Hey everyone;

There has been a lot of talk on the forums about shorty headers for our sixers and there have been lots of idea's about them. I am here to show you why you need to keep your 94-98 Headers and swap those old 99-04 Logs out for a set of 94-98 headers!

First off I will show your the size differences of the two, starting with the 94-98 Headers followed by Pro's and Con's.


http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s261/mach1racer/94-98Flange.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s261/mach1racer/94-98Collector.jpg
---------- 1994 - 1998 stock Headers ----------
Collector Size 2 1/4"
PrimaryOpening1 13/16"
PrimarySize 1 9/16" OD
Flange Thickness 5/16"

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s261/mach1racer/99-04manifold.jpg
---------- 1999 - 2004 stock Manifold ---------
CollectorSize 2"
Primary opening1 9/16"
Primary Size 1 3/8" OD
Flange Thickness 5/16"

Just comparing these you can see how much larger the 94-98 Header really is. Here is a short list of Pro's and Con's.

94-98 Pro's and Con's
Pro: Superb flow
Pro: Large 2 1/4" Collector
Pro: 3-1 Header
Pro: Not prone to cracking
----------------------
Con: D-Side has factory kink in rear cylinder
Con: Firecone can have excess slag that needs to be removed
Con: O2 sensor in collector. Hard to get to.
Con: Uneven style

99-04 Pro's and Con's
Pro: O2 not on collector
Pro: No slag to restrict flow
----------------------
Con: Prone to Cracking
Con: Log Style
Con: Restrictive
Con: Small 2" collector



A note that I feel is very important is that I measured the exhaust ports on the 94-98 and 99-04 Heads as well. Here is what I discovered.

The 99+ splitport has an awesome intake side to the head allowing large amounts of air into the head, unfortunately Ford made the exhaust port smaller than previous years 94-98 Single ports creating a large bottle neck. Don't worry though, this can easily be ported with a flap wheel sander even while it is in the car!


Exhaust port shape doesn't mater a difference in the headers or flange.

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s261/mach1racer/SuperHeads_3_rs.jpg
94-98 Single Port Heads (D-Shape Exhaust Ports)
Side to Side: 1 1/2"
Top to Bottom: 1 1/2"
Corner to Corner:1 11/16"
----------------------------

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s261/mach1racer/splitporthead.jpg
99-04 Split Port Heads (O-Shape Exhaust Ports)
Side to Side: 1 3/16"
Top to Bottom:1 3/16"
Corner to Corner: 1 3/16"


I hope this has helped everyone out. Tell me what you guys thought.

Note: When using 94-98 Headers on a 99-04 you need to have a shop enlarge the inlet by 1/4" and bring your 94-98 Headers down for fitment. A muffler shop charged me $5 per expansion on my trucks exhaust. Its cheap and easy :)


-Eric-

I took all the measurments myself, used my own pictures where applicable, its all me baby! :)

Tell me what you guys think.

Awesome info. Would I be able to swap my 99-04 stockers for some 94-98's? Mine are cracked might as well "upgrade".

*UPDATE* 7/3/07
I did not have to modify the 2000 EGR tube to work with the 96' Headers that I used. It all lined up perfectly for me and cutting was not needed.

I have heard others say that cutting is needed though in my case it was not. Nothing was modified from the 2000 specs to fit the 96' Headers.


You certainly can, just remember in doing this swap that you need to put your O2 sensor in the header instead of the exhaust tube behind it. There is a chance it may not fit, but give it a try, if it does not fit you can buy a 96-98 one and be fine.

The EGR bung is also angled a little differently so the best way to take care of this is to go buy a Turbo hose (Rubber hose with fiberglass for high heat and pressure situations.) now cut the tube where you want (Preferably before the two hoses that come off) bridge the gap with the turbo hose and use hose clamps to screw it tightly in place.

Its that easy and cheaper than aftermarket headers :)

Here is a picture giving you two different spots that you can bridge the gap, whichever one you like. And since turbo hose comes in blue, red, black and other colors you may want it up top to show or down low to hide.

