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Shorty Headers

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pufferfish

Supporting Vendor
1,094
66
Maryland
Very happy with them, but take just as long to install as long tube headers.

Have the option to change to LTs at any point and wouldn't. Just don't see that much of a power difference.
 
pufferfish said:
Very happy with them, but take just as long to install as long tube headers.

Have the option to change to LTs at any point and wouldn't. Just don't see that much of a power difference.

That's great info. I really hoped to hear that the install would be easier than long tubes.
 

pufferfish

Supporting Vendor
1,094
66
Maryland
The time is in the bolts, not really the finagling of parts. Seems each header bolt needs a different type of wrench or a different arm location. It really just takes a lot of patience.
 
pufferfish said:
The time is in the bolts, not really the finagling of parts. Seems each header bolt needs a different type of wrench or a different arm location. It really just takes a lot of patience.
This is why I'm taking mine to the dealer to deal with...so to speak... ;D
 

steveespo

Lord knows I'm a Voodoo Child
Moderator
4,008
1,924
Exp. Type
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Cookeville TN
Fiddler49 said:
This is why I'm taking mine to the dealer to deal with...so to speak... ;D
https://trackmustangsonline.com/index.php?topic=6948.0

Before you take it to a dealer mechanic read the trans post above. To install the headers there are many steps in removing parts to get them in. Each one is difficult and or tricky, if the tech working on your car is inexperienced, rushing or careless, I guarantee you will not be happy. Find a Mustang specialist shop in your area and check out their references and credentials and let them do it. They will care about your car because Mustangs are their passion and they will know the tricks needed when modding. Also their labor rates will probably be cheaper than a dealer service department.
Steve
 
steveespo said:
https://trackmustangsonline.com/index.php?topic=6948.0

Before you take it to a dealer mechanic read the trans post above. To install the headers there are many steps in removing parts to get them in. Each one is difficult and or tricky, if the tech working on your car is inexperienced, rushing or careless, I guarantee you will not be happy. Find a Mustang specialist shop in your area and check out their references and credentials and let them do it. They will care about your car because Mustangs are their passion and they will know the tricks needed when modding. Also their labor rates will probably be cheaper than a dealer service department.
Steve
I've had very good luck with the dealer I go to, as long as I take it during the week. My service rep only lets one guy work on my car, and yes he has a passion for Mustangs. But I will see if they're any Mustang specialists in my area, as it never hurts to have more than one place to take the car.
 
Fiddler49 said:
I've had very good luck with the dealer I go to, as long as I take it during the week. My service rep only lets one guy work on my car, and yes he has a passion for Mustangs. But I will see if they're any Mustang specialists in my area, as it never hurts to have more than one place to take the car.
I'm in the same situation as you and wouldn't hesitate to have Harrold Ford in Sacramento do any work on my car including installing headers. I also have AED about 40 minutes from my home and I would have them install headers if I was going to install them. AED is just under two hours from you and someone to consider. There are other competent shops in your area including the well known Borelli Motorsports in San Jose.
 
NFSBOSS said:
I'm in the same situation as you and wouldn't hesitate to have Harrold Ford in Sacramento do any work on my car including installing headers. I also have AED about 40 minutes from my home and I would have them install headers if I was going to install them. AED is just under two hours from you and someone to consider. There are other competent shops in your area including the well known Borelli Motorsports in San Jose.
Thanks for the reminder about AED and the tip on Borelli Rick!
 
Fiddler49 said:
I've had very good luck with the dealer I go to, as long as I take it during the week. My service rep only lets one guy work on my car, and yes he has a passion for Mustangs. But I will see if they're any Mustang specialists in my area, as it never hurts to have more than one place to take the car.

In my opion, and we know all to much about opions. My car would never go to a dealer except for warranty work.
You will pay a higher hourly rate than a private mech. Also your car will be in the Ford computor system as being Moded. Even if you were to switch back to factory headers due to a problem, Ford will know. If this Ford specialist has a passion than he may due work on the side. something you should check into.
If AED is that close to your home you would be crazy not to let them do it.
I just think you will be over paying and leaving a paper trail should anything ever happen to the motor. It gives Ford that OUT on warranty work. What Ford dosent know wont hurt you!!
You will enjoy you Kooks. Anything you do to the Boss in breathing and exhaust makes a nice differance. The shorties are the way to go for a street car. Its nice to be able to drop the cats and when inspection come around its as simple as 4 bolts/2 clamps and 2 O2 senors to swap the cats back in and pass inspection.

Good Luck with your Install!
And post some pictures.
 

302 Hi Pro

Boss 302 - Racing Legend to Modern Muscle Car
2,009
441
Southeast
Fiddler

Will you have your Kooks shorties jet hot ceramic powder coated before the install? Should also help with heat management. I do like the Kooks shorties, they are very nicely made. I'm thinking about these as well, and will get them ceramic coated before the install.

Will do this when I pull the transmission for a clutch replacement. Hopefully not for a while! I am lucky as I have an excellent technician at my Ford dealer. The Service Manager knows about the Boss and he is a Shelby GT500 owner, so he knows how important it is to owners of limited production Mustangs to be able to trust the technician. He is a full disclosure guy who will invite you into the shop to look at your car and show you the progress and any repair options.

Good luck on your install, if you have a Ford Dealer like mine, you'll be in good hands.

