Ok, so I'm in my project balls deep at this point (I didn't just overshoot my budget, I'm now in debt because of my car and it isn't even running again yet!); but it seems to be missing one thing: headers. OK, maybe I need a lot of other things too, but aside from the heads, the only other common bolt-on upgrade item I haven't sketched into my build yet are headers.
My car: 89 LX (non-HO motor) 5 speed, with the following parts already obtained or on their way in the mail: 3.5" powerpipe (yes I know it's overkill, but it was about the same price as an "eBay special" CAI), 94-95 70mm MAF w/ the flange cut off, PP 70mm TB & EGR spacer, Exploder upper and lower, Exploder injectors, E7's w/ the thermactor bumps ground off and cheap valve job (came that way), e303 cam, Bassani x-pipe, flowmaster dumps (no tail pipe).
Near as I can tell, the headers that are on it are stock mustang units (despite the crappy motor swap); I dunno maybe these were also stock on the Crown Vic or whatever car the motor came from.
The 10 quid question: just how much of a bottleneck are my stock headers really? I've heard that they're good up to 275 hp or so, and I don't think my combo will really be pushing that, not quite anyways. Once debts are cleared and I'm in the black again (in a couple months) I'll be hunting for gt40 heads anyways, so of course headers will be a waste if I go with P heads as I'll need new ones anyways. If memory serves, though, P heads aren't smog-legal, and while this isn't a huge concern almost everything else in my combo is so I may as well keep it that way.
I found some cheap headers on eBay ($115 shipped) that I'm curious about. I've always heard that cheap headers don't last, they warp etc. but these ones have 3/8" flanges like the more expensive ones and are chrome plated.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=330327481263
So should I even consider going with these, or something like them (i.e. CHEAP)? Just how much am I giving up with the stockers? And one other thing, would they be any easier to instal now, during my h/c/i swap? Or should I just wait until I can afford better units and get them when I upgrade the heads?
My car: 89 LX (non-HO motor) 5 speed, with the following parts already obtained or on their way in the mail: 3.5" powerpipe (yes I know it's overkill, but it was about the same price as an "eBay special" CAI), 94-95 70mm MAF w/ the flange cut off, PP 70mm TB & EGR spacer, Exploder upper and lower, Exploder injectors, E7's w/ the thermactor bumps ground off and cheap valve job (came that way), e303 cam, Bassani x-pipe, flowmaster dumps (no tail pipe).
Near as I can tell, the headers that are on it are stock mustang units (despite the crappy motor swap); I dunno maybe these were also stock on the Crown Vic or whatever car the motor came from.
The 10 quid question: just how much of a bottleneck are my stock headers really? I've heard that they're good up to 275 hp or so, and I don't think my combo will really be pushing that, not quite anyways. Once debts are cleared and I'm in the black again (in a couple months) I'll be hunting for gt40 heads anyways, so of course headers will be a waste if I go with P heads as I'll need new ones anyways. If memory serves, though, P heads aren't smog-legal, and while this isn't a huge concern almost everything else in my combo is so I may as well keep it that way.
I found some cheap headers on eBay ($115 shipped) that I'm curious about. I've always heard that cheap headers don't last, they warp etc. but these ones have 3/8" flanges like the more expensive ones and are chrome plated.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=330327481263
So should I even consider going with these, or something like them (i.e. CHEAP)? Just how much am I giving up with the stockers? And one other thing, would they be any easier to instal now, during my h/c/i swap? Or should I just wait until I can afford better units and get them when I upgrade the heads?