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s261/mach1racer/EGRmod.jpg

Sorry I used a 99+ exhaust manifold..... You get the idea :)

ORIGINAL: NeoTokyo

You certainly can, just remember in doing this swap that you need to put your O2 sensor in the header instead of the exhaust tube behind it. There is a chance it may not fit, but give it a try, if it does not fit you can buy a 96-98 one and be fine.



Do you mean the header or just the O2 sensor might not fit? And before you said 94-98then here you say 96-98. Whats the difference?

No the header will bolt up just fine.
The reason why I say 96-98 is because I am talking about the O2 sensor. 94/95 had a slightly different O2 sensor that will screw in but may not read correctly.

Dont worry though, I am almost 100% sure your stock ones will fit the 94-98 Headers.

You will have to have a shop enlarge theinlet on your stock Y-pipe by 1/4" overall though to make these work. Its cheap and easy. Bring down your 94-98 Headers as a fitment guide.

Easy stuff :)

Thanks for all the info! Care to elaborate on porting the 99-04 exaust ports? I love a free mod!

ok nice info. is there any advantage to using the 94-98 manifolds on a splitport, other than reduced cost of aftermarket shorties? because i was just going to get some BBK ceramic shorties to replace my stock ones. i am planning to SC eventually, so i wouldn't worry about LTs until after that

Great post... thanks for the info

The stock 94-98 Shorties aren't quite as good as true aftermarket but the difference is too close to warrant spending the money unless you go SC or use a STS turbo system (Turbo at rear of car, don't have to get special manifolds.)

The aftermarket guys usually don't say much about their 99-04 collector size because they have to leave them stock (2") so that people can use them with their stock Y-pipes. When you do decide to get a set of aftermarket headers be sure to get 94-98 shorties because they will have the 2 1/4" exhaust, you will have to change your Y-Pipe to use this larger size.

In fact anyone that has a 99-04 using 94-98 Headers must either have a shop enlarge the inlet of the Y-pipe to 2 1/4" or purchases a Y-Pipe from a 94-98. It would be cheaper to have the shop do it. I was charged $5for eachexpansionon acustom exhaust setupfor my truck, CHEAP!

Now I am not sure if the exhaust diameter itself shrunk in 99-04 or if it was just the inlet that changed. I can do a little more research into that.

Ultimately its still far cheaper than aftermarket headers :)

You can also have the 94-98 Ceramic coated like I had mine done. Ceramic coating the inside of them is very important too to help the exhaust flow through and to aid it scavenging. This process can become a little expensive.

Now for the main benefit of the 94-98 headers is that they are 3-1 design which promotes horsepower and torque, the primaries are almost 1/4" larger, the Collector is 1/4" larger and these don't crack :)

Now as for porting, like I said you can purchase a flap wheel sander from Wal-Mart, Home improvment stores like Lowes or go to Grizly's website and order one.
You can also usea cartridge roll or a carbite burr.

I would stay away from carbide burrs if you are new at this, they can be very unforgiving (Personal experiance, luckily I didnt go too deep)

Start off by marking the Diameter of the porting that you would like to go to, next use either a flap sander or cartridge roll with 50 or 60 gritt paper on it and start slowly and evenly working away at the port. (Note: I put an oilsoaked peice of rag into the exhuast chamber to keep aluminum from getting in there.)

After you get to your mark finish the job up with some 120 gritt paper, if you really want it to shine then you could go even finer, the 120 will leavea smooth finsih but not polished.

Now I would not go porting too much if you dont have experiance or a bad head to play with first, you dont know how close a water passage could be. I am going to call SSM today and ask him how far out is a safe port job.


-Eric-

cool. well my Y-pipe is outta there. i have 2.5" divorced duals from the cats back. so obviously the midpipes are still 2.25. but when i get the headers, i was going to have new 2.5" midpipes fabbed up to use my BBK high flow cats that i have. i have the o2 sensor bungs already. if i do this, what size flange would need to be on the midpipes to meet up to the collectors of the new shorties? and then should i just get some 94-98 BBK shorties and have the inside ceramic coated? i really don't want to deal with LT's in Cali, so this would be the next best thing i think. i really just don't want to put older Ford parts on. i'd rather go aftermarket and spend a little more. but it IS good info for the guys who don't want to spend the money on aftermarket.

