BBK shorty header install...

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I definitely see what you guys mean on that one. I've heard a lot about dropping the K member to get at them easier. I've also heard the longtubes are better in the longrun. I think I'll end up waiting on this one and if I ever need to take the motor out for any reason THEN I will replace them. Definitely not worth the time and frustration right now.
 
i went the shorty route, now i know there was no hp gain but the sound is definitly noticeable. yes i did spend $300 on them and im not gonna pay another 200 for 10-15 more hp that the lt gives, yea i know theres manufacturers out there that has them for around the same price but 10hp isnt that important to me. i wanted headers and didnt care bout the performance aspect of them. also to answer the question about dificulty, its a b****h in the car. i did mine when i swapped in the 05 pi motor a couple months ago. so its your money spend it how you want. oh and i heard that some Lt headers have to come lose to drop the tranney.
 
Don't just listen to the " no gains ", it depends on what you need.If going with a N/A set-up I think you definitely want to look into longtubes. If your going the FI route than not such a big deal. I purchased shortys, for couple reason, I didn't want any clearance issues because I plan to lower it (I've driven in some slammed cars with longtubes and all I heard was metal on road and they regretted it), I didn't want to buy a new midpipe when my O/R prochamber is perfectly fine, and they may not gain 10 to 15 hp but they do make the exhaust sound considerably better.
 
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Don't just listen to the " no gains ", it depends on what you need.If going with a N/A set-up I think you definitely want to look into longtubes. If your going the FI route than not such a big deal. I purchased shortys, for couple reason, I didn't want any clearance issues because I plan to lower it (I've driven in some slammed cars with longtubes and all I heard was metal on road and they regretted it), I didn't want to buy a new midpipe when my O/R prochamber is perfectly fine, and they may not gain 10 to 15 hp but they do make the exhaust sound considerably better.

This makes no sense, you didn't want to go with longtubes because they might scrape on the ground, and you don't care about performance, so... why would you even bother swapping? The only reasonable thing you suggest is the improvement of exhaust note, which is in the end totally subjective.
 
This makes no sense, you didn't want to go with longtubes because they might scrape on the ground, and you don't care about performance, so... why would you even bother swapping? The only reasonable thing you suggest is the improvement of exhaust note, which is in the end totally subjective.

I should have said I had the motor torn apart doing a head swap that's why went ahead and got shorty's, a lot of money tied up in that. O and yes it makes perfect sense scraping on every bumpy road is ghetto in my opinion, and whats the difference between 420 or 430 or 435. I don't race, it's a hobby me and Dad used to do (God rest his soul). It came down to a fund issue and not wanting a clearance issue in the future so shorty's = good enough.
 
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I should have said I had the motor torn apart doing a head swap that's why went ahead and got shorty's, a lot of money tied up in that. O and yes it makes perfect sense scraping on every bumpy road is ghetto in my opinion, and whats the difference between 420 or 430 or 435. I don't race, it's a hobby me and Dad used to do (God rest his soul). It came down to a fund issue and not wanting a clearance issue in the future so shorty's = good enough.

What I mean is that the shorties offer no performance over the stock manifolds, and the stock manifolds have no clearance issues, and require no modification with the H-pipe, just like the shorties, because you aren't changing anything. So if your plans were to drop the suspension, it wouldn't matter whether you left it alone or went to the trouble of installing shorties. So, there is only one reason to swap to shories, and that is for the sound.
 
As far as FI is concerned, scavenging from longtubes combined with exhaust cam profile is even more important FI than in NA. Read the article MM&FF did on a longtube header install on a Ford GT, I think it was in the last year or so. They gained over 100hp by doing nothing but swapping to longtubes.
 
What I mean is that the shorties offer no performance over the stock manifolds, and the stock manifolds have no clearance issues, and require no modification with the H-pipe, just like the shorties, because you aren't changing anything. So if your plans were to drop the suspension, it wouldn't matter whether you left it alone or went to the trouble of installing shorties. So, there is only one reason to swap to shories, and that is for the sound.

Because I live in Wisconsin and my headers were rusty pieces of crap thats why, I wasn't going to keep them when I have the engine torn apart. Hmm $299 or $800 for longtubes and midpipe. Why are you trying to tell me why I did something, I'm pretty sure I might know why I did something best. The point was the stock manifolds weren't going back in like that. Ok done discussing this thanks for your opinion.
 
As far as FI is concerned, scavenging from longtubes combined with exhaust cam profile is even more important FI than in NA. Read the article MM&FF did on a longtube header install on a Ford GT, I think it was in the last year or so. They gained over 100hp by doing nothing but swapping to longtubes.
Pretty sure you can't compare a Ford GT to a 1998 mustang GT, all I was saying is when you have all that extra power from a blower you wouldn't notice 10 to 15 horses. With a N/A set-up it's hard enough to reach over 300 so you would be looking for every hp mod available.
 
On a 96 GT, what is the easiest way to get at the stock headers to replace them? Looks like quite a job from what I've been reading! :eek:

Just recently I found myself in your shoes. I went Long Tube and love it. It took us 11 hours... If we had been sober and not trying to kill the day I’m sure it could have been done in 4 to 5 hours. We didn’t need to drop anything however we loosen the motor mounts and jack up the motor 3-4 inches. my exhaust system is no lower than factory and the power gains are noticeable. By far the easiest and cheapest 30 hp you can get.

Remember when you are reading forums everyone wants to tell you a good story... its a 90 - 10 rule.
 
Just recently I found myself in your shoes. I went Long Tube and love it. It took us 11 hours... If we had been sober and not trying to kill the day I’m sure it could have been done in 4 to 5 hours. We didn’t need to drop anything however we loosen the motor mounts and jack up the motor 3-4 inches. my exhaust system is no lower than factory and the power gains are noticeable. By far the easiest and cheapest 30 hp you can get.

Remember when you are reading forums everyone wants to tell you a good story... its a 90 - 10 rule.

WOW 30 hp really! Instead of my blower I should have gotten long-tubes. Maybe when I upgrade with a MMR 900 block I'll take the leap and go long-tube. What brand did you get? It's really no lower than stock? I find that hard to believe.
 
yea 30hp id like see the dyno chart, maybe with all the "bolt-ons", get real man. oh and theres nothin easy about spending 500-800 for a LT and mid pipe setup.

Ok fast97gt how much hp did the long tube headers that you put on your car make? If you know all, how much hp should Long tubes make? Check out Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords february 2010 addition they did a stock, Shorty, and Long tube dyno test. 30 hp for long tubes and o/r set up is not unrealistic. And it you can't afford long tubes don't put them on, but you wont find a cheaper way to dramatically increase the power and feel of the car. :notnice:

Blackone51 - Here are some pics... Not any lower than stock.

DSC02522.jpg


DSC02526.jpg
 
Ok fast97gt how much hp did the long tube headers that you put on your car make? If you know all, how much hp should Long tubes make? Check out Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords february 2010 addition they did a stock, Shorty, and Long tube dyno test. 30 hp for long tubes and o/r set up is not unrealistic. And it you can't afford long tubes don't put them on, but you wont find a cheaper way to dramatically increase the power and feel of the car. :notnice:

Blackone51 - Here are some pics... Not any lower than stock.

DSC02522.jpg


DSC02526.jpg

Sweet, I stand corrected. What brand are they? Nevermind just read your sig.