i have an 07 mustang gt. shortly after purchasing the car i bought full exhaust from mac. however the only thing i have installed was the axle back now its tme for the long tubes and i will be doing this myself.

so anyone with any experience installing headers can chime in and give some pointers such as tools required what you used i know this will take me all day hell im on vacation so i got time, i just want to make sure i do the job right.

thanks for your help

 

There are a bunch of good step-by-step tutorials out there on the web, do a search and you'll find them.

As for tools and tips... Despite everybody's push for ratcheting box wrenches, I found little use for them. Now, 1" and 3" wobble extensions, that's another story... Have a good selection of 1/4" and 3/8" drive tools on hand, along with a set of offset box wrenches, and perhaps some stubby ratchets and wrenches, and you'll be in good shape.

If you EVER thought of replacing motor mounts, this will be the time. Also, make sure you have O2 extensions and MIL eliminators on hand when you start, as well. Locking header bolts are a must: there are three bolts that you will HATE having to re-torque.

Also, make sure you have good, solid TALL jackstands for the car, and a solid jack for the motor. That, and patience. Be prepared to pull a handful of stuff off the car to make your life easier. I pulled the battery and battery tray, the evap canister purge valve assembly, and the starter, and it was a huge help.

 

+1 and Dave is right . Now is the time to add some prothane moter mounts. Almost all header brands can have an issue rubbing the steering shafts. With the Prothanes you can place the motor away from the shaft and they are stiff enough to keep it away.
Scott

 

Dave are you guys all using MILs to avoid a CEL with long tubes? I have not been able to find MILs that say they are for the S197 (they all say 2v 4.6) so I thought everyone had found another way to pass OBD II emissions. I don't mind swapping out my H-pipe once a year, but LTs are another story!

Sorry to the OP I didn't mean to hijack the thread, but it looks like you're in Houston too so emissions testing is definitely something that you need to keep in mind.

 

With mine, Doug turned off the rear O2 sensors in the tune, so no MIL problem for me, but I understand that you may pop readiness codes under the scanner which would cause a fail. I just figured on installing mine when I need them, if I don't apply for a "show car exemption."

 

How much ground clearence do you loose if any?

 

With the JBA LT's, I lost zero ground clearance.

 

Dave's right again... All you need is O2 extenders and have the rear O2 sensors turned off in your tune. I you have some kind of emissions check you want to get the MIL eliminators. Both Steeda and Brenspeed have them.
Scott


Brenspeed carries Steeda's

 

Thanks for the info guys. I've been delaying headers b/c I wasn't sure how to deal with emissions. My O2s are turned off in the Bama tune, but it is good to know that I can use the MILs with the O2s on for emissions in case I can't find a 'friendly' emissions test location.

Mark

 

Hey Mark,
They don't even need to be friendly. They will never know you have the Mil-E-lims installed!!
Scott

 

are the prothane motor mounts necessary? they are 140 shipped from letahl performance just wondering if you all think it will be a wise investment for my daily driver. i hardly ever go to the track or street race for that matter

 

The advantage is keeping the motor stationary so it won't rub the steering column. You would be surprised how much the motor wiggles around on the stock hydramounts. I have a CDC shaker and you can really see it moving around when you are going down the road on the stock mounts.

 

I had doug at Bama mod my tune for LT's. Not sure if he turned off the rear O2's or not. I have passed the **** exam in NC, so I am not worried. I did not have to pull my Starter, but did relocate my steering stuff.

 

my headers did not come with gaskets where should i purchase them from?

 

Ford... Seriously.

 

Reuse your factory gaskets- they ARE reusable. You can spend the money on new if it makes you feel better but it is not necessary.

 

While you are technically correct, I would like to suggest replacing them with fresh pieces anyway... The gaskets are like $40 (at retail), and if one of the ones that are "re-used" should happen to fail, for any reason, the HOURS spent getting at them for a swap will make the $40 sound like a penny in comparison. I love installing new parts in my car, but I HATE installing the same thing again, if you follow. Just think of the amount of time you spent getting the headers in, getting the mid-pipe lined up, getting the mufflers and over-axle pipes aligned, and then throw that all away, just because you (unknowingly) dented one of the gaskets while pulling the stock manifolds off, or bent it slightly while pulling it off the stock exhaust studs. A little more expensive short-term, but a LOT cheaper long-term.

 

I agree get new gaskets