[fastford2nr]

Just bought some Ford Racing shorty headers for my 2000 GT. I have never installed headers before on a V8, so im freakin out. Some guys are telling me i have to lower the motor a few inches, others sayin i have to pull out the steering shaft and starter??!! If anyone has put on some shortys on their Stang, please help me.:eyebulge: Any tips at all for these things would be great, thanks a mill:winks

 

[sandron19]

Just bought some Ford Racing shorty headers for my 2000 GT. I have never installed headers before on a V8, so im freakin out. Some guys are telling me i have to lower the motor a few inches, others sayin i have to pull out the steering shaft and starter??!! If anyone has put on some shortys on their Stang, please help me.:eyebulge: Any tips at all for these things would be great, thanks a mill:winks

I was planning on installing my headers when I ordered them myself. But after talking to several people around where i live I decided to have them done by a professional. According to him you have to take all of the front suspension loose and out.

 

[sandron19]

One more thing, If you are going to put headers on your car, I am not sure that shorty headers would be worth the time or money. According to what I have read shorty headers on these cars don't really offer much improvement over the stock.

 

[etnovass]

i just installed a set of mac long tube. im not going to lie to you it is quite a job. you are going to need to lift you engine or drop your cross member. i lifted the moter on mine with a engine host. tou well need to disconnet the steering link all is pretty easy. BUT getting the headers install and tight is a nightmare but can be done if you take your time and not get to upset. if i had to do it again i would drop the cross member. if your going to doit your self with lifting the engine leave the passanger back two studs in or you will never get a bolt in it i had to pull the header back you after all the bolts and nuta were installed to put the stud in and then go through the finder well with a lot of ex and a swivel to tighten the nut if you need some more info let me know ill be more than happy to tell you what i know good luck

 

[fastford2nr]

i just installed a set of mac long tube. im not going to lie to you it is quite a job. you are going to need to lift you engine or drop your cross member. i lifted the moter on mine with a engine host. tou well need to disconnet the steering link all is pretty easy. BUT getting the headers install and tight is a nightmare but can be done if you take your time and not get to upset. if i had to do it again i would drop the cross member. if your going to doit your self with lifting the engine leave the passanger back two studs in or you will never get a bolt in it i had to pull the header back you after all the bolts and nuta were installed to put the stud in and then go through the finder well with a lot of ex and a swivel to tighten the nut if you need some more info let me know ill be more than happy to tell you what i know good luck

Hey thanks a lot etnovass. Since im doing in the carport at my apartment, and dont have a cherry picker, i think im just gonna put the whole thing up on jackstands and do it from the bottom. i have a few days off work this week so im gonna give it a try

 

[etnovass]

thats how i did mine on jack stands you are still going to need a engine hoist to left the moter to get the headers in or drop the k member. i would drop the k member if i was to do it again it is like 9 not to hard to get to bolts and two lines going to your steering. the thang is tou need something to hold the moter up some people use a piece of steel tube and lay it a cross the strut towers and a chain two the engine i lifted mine with two studs off the front of the engine with no problem so im sure it will hold the engine up if you want pic of the studs i used ill send you some. trust me droping the k member is the best way to go your hands and body will thank you later

 

[Larry Sergent]

Ouch! I guess I'll wait until I get the heads worked and let someone else do it at the same time! ff2nr, let us know how it goes!! Best of luck.........

 

[the98stang]

I would sell those shorties and buy some long tubes (assuming LT's are smog legal in AZ). The long tubes are just a little more expensive and put out WAY more HP to the wheels. Might as well do it right the first time.

If you buy a Haynes Repair Manual for $15 it will tell you exactly how to remove the headers. Best $15 you will ever spend. You can use that book for ANYTHING on your 4.6L :winks

Tanner

 

[jbspeed86]

I dont mean to hijack this thread but is it possible to install a set of long tubes on a motor before installing the motor? or would it be better to position the headers in the engine compartment, lower the engine in and then hook them up??

 

[TK421DS]

Just bought some Ford Racing shorty headers for my 2000 GT. I have never installed headers before on a V8, so im freakin out. Some guys are telling me i have to lower the motor a few inches, others sayin i have to pull out the steering shaft and starter??!! If anyone has put on some shortys on their Stang, please help me.:eyebulge: Any tips at all for these things would be great, thanks a mill:winks

Those Ford Racing Shorties are just Stock tubes painted!!!!
Seriously!!! Return those ****** Shorties and get longtubes!!!!!!
I had JBA's on my 98 Gt and they sucked as bad as stock!!!
All Lt's gain HP. Shorties do not! (ok, mabey 1 hp)

LT-BBK's work well, as do Hookers...or over priced JBA's

 

[fastford2nr]

Those Ford Racing Shorties are just Stock tubes painted!!!!
Seriously!!! Return those ****** Shorties and get longtubes!!!!!!
I had JBA's on my 98 Gt and they sucked as bad as stock!!!
All Lt's gain HP. Shorties do not! (ok, mabey 1 hp)

LT-BBK's work well, as do Hookers...or over priced JBA's

wow, someone needs to chill. Its obvious that ANY aftermarket header is better than the stock unit on a 4.6L. Since it takes a good 10 or 12 hours to put these headers on, im not gonna change out my headers every time i have to smog my car, my time is worth much more than that. And just for the record, i think im gonna go with what the Ford Racing guys say, over some dude from Texas spouting off at the mouth. Just cause you got a blower doesnt mean i have to listen to ur opinions on some parts. i didnt ask for ur biased thoughts, just some help, thx.