When I was mentioning the Y-pipe I meant the whole thing, from cats down to the single exhaust flange going to the muffler.

If you use the 94-98 style use a 2 1/4" flange, if you use BBK's are are for 99-04 then use a 2" flange.

Call BBK and ask them about their collector to flange size, also ask them if they ceramic coat the inside of their headers, some companies do.


-Eric-

Soooo .... long-tubes still good?

Oh ya, you cant beat long tubes :D

Its just for us smog governed guys in such states as California that this is a great idea for. Also good for the guys that dont have a lot of money,dont want to replace their cracked 99+ with the same thingor want to have to get LT x or h-pipes.

I'm getting long-tubes down the road. You should do an article on whether or not to get rid of your cats and putting in mils.

Ok, that will be a couple months out but I will go ahead and make the article.

I will see if I can push my business license in the face of a few manufacturors and get some free items for the article!!!

Amanda was suppose to help me with that butI havnt seen her around forever!!!

Here is my stock headers off of the 96' that I reconditioned, ceramic coated and baked. They came out perfect!

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s261/mach1racer/619303-R1-14-12_015.jpg

Question
I wanted to get the Mac aluminum headers but now I am confused.
Should i get the shorty's or long tubes?
Which year should I get 94-98 or 99-04?

I got a 02 convertible v6 with the Mac catback exhaust.

When it comes to aftermarket headers get what fits your car, no need to do all the custom modding for those. If you dont have the cast for aftermarket shorties for your car and you have a 99+ then this mod is ideal for you.

If you live in a state where there is no smog regulation then I say go for the long tubes, they are one of the better mods for your car. The LT's with midpipe and GT takeoffs will put a kick in your pants :)

If you already have other mods done like CAI, TB, any kind of portwork and higher ratio roller rockers the kick will be magnafied.

More in More out :)

im looking to get LTs ceramic coated and which should i get 94-98 or 99-04. i got true duals flows. 2.5 in.

Just get the ones that fit your application year, in that case it doesnt matter too much, you are going to need to get a Midpipe anyways. I am pretty sure that MAC makes their LT collector size 2.5" so I think your safe there :)

This header guild mainly applies to those who have a 99-04 model and are looking for extra performance cheaper than they can with aftermarket headers. It also shows the 94-98 guys that their headers are great as they are and really dont need to purchase a $400 dollar set of shorties :)

ok appreciate your 2 cents lol

Anytime :)

Thank you very much for the information, I appreciate this.
I am here in LA and for me to get a set of 94-98 set of headers and to get them coated cost almost as much as the aftermarket headers.
I am still looking though. Furthermore I am trying to get the most bang out of a buck.
Thank you again.

If you dont have smog in your state get the Mac long tubes and the Mac midpipe. Get the one that fits yours year.

If you are a 99-04 Model and want shorty headers then get 94-97 headers and save a ton of money. You will need to do a little modification like extending the EGR tube and having a shop expand the collector flanges on the Y-Pipe.

ok so i have learned that the collectors on my 98 are 2.25". does that mean that the first set of cats are 2.25" in/out or not? and are the first set of cats consiterd "pre cats" or are they? also if i got the magnaflow cats would i need all four to be legal. all four meaning the first set of cats then the magnaflow cats or could i just use one magnaflow cat on each tube and be legal?

thanks sean.

1. how much HP do you get from LT's + H-pipe + dual exhaust?

i've asked before but i also just want to make sure:

2. if i get a catted H-pipe i'll pass emissions?

I am not sure about the size of the ID / OD of the cats, mine were stolen while I ate dinner one night by the kid down the street (Cops didnt do anything, after they left I watched them take it away in their van.) I do believe that they are though.

You will need all four cats in the same spot and same length on the Y-Pipe to pass in California, I dont know if its that way for other states. Being that California is the benchmark for smog I would stick with that set of rules. I would however make a set of test tubes so that you can slip two or all out whenever you feel like it.

