Installing JBA Shorty Headers

[BlackenedSVT]

Rocketman Where did you say you got that K-member from, and for how much? Since I'd be dropping the K-member, i've been really thinking about getting that tubular one. I like the looks.

Does it help with the suspension at all?
Does it make the underside of the car and engine more dirty, easier? Because that stock K looks like it covers a lot more than the tubular.

How much does the stock K weigh? Over the tubular...

 

[mity2]

i get to do this very soon. if everything goes as my plan, by next weekend, BBK Lt is going on my car
Rocketman, i'm interested in Tube k memnber too. Do u need to change A-arm and such? i like to do Tubuler, but don't want to change A-arm and go to coil over set up

 

[stangman]

Rocketman Where did you say you got that K-member from, and for how much? Since I'd be dropping the K-member, i've been really thinking about getting that tubular one. I like the looks.

Does it help with the suspension at all?
Does it make the underside of the car and engine more dirty, easier? Because that stock K looks like it covers a lot more than the tubular.

How much does the stock K weigh? Over the tubular...

1- it depends on which k-member you go with, they vary in price by several hundred dollars

2- yes it helps the suspension by nothing more than lightning the front end to help it handle better. but if you put a coil over setup it helps it dramatically. i noticed a HUGE difference with mine. i can tell ya right now that i'll never own another stang without one

3- yes it's going to get things a lil more dirty, but in all reality does it matter the ONLY thing that i don't like the looks of, is the tubular k-member leaves the oil pan a lil more exposed. everything works fine on mine though

4- as far as weight i dont' have a scale, but there is a definate huge difference in weight

 

[stangman]

i get to do this very soon. if everything goes as my plan, by next weekend, BBK Lt is going on my car
Rocketman, i'm interested in Tube k memnber too. Do u need to change A-arm and such? i like to do Tubuler, but don't want to change A-arm and go to coil over set up

you don't have to change to tubular a-arms, but be preparred to do some grinding to make the stock a-arms work

 

[mity2]

you don't have to change to tubular a-arms, but be preparred to do some grinding to make the stock a-arms work

what kind of glinding do u need to do?

 

[stangman]

what kind of glinding do u need to do?

depends on the brand. just for instance i have a d&d k-member & a-arms, & i've heard people say they've used the stock a-arms on them. i personally don't see how, cause you'd have to grind the crap outta the back side of the stock a-arm to get it to work.

 

[Rocketman]

Rocketman Where did you say you got that K-member from, and for how much? Since I'd be dropping the K-member, i've been really thinking about getting that tubular one. I like the looks.

Does it help with the suspension at all?
Does it make the underside of the car and engine more dirty, easier? Because that stock K looks like it covers a lot more than the tubular.

How much does the stock K weigh? Over the tubular...

Got my K-member here http://paracing.com/

No help to your suspension

It definitly gives you more access to the underside. Not sure about the dirty part.

I got mine delivered to my door in Cali for $395.

Shipping label on the box mine came in said 20 lbs. I didn't weigh the stock one but, it is definitly heavier.

I used my stock A-arms and my current suspension, see sig.

 

[BlackenedSVT]

ROCKET, did you buy the "Mild Steel" or "Chromoly" K-member? What is the difference?

That website says "loose (which is a typo on their page) over 75lbs off the stock K-member" ...and you said the shipping weight was 20lbs, so that means the stock K is about 90-100lbs?!?? DAMN THATS HEAVY, and DAMN that new PA Kmember is LIGHT!


Also, did you end up buing their Motor Mounts too?? Do you have to buy them? How about the Spring Perches?

What are the Rack Options? One option says 1-1 1/2" Drop (+$50). My car is lowered that much, so I'm guessing I would have to get that option?

And what is this:
Road Race Option: Provides for extra bracing and thicker material (.120 DOM Tubing), add $150 I might be intereseted in this


Guess I'll have to give these guys a call...

