>;
@@ -89,6 +95,8 @@ if($opt::header and not $opt::pipe) {
 	    # Replace {colname} with {2}
 	    for(@command,@Global::ret_files,@Global::transfer_files) {
 	      s:\{$s(|/|//|\.|/\.)\}:\{$id$1\}:g;
+		# {=header1 ... =}  =>  {=1 ... =}
+	      s:$left $s (.*?) $right:$l$id$1$r:gx;
 	    }
 	    $Global::input_source_header{$id} = $s;
 	    $id++;
diff --git a/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local-0.3s.sh b/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local-0.3s.sh
index 76be9662..4569ee5b 100644
--- a/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local-0.3s.sh
+++ b/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local-0.3s.sh
@@ -647,6 +647,13 @@ echo '### bug #48658: --linebuffer --files'
 
 echo '**'
 
+bug #49538: --header and {= =}
+
+  parallel --header : echo '{=v2=}{=v1 $_=Q($_)=}' ::: v1 K ::: v2 O
+  parallel --header : echo '{2}{=1 $_=Q($_)=}' ::: v2 K ::: v1 O
+
+echo '**'
+
 EOF
 echo '### 1 .par file from --files expected'
 find /tmp{/*,}/*.{par,tms,tmx} 2>/dev/null -mmin -10 | wc -l
diff --git a/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local-100s.sh b/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local-100s.sh
index 2bdefb6a..7e375d33 100644
--- a/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local-100s.sh
+++ b/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local-100s.sh
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ par_retries_unreachable() {
 par_outside_file_handle_limit() {
   echo "### Test Force outside the file handle limit, 2009-02-17 Gave fork error"
   (echo echo Start; seq 1 20000 | perl -pe 's/^/true /'; echo echo end) |
-    stdout parallel -uj 0 | egrep -v 'processes took|adjusting'
+      stdout parallel -uj 0 | egrep -v 'processes took|adjusting' |
+      perl -pe 's/\d\d\d/999/'
 }
 
 par_over_4GB() {
diff --git a/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local-10s.sh b/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local-10s.sh
index 747a8275..4a1e8f13 100644
--- a/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local-10s.sh
+++ b/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local-10s.sh
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@
 cat <<'EOF' | sed -e 's/;$/; /;s/$SERVER1/'$SERVER1'/;s/$SERVER2/'$SERVER2'/' | stdout parallel -vj0 -k --joblog /tmp/jl-`basename $0` -L1
 echo '### bug #46214: Using --pipepart doesnt spawn multiple jobs in version 20150922'
   seq 1000000 > /tmp/num1000000; 
-  stdout parallel --pipepart --progress -a /tmp/num1000000 --block 10k -j0 true |grep 1:local
+  stdout parallel --pipepart --progress -a /tmp/num1000000 --block 10k -j0 true | 
+    grep 1:local | perl -pe 's/\d\d\d/999/g'
 
 echo '**'
 
diff --git a/testsuite/wanted-results/parallel-local-0.3s b/testsuite/wanted-results/parallel-local-0.3s
index ff6efa9a..befaa983 100644
--- a/testsuite/wanted-results/parallel-local-0.3s
+++ b/testsuite/wanted-results/parallel-local-0.3s
@@ -1765,5 +1765,13 @@ echo '### bug #48658: --linebuffer --files'
 10
 echo '**'
 **
+bug #49538: --header and {= =}
+/bin/bash: bug: command not found
+  parallel --header : echo '{=v2=}{=v1 $_=Q($_)=}' ::: v1 K ::: v2 O
+OK
+  parallel --header : echo '{2}{=1 $_=Q($_)=}' ::: v2 K ::: v1 O
+OK
+echo '**'
+**
 ### 1 .par file from --files expected
 10
diff --git a/testsuite/wanted-results/parallel-local-100s b/testsuite/wanted-results/parallel-local-100s
index 1c4271c8..a478f736 100644
--- a/testsuite/wanted-results/parallel-local-100s
+++ b/testsuite/wanted-results/parallel-local-100s
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ par_mem_leak	### test for mem leak
 par_mem_leak	no mem leak detected
 par_outside_file_handle_limit 2>&1
 par_outside_file_handle_limit	### Test Force outside the file handle limit, 2009-02-17 Gave fork error
-par_outside_file_handle_limit	parallel: Warning: Only enough file handles to run 252 jobs in parallel.
-par_outside_file_handle_limit	parallel: Warning: Running 'parallel -j0 -N 252 --pipe parallel -j0' or
+par_outside_file_handle_limit	parallel: Warning: Only enough file handles to run 999 jobs in parallel.
+par_outside_file_handle_limit	parallel: Warning: Running 'parallel -j0 -N 999 --pipe parallel -j0' or
 par_outside_file_handle_limit	parallel: Warning: raising ulimit -n or /etc/security/limits.conf may help.
 par_outside_file_handle_limit	Start
 par_outside_file_handle_limit	end
diff --git a/testsuite/wanted-results/parallel-local-10s b/testsuite/wanted-results/parallel-local-10s
index f29e7a45..5648b9a5 100644
--- a/testsuite/wanted-results/parallel-local-10s
+++ b/testsuite/wanted-results/parallel-local-10s
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 echo '### bug #46214: Using --pipepart doesnt spawn multiple jobs in version 20150922'
 ### bug #46214: Using --pipepart doesnt spawn multiple jobs in version 20150922
-  seq 1000000 > /tmp/num1000000;   stdout parallel --pipepart --progress -a /tmp/num1000000 --block 10k -j0 true |grep 1:local
-1:local / 8 / 252
+  seq 1000000 > /tmp/num1000000;   stdout parallel --pipepart --progress -a /tmp/num1000000 --block 10k -j0 true |     grep 1:local | perl -pe 's/\d\d\d/999/g'
+1:local / 8 / 999
 echo '**'
 **
 testhalt() {   echo '### testhalt --halt '$1;   (yes 0 | head -n 10; seq 10) | stdout parallel -kj4 --halt $1 'sleep {= $_=$_*0.3+1 =}; exit {}'; echo $?;   (seq 10; yes 0 | head -n 10) | stdout parallel -kj4 --halt $1 'sleep {= $_=$_*0.3+1 =}; exit {}'; echo $?; }; export -f testhalt;   parallel -kj0 testhalt ::: now,fail=0 now,fail=1 now,fail=2 now,fail=30%  now,fail=70%     soon,fail=0 soon,fail=1 soon,fail=2 soon,fail=30% soon,fail=70%     now,success=0 now,success=1 now,success=2 now,success=30% now,success=70%     soon,success=0 soon,success=1 soon,success=2 soon,success=30% now,success=70%