Regards,
302 Hi Pro
 
302 Hi Pro said:
Fiddler

Will you have your Kooks shorties jet hot ceramic powder coated before the install? Should also help with heat management. I do like the Kooks shorties, they are very nicely made. I'm thinking about these as well, and will get them ceramic coated before the install.
Never really considered that, but now that you've mentioned it, I've been looking into it. Might be a good thing to do. Just need to find someone nearby.
boss man said:
In my opion, and we know all to much about opions. My car would never go to a dealer except for warranty work.
You will pay a higher hourly rate than a private mech. Also your car will be in the Ford computor system as being Moded. Even if you were to switch back to factory headers due to a problem, Ford will know. If this Ford specialist has a passion than he may due work on the side. something you should check into.
If AED is that close to your home you would be crazy not to let them do it.
I just think you will be over paying and leaving a paper trail should anything ever happen to the motor. It gives Ford that OUT on warranty work. What Ford dosent know wont hurt you!!
You will enjoy you Kooks. Anything you do to the Boss in breathing and exhaust makes a nice differance. The shorties are the way to go for a street car. Its nice to be able to drop the cats and when inspection come around its as simple as 4 bolts/2 clamps and 2 O2 senors to swap the cats back in and pass inspection.

Good Luck with your Install!
And post some pictures.
My opinion is Ford will find out if you've modded your car once you try for any warranty work, so why hide it? Having the dealer do the install ensures that they can't use an excuse of "bad 3rd party install of mods" to get out of warranty work. Besides, the dealer does all my regular service work thanks to being talked into a service contract when I bought the car. Considering the cost of the synthetic oil we use, I think I'm saving money in the long run with it though...but that's another subject...
 
I have heard that the shorty's are really not that beneficial in terms of added performance on the Boss: I have spoken to several folks at SVT who have indicated that Ford did a lot of research and the factory headers are reasonably efficient....Curious to hear other opinions/experiences here....
 
vista6019 said:
I have heard that the shorty's are really not that beneficial in terms of added performance on the Boss: I have spoken to several folks at SVT who have indicated that Ford did a lot of research and the factory headers are reasonably efficient....Curious to hear other opinions/experiences here....

Are The Kook shorties 1 7/8 tubes were I think the OEM are 1 3/4 or maybe 1 5/8.
Which gives better exhaust flow. Also I read somewhere that Kook does not recomend coating the SS headers for heat.
 

302 Hi Pro

Boss 302 - Racing Legend to Modern Muscle Car
2,009
441
Southeast
boss man said:
Are The Kook shorties 1 7/8 tubes were I think the OEM are 1 3/4 or maybe 1 5/8.
Which gives better exhaust flow. Also I read somewhere that Kook does not recomend coating the SS headers for heat.

I spoke with the Kook's Rep about this back in November 2013 when I was researching this. At the time he thought it was a great idea and mentioned that one company, Jet was only 2.0 hours down the road.

I would call them to see it that has changed. Do you know why they would not recommend ceramic coating?

Thanks for the update,
302 Hi Pro
 
302 Hi Pro said:
I spoke with the Kook's Rep about this back in November 2013 when I was researching this. At the time he thought it was a great idea and mentioned that one company, Jet was only 2.0 hours down the road.

I would call them to see it that has changed. Do you know why they would not recommend ceramic coating?

Thanks for the update,
302 Hi Pro

From what I remember they said that the SS dissipates the heat better left un-coated.
Off Topic....R U in Meadford NJ? I live in Cream Ridge NJ.
 

pufferfish

Supporting Vendor
1,094
66
Maryland
vista6019 said:
I have heard that the shorty's are really not that beneficial in terms of added performance on the Boss: I have spoken to several folks at SVT who have indicated that Ford did a lot of research and the factory headers are reasonably efficient....Curious to hear other opinions/experiences here....

yes, ford OE headers are " reasonably efficient". just changing out the headers and leaving everything else the same, nets around 10hp, so to ford, 10hp wasn't worth paying 10x more...bean counters at work! but 10hp means a lot to us, as we have come to expect gains to be much smaller increments than previous mustang engines.

kooks shortys have proven gains on a GT engine, so the stock headers are a restriction there and will be even more of a restriction on a boss engine, which responds better to a free flowing exhaust. the biggest key ingredient in the exhaust is removing factory cats, which are known to free up 15-20hp and tq on both the gt and boss. this is an automatic elimination when using longtubes, but optional on the shorty's. so, by the math, shortys with cat removal is worth 25-30 hp on a GT. longtubes generally go 30-35hp, so there is not much difference. you give up around 5hp to have an option for passing emissions (legally).
 

pufferfish

Supporting Vendor
1,094
66
Maryland
boss man said:
From what I remember they said that the SS dissipates the heat better left un-coated.

the objective is not to dissipate the heat, but to keep it in the exhaust gas and send it out the tailpipe. any "dissipation" of heat, means it is transferring heat to the air around the part doing the dissipating...which heats up the engine bay.

the more important point is actually how fast the exhaust flows. faster moving exhaust reduces the ability to transfer the heat into the tubes. headers generally keep engine bays cooler because they flow better than stock manifolds.
 
Has anyone taken a look at, or have any experience with the recently released MagnaFlow Shorty headers? I have seen several pictures of them and they appear to be a very high quality piece and they already have a titanium ceramic coating. They are available through Lethal Performance.
 

pufferfish

Supporting Vendor
1,094
66
Maryland
didn't know they were coming out with one. just looked and they look very interesting. looks to be an equal length and have longer primaries, which is awesome, but really don't like the abrupt transition from the collector to the flange. i think it might introduce turbulence at the collector, which is likely to reduce cylinder scavaging and negate the positive effects of equal length primaries. the shear bulk of it may may it super difficult to install, as well.

...but the pic doesn't appear to be for coyote's (collector and head flanges are wrong), so maybe it won't be that bad. interested to see what they actually look like once released.

i will tell you, with the complexity (multiple welded tubes for each primary run), they are a steal at $720! i attempted to get a shorty header like this manufactured as a new product a while back and my cost was $1000 per pair (ordering in reasonably high quantities)!
 

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