[05horse]

Hey, I was asked about installing headers.

Headers on the197 are really easy.

Step one:

Warm up the car, warm bolts work easier.

Lubricate the nuts under your car where your cats, connect to the stock manifold. WD 40 works well.

These are usually rusty. If you have a good set of headers, save yourself time, and a broken ratchet extension. Use an air grinder or small flame oxy torch, being careful not to damage the metal ring they are bolted too.
Be sure to undo O2 sensors shield wires with a flame resistant blanket.

If not, undo your O2 sensor. Then use a few extensions and reach up there. I think they are a 9/16. Not sure

PASSENGER SIDE:
Once those are broke loose, from the top reach in and loosens the nuts on the head bolts, where the manifold bolts to the head.

Once these are out the manifold will come off, you may have to angle it a little bit.

Once that’s off use inverted torx (because ford and all their glory couldn’t go with the flow) I got a whole set for $20 at my part store...

Be careful. You don’t want to bust these out. But it’s too hard to get the header on with them on there.

Or you can drop the hangers and slide them on with the stock head bolts; however my headers came with stainless hardware, so I removed them.

Now lay your new gasket on the header, I used slight amount of painters tape to hold it in place, put in 1 or 2 bolts using the provided washers.(or slide back over the stock bolts).
Make sure the collector is lined up and seated in the inlet of the cat.
Hand tighten.

Now repeat for the driver side, but before you do anything remove the exhaust tube. From the manifold and the upper intake.

Remove manifold as you did the other.
Apply as other.

Now that you have them on and set, gaskets in place your ready to tighten.

I can not tell you specs on what to tighten to, however if you use stock bolts you can find out from ford.

DO TO BOTH SIDES

Craw back under the car and insert the long bolts in to the lug area of the header, slide the ring up from the cat to the bolts, apply washer and nut.
Tighten these down.
Re install O2 sensors.

Now that these are tight go back up top

Have a buddy push down and back on the header, they will move slightly, I do this to ensure proper seat on the cats. Tighten in a staggered pattern.

Once both sides are tightened down, replace exhaust tube. have a buddy start the car, and CAREFULLY REACH IN AND FEEL AROUND COLLECTER/DONUT GASKET AREA TO ENSURE NO LEAK
do not wear loose clothing, be careful of hot parts.

Sorry no pictures but I did mine a while back.

Any questions PM me.

[stlwagon]

Good info... Sounds like you had fun!

[05horse]

its not that bad. teh 197's are cake to do headers on :P

i wish i could get all my tech articles in one place.i have wrote 3 or 4 on here, and alot of other ones for friends :P

[05horse]

When you do the headers, on the right side the coil mount wont bolt back in. remove coil bend out bracket, then it will bolt in. you’ll see how far you need to bend it

oil stick.

In the way, headers go behind it stock bolt does not fit through header flange, I left mine hang its ok

exhaust sensor, bring out * unhook near air inlet. * take out with old manifold.

Stick in vice, use monkey wrench to get off. It’s a pain.

To remove with the manifold you need to unbolt air box and the thingy mounted to the strut tower.

To get head bolts out, don’t bother with inverted torx

once manifold is removed. Use ratchet (13 mm) tighten down nut as far as you can go snug but don’t break it.
Ratchet another down in behind it get it tight

use 13 mm wrench to back out the nut next to the head, the bolt will turn.

The torx will break off.

To get the manifold off easy use a torch or air grinder, cut off bottom bolt, this will loosen the flange, and the top nut will ratchet off with super ease.

Now with the exhaust sensor tube, take the lower bung off. You will see that it will unbolt, so the female end will go to your new header.

Tighten it up so the tube is 1 inch from the header...

Bolt header on, tighten up there you go! Hope this answered your question

and yes my stainless headers turned funky colors

feel free to pm me