Ok, I need some help spending my Christmas money. I would like to go with the long tube mac headers, but I have a few questions.

1) If I have longtubes installed, will I have to delete my cats? (I want to keep them)
2) What happens to the existing O2 sensors in the headers, and what does this affect (CELs)?
3) About how much is the installation/fabrication for longtube headers from a muffler shop?

Thanks so much!

 

I'm interested in LT headers as well, and will look forward to input on this topic.

 

I always hought the cats would blot right up to the l/t headers. Are you saying theres no room to bolt them up???

 

A friend of mine has this setup on his wife's car
http://www.lmperformance.com/7102/73.html

Came with high flow cats and 02 sensor extensions and X-pipe. This is the exaxt same kit i'm goin with come tax return time.

 

The cats won’t have to go, you will need a new mid pipe to go with your L/T’s and you can get one with cats or off road. The O2 sensors will plug into the new mid pipe, you might need an extension for the rear O2 sensors. Install will usually take around 6 hrs so figure what the shop charges per hour.

Earl

 

Could a muffler shop install the longtube headers and move the stock cats a little farther back?

 

You'll need a shorty h/x pipe, which both come in off road and catted. YOu can turn off your rear 02 sensors with your xcal2. if you dont have th emeans to turn off your 02 sensors and you want to run an off road mid pipe, just get MIL eliminators.

 

No need to move them back yourself sense the new shorty midpipe already does it for you.

 

I would not consider MACs LT's, more like MID Pipes... Check out the differneces between JBA's and the MACs.

I went CATLESS by choice. YOu don't have to take the cats off, although you have to buy a new set up to run cats since the LT's change everything underneith the car.

I had to buy new O2 censors to reach since there is a considerable difference in lengh .vs. the stock manifolds. With the right tune the CEL should not be an issue.

Installation is a PAIN. Alot of shops hate doing the job... I almost got away with the install for $400, but my gaskets had a leak and had to go back into the engine with new gaskets which was more $$$$. It really is a pain in butt install.

If your gonna do this, make sure you change your motor mounts as well.

 

what the...double post.

 

Yeah, and if Ford hadn't have made the S197 so dependent on these **** miliions of wires, you could just yank out the motor and tranny together and bolt them on while it's hanging.

 

If I get the Mac LTs, then can I have the muffler shop run the pipes to the relocated cats from the LTs, and have them shorten the mid pipe length?

I dont want the total costs to exceed $700 including the price of headers.
I am not sure if LTs are even an option for that cost.

Any advice?

 

So you want the labor and cost of headers+whatever piping you need to be a total of 700? No way.

Just save up and do it right. First, stopping thinking about MAC LT's.

 

That raises an interesting question:

For the $$$ involved (seems to me we are looking at around $1k - $1.5k territory) for the LT headers/cats/O2 sensors, does the hp increase justify the amount spent?

What are we looking at in terms of gains? (roughly)

 

I've got JBA longtubes on my car, here's how my setup went. (These are real longtubes).

The O2 sensors on the stock manifolds need to be moved to the collector area where there is a pre-fabbed threaded hole for them to go. To make the forward O2 sensors fit, I needed to extend the wiring by splicing some new wire into the existing plugs. The rear O2 sensors are shut off and I don't use them, even though I went with a catted H-pipe. Too much work to do since there are no provisions for O2 sensors on the catted H-Pipe from JBA, and considering all I have to do is have them shut off in the tune, this was a no brainer decision.

Now install would really be a bear in the garage on jackstands. Fortuneatley I know someone with a shop and he made me a great deal on installation. I helped where I could without getting in the way, and have some great tips on getting it done easier.

You should drop the front crossmember, even if you are not changing it out. This will make the installation a lot easier!!! I can't stress that enough, it's really the only way to go. I changed my front x-member to the BMR unit at the same time, but my installer also said that if he does another set on a Mustang that's not doing the crossmember, he'd drop it anyway since it makes it so much easier.

And if you're looking to not spend more than $700 including the cost of the headers AND installation you are barking up the wrong tree.

It's not possible.

The only way you get close to that figure is to do the work yourself or enlist the help of some buddies, hopefully one with access to a lift. Look around and ask questions, you'd be surprised what you may find.

 

From a set of real longtubes... roughly 20 hp.