 

[maddogg20]

I have a set of BBK equal length ceramic coated shorites on my car and there was a noticible difference between those and stock. The only reason that I went for shorties is that I already have a BBK offorad X-pipe with no cats and 2.5 inch all the way thru 2 chamber flowmasters so its no restirction anyways. And when smog time comes all I gotta do is put the stock H pipe back on and itll pass with flying colors. And btw, HELL YES its a pain in the ass to do the shorties. U gotta raise the engine, disconnect the steering shaft and take the starter off. It took about 10 to 12 hours and some of the bolts are nearly impossible to get on there. Also, I had to use a shim on the drivers side to raise the motor mount up about an 1/8 of an inch so that the steering shaft wouldnt rub on the header.

 

[maddogg20]

equal length headers are soo much harder to install then the unequal length because the pipes go all over. Damn thing looks like a rollercoaster lol.

 

[BlueStreak03]

wow, someone needs to chill. Its obvious that ANY aftermarket header is better than the stock unit on a 4.6L. Since it takes a good 10 or 12 hours to put these headers on, im not gonna change out my headers every time i have to smog my car, my time is worth much more than that. And just for the record, i think im gonna go with what the Ford Racing guys say, over some dude from Texas spouting off at the mouth. Just cause you got a blower doesnt mean i have to listen to ur opinions on some parts. i didnt ask for ur biased thoughts, just some help, thx.

You can discount what he was saying all you want, but you'll regret the waste of time and money in the end when you don't make anymore power. He's 100% correct and he was tryingto help you out. TK knows a great deal about these cars and you'd be well off to listen to what he has to say instead of making snide comments. You can talk to just about anyone in the Mod Motor performance and/or racing scene and the experienced ones will say just about exactly what TK said. But I imagine what you're going to do is put on the shorties anyway, just because you listen to one piece of advice instead of really listening to multiple views. And you're going to dyno the car and either be A) falsely proud of your extra 5 rwhp or B) really pissed that you wasted all that time and money.

 

[dollarbill]

I've heard the stock 4.6 manifolds are not that bad considering the cost of aftermarket shorties. Now longtubes will get you 15+ rwhp. In the 5.0 days the stock manifolds really sucked and shorties showed a good gain but on the 4.6s its just not the same. You really would only see about 5 rwhp or so with the shorties. Spend the money on a good quality mid pipe and catback. I don't even plan on any headers anytime soon, because of the cost and hassle... my .02 headers: http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts/part_details.asp?PartKeyField=5699 the stockers:http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/99-0...ewItemQQcategoryZ33632QQitemZ8037914213QQrdZ1 Now look at the stock fox body manifolds:http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1983...ewItemQQcategoryZ33632QQitemZ8038603891QQrdZ1 Now Ford racing fox headers:http://www.buyfordracing.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=437 See what I mean, shorties are a good improvement for the fox cars not the 4.6 cars. Sell those things and use you cash for better mid pipe or catback.

 

[sandron19]

I agree with bluestreak 100%. Why flame at someone who is trying to help you especially when what he is saying is right. Anyone who knows anything about these motors will tell you that the factory headers do a decent job of flowing and that shorty headers of any brand are going to give you minimal gains at best.

 

[fastford2nr]

You can discount what he was saying all you want, but you'll regret the waste of time and money in the end when you don't make anymore power. He's 100% correct and he was tryingto help you out. TK knows a great deal about these cars and you'd be well off to listen to what he has to say instead of making snide comments. You can talk to just about anyone in the Mod Motor performance and/or racing scene and the experienced ones will say just about exactly what TK said. But I imagine what you're going to do is put on the shorties anyway, just because you listen to one piece of advice instead of really listening to multiple views. And you're going to dyno the car and either be A) falsely proud of your extra 5 rwhp or B) really pissed that you wasted all that time and money.

I love these new headers, they give the car a whole new feel!!! I spent a good 11 or 12 hours putting these headers on and YES, i can feel a difference. Im not new to this car scene and im not some punk kid shalking **** on here. Im a graduate of a $30,000 automotive technical school, and i do know whats going on here. After putting thousands of dollars into the other cars ive owned, i honestly believe that these headers were worth every penny, and every minute it took to put them in. The car pulls so hard at top end now, i love the new exhaust tone. I really dont care what the general belief is on these shorties, i put em in and they make my car go faster.... isn't that the whole idea of buying aftermarket parts??

 

[fastford2nr]

And dont get me wrong, never once have i ever tried to say that shorties can get more power than LT's. It obvious that even the beginners on here know that. I know for a fact you can pull twice the power or more from LT's, but since im modding a street car that has to be smog legal, i cant go switching out headers every 2 years. At almost 12 hours of labor i picked a set of headers from a reputable company and plan to leave them on there forever. I can and will get plenty of power from other much more accesable areas.

 

[maddogg20]

Hey fastford2nr, did you graduate from UTI? is that the school your talking about? Because I went there and I graduated from UTI and then I graduated from Ford FACT. It was pretty cool. Taught me alot.

 

[BlueStreak03]

Put it on a dyno and get concrete data on how much power you picked up. I'd be astounded if you picked up more than 10 rwhp and the power curves changed shape at all except up very slightly.