I had to modify that ceramic coated 1995 BBK O/R X-Pipe that I had to fit my headers after the Y-pipe was stolen. I had a local shop weld smaller flanges on to accept the female header flange. I brought a bare 3.8L block in with a set of heads bolted on it and the headers so they could fab it up perfectly. They also raised the front of the block 3 degree's to simulate how it would sit in the car. Everything was perfect and it even lined up to the trans mount perfectly.

Starting the car the first time with the new engine, ported heads, intake, plenum and headers was crazy! It sounded like I had a 5.8L with a mean MEAN cam in it. I even got the cops called to my house where they cruised by repeatedly. I took it around the block just once and off idle it felt like that 03' GT 5spd that I had test driven. So the torque and low horsepower was there but I never got out of 3rd or higher than 30mph. I am having some fuel problems right now with my CPS and I will be changing that this week.

At higher rpm's it begins to sound high pitched but thats fine :) I just need gears now.

2004 V6 3.9L: I dont know the exact gains for LT's and dual exhaust, its greater over shorties for sure but not smog legal in California even with cats. In California you need to keep your cats in the same place as factory, doesnt matter if you put 20 cats on your car, if you moved them it wont pass inspection.

Now chances are that no one will ever look under your car (Except a Cop) for cats that arent in the right place so thats why I suggest two sets of exhaust if you can afford it. One that is emisions compliant and one that is built to how you like it with test tubes. That way if you get a Fix-It-Ticket then you just pay the $25 dollar court fee and the $20 dollar inspection fee and put your stock exhaust back on. After you pass then do what you want again.

What we are going to do with the BBK X-pipe is get two high flow cats and clamp them in the stock lower location and leave the uppers out. We will still pass smog (Maybe anyways:D) and we will only have to get two cats. If we ever go through inspection or a cop should become wise to us then we will have to get the other two clamped in too. Though that is the beauty of the test tube.

We just have to find some GT takeoffs now :)


Sorry I couldnt give you more help on how much power it nets ya.
As for the smog laws, I would just try to keep is stock and build a special exhaust on the side for yourself, that way you can always go back to stock if cought :)


-Eric-

sorry neotokyo but i have to ask you this question(sorry because you are gettin bombarded...) i was thinking bout getting headers for my 01 with a new exhaust too. if i put 94-98 stock shorties what size does the x-pipe/midpipe have to be. i might not be completely accurate with this question so sorry ifi'm wrong with the wording of the question

How much of a performance uprade are they.(if any)

excellent post, very informative, i got a few question,

i just order some 95 exhaust manifolds for my 2000,

the stock manifold has an egr tube in the front of the drivers side on, the 94-98 does not, so i was planing anyway on deleting the EGR, can any exhaust shop cover the egr holes?

my exhaust is basically the stock one until the catback, can i enlarge the flange and use it with my 00 exhaust manifolds so when i change them they bolt right up? or can i bolt the 2 flange at the 2 1/4 from the manifold and later opened them a bit.

what mid pipe can i get for this manifolds? any 96-98 mustang gt x/h would work, ? or does it gotta be one specifically for a 94-98 v6?

and the o2 sensors, can i tell the shop to cover the o2 holes on the 94-98 manifolds and leave them in the other tube? or the gotta be in the manifolds?

sorry for my question but i dont wanna run on any trouble when i install thanks!

bump, anyone?

dude, you are a legend in my eyes now!! thanks fo all that info, when i do it ill let ya know how it goes!

ORIGINAL: TOKIV6

excellent post, very informative, i got a few question,

i just order some 95 exhaust manifolds for my 2000,

the stock manifold has an egr tube in the front of the drivers side on, the 94-98 does not, so i was planing anyway on deleting the EGR, can any exhaust shop cover the egr holes?

my exhaust is basically the stock one until the catback, can i enlarge the flange and use it with my 00 exhaust manifolds so when i change them they bolt right up? or can i bolt the 2 flange at the 2 1/4 from the manifold and later opened them a bit.

what mid pipe can i get for this manifolds? any 96-98 mustang gt x/h would work, ? or does it gotta be one specifically for a 94-98 v6?

and the o2 sensors, can i tell the shop to cover the o2 holes on the 94-98 manifolds and leave them in the other tube? or the gotta be in the manifolds?

sorry for my question but i dont wanna run on any trouble when i install thanks!






why delete the EGR? if an inspection station notices it's deleted they will fail the car.

an easy fix is to run high temp silicon emissions hose from the 95 EGR port to your EGR valve and you will need 2 small emissions hoses to go from the header to the purge valve. the easiest way to do it is to get an EGR tube from a 94-98 and cut it just above where the small nipples come off of it for the purge valve hoses. it will work with about $50 invested and be 100% emissions legal.


