How much of a pain is it to install shorty headers on a 2000 Mustang Gt? Is it worth just having someone else do it? What could the cost of labor possibly be? I stalled a midpipe and catback on my own, how much mroe of a pain is headers to install?
I helped a friend of mine do a long tube install which really I think will be just as involved as a short tube install. If your going to do all the work do it right and get some long tubes if they are in your budget otherwise just wait until they are affordable. We had a lift and it still sucked, we removed the motor mounts, jacked the engine up a few inches for clearance, removed the starter, took out the steering shaft, then proceeded to swear ALOT. I had to modify a couple of the bolts a little bit to get them started, not to mention the minimal clearance to tighten and loosen the bolts. Took around 4 hours, not sure how long it would take someone experienced at this though. Once on the road the long tubes were a definite seat of the pants improvement. Good luck!
I had my LT's installed for $350, which included installing a shorty mid-pipe as well. I partially helped with the install so I got a deal. All other quotes I received were around the $500 range. Shorty headers are just a pain and take just as long as LT's so expect about $500 for just install (give or take).
Shorty headers, like mentioned above, are a waste. If you're going to spend the money an the hassle of swapping manifolds, wouldn't you want 20+rwhp too? LT's are the only way to go. If you're concerned about the mid-pipe, see if the exhaust shop will cut and weld the current mid-pipe to the LT's. Its definitely worth a shot.
The only reason to do shorty's is if you have the motor out of the car already and you live in a state like California where LT's are illegal and you want something a little better than stock.
I've heard several times that short headers flow about the same as the stock manifolds. Not really worth the work and money for minimal gain. Spend the money on Lt's or another mod.
If you're going to spend the time to get to those damn things, put longtubes on. It's a real pain on these motors. I ended up paying someone to do it for around $300. No way I would bother with shorties unless you're bored and want to tackle it yourself.
dude go long tubes me and my buddy put them on my car and his and each instal only took 6 hours. All I would say is just have a buddy there that knows what he is doing.