 

[wilsonc2222]

I will be installing some JBA Shorty headers real soon. Probably next weekend, after I buy them from my friend. Does anyone have a write-up or help for installing shorty headers? This will give me a full aftermarket exhaust, which will be real nice =)

How hard is the install to do by yourself with jacks, stands, and shop tools (no air guns, but plenty of extensions and wrenches, etc). Anything that I need to know?

- Should I remove the mid-pipe to get more room under the car?
- Should I remove the stock "CAI" (intake tubing) in order to get some clearance and room to unbolt the stock manifolds?

Any write-ups or help would be appreciated. I could not find any information from Modular Depot unfortunately.

If this is not a do-able project on your own (which i can't imagine it not being one...) How much will it cost for an independt shop to install these?
The usual rate around here would be $75/hr. I WOULD have my personal mechanic do it for $50/hr. But I haven't been able to find him lately

 

[Rocketman]

ROCKET, did you buy the "Mild Steel" or "Chromoly" K-member? What is the difference?

That website says "loose (which is a typo on their page) over 75lbs off the stock K-member" ...and you said the shipping weight was 20lbs, so that means the stock K is about 90-100lbs?!?? DAMN THATS HEAVY, and DAMN that new PA Kmember is LIGHT!


Also, did you end up buing their Motor Mounts too?? Do you have to buy them? How about the Spring Perches?

What are the Rack Options? One option says 1-1 1/2" Drop (+$50). My car is lowered that much, so I'm guessing I would have to get that option?

And what is this:
Road Race Option: Provides for extra bracing and thicker material (.120 DOM Tubing), add $150 I might be intereseted in this


Guess I'll have to give these guys a call...

I went with the mild steel. They told me the Chrome Molly was very rigid and would cause vibration. The mild steel gives me some noticeable engine vibration while at idle but very slight.

The weight loss they talk about in the web site is if you do the whole change out. This is tubular A-arms and coil overs. I didn't want to spend the money for all that so went with what I have. You will have to have engine mounts welded in and you will need spring perches if you don't do coil overs. Thus you get the price of just under $400, $25 for motor mounts and $25 for spring perches. I told PA Racing when I ordered that I wanted to replace my stock K-member and wanted a direct bolt in to replace it while using my stock A-arms and the suspension that I had. You have to tell them what you are doing because they custom build each K-memeber to your direct requirements. I suggest you call them and discuss what you want.

 

[wilsonc2222]

this may help you decide. in the ft.worth
dallas texas area the labor charge on a header install is $1400.00 i know my limitations and had it done. i had long tubes installed and about 3 months later
my throw out bearing went out and to
get the tranny out the headers had to be
taken off. yep, another $1400,00 plus
the cost of a clutch job. no more long tubes for me. i dont care how much better they are.

 

[stangman]

this may help you decide. in the ft.worth
dallas texas area the labor charge on a header install is $1400.00 i know my limitations and had it done. i had long tubes installed and about 3 months later
my throw out bearing went out and to
get the tranny out the headers had to be
taken off. yep, another $1400,00 plus
the cost of a clutch job. no more long tubes for me. i dont care how much better they are.

what you need to do is find a mechanic that isn't raping you if you aren't going to do it yourself. that's absolutely rediculous for a header install

 

[BlackenedSVT]

What the hell was that? Looking for a free post?

 

[BlackenedSVT]

what you need to do is find a mechanic that isn't raping you if you aren't going to do it yourself. that's absolutely rediculous for a header install

Yeah well like I said: A ford tech is doing it for me as a side job, and he is charging me $300 all said and done (if everything works out he says). But I still think I'm going to do it myself.

 

[BlackenedSVT]

Ok I still have 2 big questions that I need answers to:

1. will I need new gaskets for these JBA headers, I did not get any from my friend when he gave me the headers. Do I need gaskets for the intake part AND the manifold-to-Xpipe connection?

2. Are there any fluids that need to be drained or DO drain, when you disconnect everything (ie: the steering rack) to remove the K-member and install the headers??