NEO must not have heard of early 94's coming with cast iron headers. some came with them and they have roughly the same dimensions as 94-98 tubular stock headers but they could be extrude honed smooth and opened up alittle for better flow. they are very rare. i have only seen 2 cars with them. the Haynes mustang manual has a pic of a 3.8 stang engine with them too

ORIGINAL: NeoTokyo

If you dont have smog in your state get the Mac long tubes and the Mac midpipe. Get the one that fits yours year.

If you are a 99-04 Model and want shorty headers then get 94-97 headers and save a ton of money. You will need to do a little modification like extending the EGR tube and having a shop expand the collector flanges on the Y-Pipe.

Neo you have great technical advice on these headers for these years, but the bolded statement will mislead people. The requirement for catalytic converters is a federal law enforceable in all states. Any automotive mechanic doing vehicle inspections "could" fail your car without them. In some locations where states are required to do more pollution control (ozone nonattainment areas), more intense emissions control equipment inspections are required. A missing cat will immediately show-up under that kind of inspection, and you will be failed. Someone deleting cats and or putting in anO/R setup in a county of a state where these emissions inspections are not required is simply getting away with violating the law.

kinda like speeding where no law is present.

...

ORIGINAL: cobra232

ORIGINAL: TOKIV6

excellent post, very informative, i got a few question,

i just order some 95 exhaust manifolds for my 2000,

the stock manifold has an egr tube in the front of the drivers side on, the 94-98 does not, so i was planing anyway on deleting the EGR, can any exhaust shop cover the egr holes?

my exhaust is basically the stock one until the catback, can i enlarge the flange and use it with my 00 exhaust manifolds so when i change them they bolt right up? or can i bolt the 2 flange at the 2 1/4 from the manifold and later opened them a bit.

what mid pipe can i get for this manifolds? any 96-98 mustang gt x/h would work, ? or does it gotta be one specifically for a 94-98 v6?

and the o2 sensors, can i tell the shop to cover the o2 holes on the 94-98 manifolds and leave them in the other tube? or the gotta be in the manifolds?

sorry for my question but i dont wanna run on any trouble when i install thanks!






why delete the EGR? if an inspection station notices it's deleted they will fail the car.

an easy fix is to run high temp silicon emissions hose from the 95 EGR port to your EGR valve and you will need 2 small emissions hoses to go from the header to the purge valve. the easiest way to do it is to get an EGR tube from a 94-98 and cut it just above where the small nipples come off of it for the purge valve hoses. it will work with about $50 invested and be 100% emissions legal.





well, were i live they dont check for that, they only make sure you have your cats and thats it, so deleting the egr is no problem for me, i thought of it because is a lot easy than do all the process you said.

but what about the other stuff, what do you think?

No sticky? Bump.

ORIGINAL: TOKIV6


ORIGINAL: cobra232

ORIGINAL: TOKIV6

excellent post, very informative, i got a few question,

i just order some 95 exhaust manifolds for my 2000,

the stock manifold has an egr tube in the front of the drivers side on, the 94-98 does not, so i was planing anyway on deleting the EGR, can any exhaust shop cover the egr holes?

my exhaust is basically the stock one until the catback, can i enlarge the flange and use it with my 00 exhaust manifolds so when i change them they bolt right up? or can i bolt the 2 flange at the 2 1/4 from the manifold and later opened them a bit.

what mid pipe can i get for this manifolds? any 96-98 mustang gt x/h would work, ? or does it gotta be one specifically for a 94-98 v6?

and the o2 sensors, can i tell the shop to cover the o2 holes on the 94-98 manifolds and leave them in the other tube? or the gotta be in the manifolds?

