Long Tube Headers

I Bleed Ford Blue

5 Year Member
Feb 13, 2017
406
119
73
North Olmsted OH
Has anyone self installed a set of long tubes on their S550? Since I'm on vacation now until March 4th, I thought I would try to tackle the job myself. I just dropped over 1100 at LMR for a set of Stainless Power long tubes, they will be here by Monday.

Also, does anyone know for sure if the exhaust port threads are 10mm x 1.5 or 10mm x 1.25? According to my research, the coyote engines started out in 2011 with the 1.25 threads and some time in the 11 production run ford switched to the 1.5 thread and all coyotes have had the 1.5 ever since. I want to make sure before I drive down to Summit racing and by the Stage 8 locking header bolts, they have both sizes in stock and the are the same price. I just want to get the right ones the first time.
 
  • Sponsors (?)


I installed mine in my garage on the floor. It was a project I won't forget anytime soon. My advise is, find a lift and an engine transverse bar somewhere you can use. There were no real issues with the installation other than the typical tight spaces and hard to reach bolts. You have to remove the motor mounts and the motor mount brackets and this is where the engine transverse bar comes into play. My Kook's long tubes came with Stage 8 hardware for the head flanges and for the collector to connection pipe joint. I used them on the collector but not on the head flanges. I was advised by others at a local speed shop to use the stock studs and fasteners which I did. I also used the new gaskets provided with the headers. With right at 10,000 miles on the installation, I feel I made the right decision, no problems, no leaks and at about 2,500 miles I checked the nuts that were easy to get to and they were still tight. The Stage 8 bolts are at home on my workbench, I can check the thread pitch or part number on them when I get home tonight.
 
My packaging didn't have a part number but were marked 10mm-1.25x25 6pt DHH. I checked them with my thread pitch gauge and they are 1.25 thread pitch. That doesn't mean they sent me the right ones, I wish I would have tried one to see if they fit my 2016. Sorry I can't be more helpful.
 
Last edited:
The headers were delivered today, the included bolts are 10 x 1.25. I pulled a stud out and it is 10 x 1.25 on both ends, the head side and the nut side. Tomorrow when i go down to summit, I'll let them know their info on the website is wrong.

20180212_133221.jpg
 
Last edited:
10-4, sounds like a plan! I researched it also after talking to you and Summit was the only place I found that information. Everything else I found called for 1.25 thread pitch. It was hard to find much out there.
 
Well I talked to the counter guy at summit and told him that my 17 had the 1.25 threads and so does someone else's 16 and more than likely all mustang coyotes have the same thing, everyone I talked to says the mustang coyotes all have the 1.25, they never heard of the 1.5 pitch. I don't know what the 1.5 fits, maybe the truck version? I also sent an e-mail to stage 8 to let them know, and I asked them if they would produce a set of locking nuts so we could reuse the factory studs.
 
Last edited:
I got a reply from stage 8, here it is.

Hello Mike,

Updating the 5.0 Coyote exhaust bolt thread pitch has been a long running joke for some time now, for a lot of companies. Ford changed the thread pitch back and forth several times and we were all told the the final thread pitch would be M10-1.50. You can attest that's not the case. Many header companies put two sets of bolts in their headers so they cover both.

We have Locking Nuts, we just don't make a header nut kit for the 5.0 but all you need to do is call and ask for them. We don't offer a nut kit because most people want to use bolts. Studs can still come loose even if they have a Locking Nut, the stud can still unscrew from the head. Using a bolt eliminates that.

Thanks for the suggestions though I'm always keen to hear new ideas.

Regards,
Glenn Thompson
Stage 8 Locking Fasteners

After reading their reply, it now makes sense why they state on their site that all coyote owners should double check what thread they have before ordering.
 
Last edited:
When I said I was in walking distance to a harbor freight, I wasn't kidding.

20180221_180534.jpg


That is the loading dock for harbor freight, right behind my house. If I owned the fence, I would cut a hole and put in a gate so I wouldn't have to walk around to get there. A few years ago when I bought my tool box from them, I uncrated it right there behind the store and rolled it home.

Oh, BTW the original summit racing in Tallmadge OH is about 45 mins. away, and the original Jegs is about 2 hrs away down in Columbus OH
 
When I said I was in walking distance to a harbor freight, I wasn't kidding.

20180221_180534.jpg


That is the loading dock for harbor freight, right behind my house. If I owned the fence, I would cut a hole and put in a gate so I wouldn't have to walk around to get there. A few years ago when I bought my tool box from them, I uncrated it right there behind the store and rolled it home.

Oh, BTW the original summit racing in Tallmadge OH is about 45 mins. away, and the original Jegs is about 2 hrs away down in Columbus OH

So what you're saying is that you spend all your money at Autozone and Pep Boys.
 
The only time I go near a vato zone is when I need more car wax or something like that. This is Ohio, we don't have pep boys up here.

Oh, I almost forget, I'm also about an hour from Summit Motorsports Park, which used to be Norwalk Raceway in Norwalk OH, it's a full quarter mile track that hosts NHRA events every year and fun ford weekends every other year. Maybe this summer I might go to the Woodward dream cruise in Detroit, it's only 3 hrs away.
 
While I was installing my headers, I found the vin stamp on the engine. It's located on the drivers side rear right above the pan rail on a machined pad. It has the last 8 characters from the vin stamped into it. Good info to know if your looking at a used S-550 and want to know if it still has the original engine, or if you need to prove originality before a sale or auction.
 
hey dude i have a question for you even though its been a long time since you have done this. but how is steering column clearance? i recently purchase pypes header and i had to bend the pipe almost half ways to clear it so i ended up sending those back and got the stainless power and i am wondering if i am going to run into the same problem or am i going to have to get different motor mounts. Here is a pick for reference the top half of the steering column would hit the headers above and the bottom half would scrape the headers.
 

Attachments

  • image1.jpeg
    image1.jpeg
    175.8 KB · Views: 425
One of my friends have Stainless Works on his 2015 and I have a set of kooks on my 2016 and neither of us had any clearance issues. I have never installed nor am I familiar with Pypes or Stainless Power so I really don't have any information for you, however we have a fellow member "I Bleed Ford Blue" who has installed Stainless Power on his S550. I'm sure he can fill you in on the details and help you out. If you don't have enough clearance and the headers touch anything the knock sensors will pull timing, thus reducing power so its kind of self defeating to have a set that hits and reduces power when it is supposed to add power. I would make sure whatever brand you end up with they clearance well.
 
I have plenty of clearance on my 17. ford offsets the engine to the passenger side to gain more room for the steering shaft, did you by chance put the motor mount brackets on the wrong side, pushing the engine toward the steering shaft. up top you should have barely 2 inches on the passenger side and the shock tower, if you have way more than that you probably got them backwards.