 

[300bhp/ton]

Ok I still have 2 big questions that I need answers to:

1. will I need new gaskets for these JBA headers, I did not get any from my friend when he gave me the headers. Do I need gaskets for the intake part AND the manifold-to-Xpipe connection?

2. Are there any fluids that need to be drained or DO drain, when you disconnect everything (ie: the steering rack) to remove the K-member and install the headers??

1. Well if the gaskets are ok that you take off your car - use them. If not go buy some new ones, I can't beleive they can cost much even from a Ford dealer.

As for the fit to the rest of the exhaust, well it depends. Some are design to be dry fit - ie there is a flange which slips over the other pipe and you simply clap them together with an exhaust D clamp. Sometimes you may need to use paste or wadding. It really depends how well it fits. Having not seen them I have no idea how they couple, other joins can be flat faced flage which then bolts up to another flat faced flange.

You should be able to get everything from a local motofactor.

2. No idea, but personally I wouldn't drain anything you don't have too.


PS

I guess its already been covered but I'll ask anyhow.

You don't plan on upgrading to LT's anytime soon?

Becuase you'll have to do this all again.

The only reason I ask is that shorty manifolds will not likely see any real gain in power. And I guess will not be very noticable if at all once on the car, they may effect the sound and engine character a little.

Just wanted to make sure as it seems one hell of job to do on a Mustang and for little or no gain it does seem like hard work. If access was easy then I could understand it more (you could change the manifolds on my TR7 V8 by only having to open the bonnet and disconnect the rest of the exhaust - lots of access). So if you where planning on wanting more power and upgrading to LT's it might be worth not doing the shorties at all and just floggin them.

If not then I hope you get an easy install with no problems.

BTW Why did you friend sell these anyhow?

 

[BlackenedSVT]

2. No idea, but personally I wouldn't drain anything you don't have too.


PS

I guess its already been covered but I'll ask anyhow.

You don't plan on upgrading to LT's anytime soon?

Becuase you'll have to do this all again.

The only reason I ask is that shorty manifolds will not likely see any real gain in power. And I guess will not be very noticable if at all once on the car, they may effect the sound and engine character a little.

Just wanted to make sure as it seems one hell of job to do on a Mustang and for little or no gain it does seem like hard work. If access was easy then I could understand it more (you could change the manifolds on my TR7 V8 by only having to open the bonnet and disconnect the rest of the exhaust - lots of access). So if you where planning on wanting more power and upgrading to LT's it might be worth not doing the shorties at all and just floggin them.

If not then I hope you get an easy install with no problems.

BTW Why did you friend sell these anyhow?

Well to andwer your 1st question, no I will not be upgrading to LT headers on this car at all. When/if I get a cobra maybe in a few years, I will get LTs for more power gains, but for this GT shortys are it. The only reason I even bought these headers from my friend is because he was selling them for a steal. He sold me my Cobra wheels and tires, FRPP 70mm TB and JBA Headers for $350 TOTAL. So as you can see, that is at LEAST $1000 for the wheels and tires, $150 for the TB and at least $600 for the JBA Headers (assuming I boughtt hem all new). So whichever way you look at it, i spent either $350 on the wheels and tires, and got the headers and tb FREE, or vise versa

So as you can see it was worth my while. The reason why he is selling them because he orginally had LT headers, which got punctured from highway debris, so he switched to these shorty JBAs. Well now that his car (a 2002 GT just like mine, so parts are an even swap...) is a MONSTER making 565rwhp, he upgraded to LT custom headers and midpipe. So he sold me his old shortys with like 5k miles on them.

So i will be installing these headers probably this weekend. and while i realize LT headers make more gains, they also require removal everytime you need to do a clutch install (which I am yet to do on my GT with almost 37k miles, so its coming soon) as well as the fact they hang low and on my lowered car, dont want them puncturing like my friends last ones. Also, these shorty headers (while the gain is minimal perhaps) it is better than stock, and I think the sound improvement (if at all) will be nice.

 

[BlackenedSVT]

bump

 

[stangman]

bump

for?

 

[BlackenedSVT]

For any additional advice on this topic.