sorry for my question but i dont wanna run on any trouble when i install thanks!






why delete the EGR? if an inspection station notices it's deleted they will fail the car.

an easy fix is to run high temp silicon emissions hose from the 95 EGR port to your EGR valve and you will need 2 small emissions hoses to go from the header to the purge valve. the easiest way to do it is to get an EGR tube from a 94-98 and cut it just above where the small nipples come off of it for the purge valve hoses. it will work with about $50 invested and be 100% emissions legal.





well, were i live they dont check for that, they only make sure you have your cats and thats it, so deleting the egr is no problem for me, i thought of it because is a lot easy than do all the process you said.

but what about the other stuff, what do you think?



if they check for the cats then your area requires the EGR to be intact too. Federal Law requires it to be intact and it really doesn't hurt performance so why not just use it???

SVTJohn (http://www.mustangforums.com/showProfile.asp?memid=77238)Performance wise I do not have any flow specs but they are 3-1 headers that have a 2.25" collector that replace the 99+ logs that have a 2" collector, the size of the primaries are on the front page. Common math tells your that the performance gain is going to be worth it.

Lando7886 (http://www.mustangforums.com/showProfile.asp?memid=68245)You can just have a shop modify a GT X-pipe for you with 2.25" flanges and the correct angle for the headers. My shop did mine for $70

TOKIV6 (http://www.mustangforums.com/showProfile.asp?memid=81656)Sent you a PM about that, hope it helped, if you want paste what I said in here so others can see it.

crash (http://www.mustangforums.com/showProfile.asp?memid=58578)LOL Thanks man, but im not on enough or know enough to be a legend :)

cobra232 (http://www.mustangforums.com/showProfile.asp?memid=5691)WOW I havent run by those yet but I will keep my eyes open now and buy the first set I find to take pics and measurments for everyone.

MantaDreams (http://www.mustangforums.com/showProfile.asp?memid=52545)Thanks :) And you are very correct, thats why its always best to try to find an inspection station that might have a rep of not lifting the car, there is one here in Springfield Mo. that I go to. As soon as I go home to California I have to get cats. I think I may have mentioned that it is a good idea to keep all stock exhaust componants just for inspection and smog reasons. Also California police check for smog equipment almost all of the time if they suspect other mods to your car.

I also mention in the PM that I sent that deleting the EGR isnt a good idea, its best just to keep it.
In the PM I mentioned that I muscled the 2000 EGR tube to work with the 94-97 headers that I used (Mine were 1996 headers to be exact.)


Sorry that I havnt been on much, lots of work at home and work :)

Here is a video of my exhaust without mufflers. The sound quality isnt great but you get an idea. This was taken with a small digital cam. You can see the stock muffler on there still but not connected, that was for inspection purposes. I also have another stock Y-Pipe that I can switch over to when I go back home to cali, I also have 4 hi-flow cats I can weld in too :) So I have a few options.

This video was to show that the exhaust can sound good but for the most part is annoying. Also the reason for the light smoke at the end is because I still need a wideband dyno tune. It was tuned for about 25hp less than what it can make just to be on the safe side.


It idles at 750, the first rev was 1400rpms, 2nd was 2000, third was 3000 and the 4th was 5000rpms.

http://www.youtube.com/v/KR-6mbotT9k

Also the reason why this isnt sticky anymore is probably because its old and I havnt been around much. They have to keep room for new stuff.

The fact that this isn't a sticky is absurd and proposturous.

I Want to get LTs for a 98 mustang v6 3.8 but i havent find any.
do u know where can i get those?

Even though the 94-98's are larger their 3 primaries all get squashed down into the 2 1/4in collector where as the 99-04's each dump directly into the 2 inch pipe with no loss of diamater. Makes me wonder if the older ones might actualy flow less.

ORIGINAL: MustangMike2001

Even though the 94-98's are larger their 3 primaries all get squashed down into the 2 1/4in collector where as the 99-04's each dump directly into the 2 inch pipe with no loss of diamater. Makes me wonder if the older ones might actualy flow less.


no they flow more than 99+, but not alot better on NA cars. on FI cars they are alot better and withstand the heat better as the 99+ log style manifolds are known to crack on stock setups letalone performance setups.

the power difference between the 2 on even a full bolt-on cammed with ported heads and intakes would only be about 5hp in favor of the 94-98's and even that would be pushing it.

