LT Headers, 3.5 DS, 3.73 Gears Installed
LT Headers, 3.5 DS, 3.73 Gears Installed
The install was done over a weekend (on jackstands) with adjustments finalized over a couple days. My cousin is a mechanic and he directed most of the work.
Here's what was installed:
OBX Long Tube Headers
OBX H-Pipe
Stage 8 Locking Header Bolts
Bosch O2 Sensors
Bullet Style Engine Mounts
Shaftmasters 3.5" Driveshaft
BMR Driveshaft Loop
Ford Racing 3.73 Gears
Royal Purple Gear Oil
Magnaflow Axlebacks
Bama 93 Long Tubes Performance Tune
Headers and Mounts
Thanks to 70MACH1 for his tips on the header work. We needed to jack up each side of the engine for easier install with the headers so while the engine was up we installed the mounts. The mounts also provided better clearance. For more details check out: http://forums.bradbarnett.net/showthread.php?t=461710
The driver's side header went in from under the car. Make sure to check for clearance with the steering column. If you are using the stock mounts you may need to flatten the part of the header that is close to the steering column. We took off the starter on the passenger side and dropped the header in from the top.
The stock O2 sensors would not reach, so I picked up a set of Bosch sensors with added length. You could also DIY with a solder gun and wire.
Gears
We ended up using some shims that were not included in the kit to get the gears just right. See:
http://www.corral.net/tech/drivetrain/gears.html
Driveshaft Pinion Flange and Loop
The clearance under jackstands made it a bit difficult to get the crush sleeve to collapse and get pre-load torque. The driveshaft install was easy with the H-pipe out. Check out the following thread for more details: http://forums.bradbarnett.net/showthread.php?t=464439
H-Pipe
The H-pipe was a tight fit. There was a bit of pounding on the hangers and such to get them to slip down.
Adjustments
There were no problems with leaks, but there were a few rattles. The first of which was caused by not tightening down the panhard bar , easy fix.
The next rattle was from the passenger-side muffler tip hitting the bumper. This was fixed by lowering both tips so they matched and had better clearance.
The biggest rattle came from the over axle pipe. Initially we had pulled the exhaust and tips out somewhat. Doing this pulled the over axle into a position where it was hitting the trunk. We fixed this by pushing the tips and pipe back in to get clearance. Still looks good and no rattles.
Tune and Results
I've been running this setup and the 93 tune from Doug at Bama for a couple weeks now. The car is much more responsive at launch and pulls a bit harder at WOT.
The sounds is awesome. It's a bit louder than stock, but a deeper tone. No thrown codes or any issues from the tune.
Weights (in approx. pounds)
Stock header 11 per
Stock H-Pipe 31.2
53.2 TOTAL
Long Tube 15 per
H-Pipe 10
40 TOTAL
Stock Mounts 2.2
Bullet Mounts <1
Loop 5.6
Stock Driveshaft 39
Shaftmasters 17
TOTAL Before 94.4
TOTAL After 63.6
~30.8 LOST
Here's what was installed:
OBX Long Tube Headers
OBX H-Pipe
Stage 8 Locking Header Bolts
Bosch O2 Sensors
Bullet Style Engine Mounts
Shaftmasters 3.5" Driveshaft
BMR Driveshaft Loop
Ford Racing 3.73 Gears
Royal Purple Gear Oil
Magnaflow Axlebacks
Bama 93 Long Tubes Performance Tune
Headers and Mounts
Thanks to 70MACH1 for his tips on the header work. We needed to jack up each side of the engine for easier install with the headers so while the engine was up we installed the mounts. The mounts also provided better clearance. For more details check out: http://forums.bradbarnett.net/showthread.php?t=461710
The driver's side header went in from under the car. Make sure to check for clearance with the steering column. If you are using the stock mounts you may need to flatten the part of the header that is close to the steering column. We took off the starter on the passenger side and dropped the header in from the top.
The stock O2 sensors would not reach, so I picked up a set of Bosch sensors with added length. You could also DIY with a solder gun and wire.
Gears
We ended up using some shims that were not included in the kit to get the gears just right. See:
http://www.corral.net/tech/drivetrain/gears.html
Driveshaft Pinion Flange and Loop
The clearance under jackstands made it a bit difficult to get the crush sleeve to collapse and get pre-load torque. The driveshaft install was easy with the H-pipe out. Check out the following thread for more details: http://forums.bradbarnett.net/showthread.php?t=464439
H-Pipe
The H-pipe was a tight fit. There was a bit of pounding on the hangers and such to get them to slip down.
Adjustments
There were no problems with leaks, but there were a few rattles. The first of which was caused by not tightening down the panhard bar , easy fix.
The next rattle was from the passenger-side muffler tip hitting the bumper. This was fixed by lowering both tips so they matched and had better clearance.
The biggest rattle came from the over axle pipe. Initially we had pulled the exhaust and tips out somewhat. Doing this pulled the over axle into a position where it was hitting the trunk. We fixed this by pushing the tips and pipe back in to get clearance. Still looks good and no rattles.
Tune and Results
I've been running this setup and the 93 tune from Doug at Bama for a couple weeks now. The car is much more responsive at launch and pulls a bit harder at WOT.
Weights (in approx. pounds)
Stock header 11 per
Stock H-Pipe 31.2
53.2 TOTAL
Long Tube 15 per
H-Pipe 10
40 TOTAL
Stock Mounts 2.2
Bullet Mounts <1
Loop 5.6
Stock Driveshaft 39
Shaftmasters 17
TOTAL Before 94.4
TOTAL After 63.6
~30.8 LOST
Legacy TMS Member





Joined: January 9, 2005
Posts: 6,982
Likes: 6
From: New Carlisle, Ohio (20 miles north of Dayton)
Yep. That's what I am running with my OBX longtubes. It's a great sound.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post