2.25" collector is more than enough size for 3 cylinders to feed. there is no cramping down of flow withthe 94-98 header. they are actually well oversized for a stock engine and that is why you don't see any gains from aftermarket shorties even with a blower. LT's help the torque and scavenging to add more hp on top. the old 5.0 had horrible stock headers and that is why they see better gains with them than 3.8 guys

ditto!

I couldnt have said it better :)

If you guys still wants this stick just ask somone thatcan do it. Though this thread should probably be cleaned up a little.

That's good news. I was just looking at one of the headers the other day while I had it off the car and noticed how the tubes were squashed together and it made me wonder a little.

Did anyone else have issues with the passengers side header coming in contact with the motor mount? It took me forever to figure out why that side wouldn't seal to the head and it turned out the tube for cyl #1 comes in contact with the mount. I had to cut a notch the bracket with an angle grinder to get it to fit in.

Somone Make this a Sticky again, there have been a lot of header questions asked and this thread could save people a lot of money and time.

It needs to be cleaned up a little bit though.


*Mike I dont know why it came in contact with it, it shouldnt have.

does anyone have any torque/hp numbers for stock vs. 94-98? also 94-98 vs. long tubes?

I dont have those specs because:
1.) I am poor
2.) They are not smog legal in Cali
3.) I am poor

You will have greater torque, power and a more broad powerband though, BUT!!!! You need to upgrade your intake to help match the exhaust flow. A lot of people will say dont bother with CAI's, larger maf housings and larger TB's.

Its all part of the big picture, people arent happy with TB's and CAI's and headers because they dont put them all on at one time, that kick in the pants feeling just isnt there when putting them on one by one.

I feel that a NA setup should be similar as listed for bolt ons (No bottom end) assuming you have a splitport.

Intake:
1.) MAC orC&L 73mm MAF kit (You can go bigger but this kit makes it simple.)
2.) 70mm Throttle body
3.) Port matched and ported upper and lower intakes with post removed from intake.
4.) Ported and port matched heads w/valve components of your choice
5.) Cam of your choice or go with Harland sharp rollerrockers (These are geometrically incorrect though they net 10hp)
6.) Rhoads or FRPP best hydrolic roller lifters. These are critical for valve lift, stock experiance catastrophic failure at and above 6200rpms.

Exhaust:
1.) Stock 94-98 3-1 Headers or LT or aftermarket shorties of your choice.
2.) Shop modified 1994/95 H or X pipe of your choice, Federal law says you must have 2 cats.
3.) Mufflers and tips of your choice

Final Step: Get it dyno tuned to optimize performance. Adding a CAI, larger MAF housing, TB or spacer can cause the AFR to go way out of specs.

I havnt mentioned things like ignition or UDP's because that doesnt involve this thread.

That is how I have set up my own engine and have enjoyed the results.

Sticky again please :)
Clean it up too if you could and lock it.

[Deleted by Admins]

[Deleted by Admins]

the banstick approaches

did you dyno test the difference between the 00 +'s and the 96-98's? i just dont understand why ford would lower efficiency

Simple, its more cost effictive to cast an exhaust manifold than have it welded up.
The smaller diameter also allowed for more torque making the car feel more Sporty :)

Hey what happened up there with that banned person? I didnt get to read the posts o.o'

I thought at first you meant the ban stick was for me and I was like "I just want to help! :(" LOL

Horsepower wise you probably wont see much of an increase, but its a more cost worth solution to getting aftermarket headers (except long tubes.)

There is more work involved though so that you can use the 94-98 headers like expanding the size of the Y-pipe collectors.

Now I should mention that this information is based on three mustangs. A 1995, a 1996 and a 2000. Things changed a little in 01' and there are chances that the 94/95 X-pipe that I used (That worked great with only $70 in modifications from a shop) may not work on 01 or 02 or 03 or 04 or all.

So as long as you dont destroy your stock exhaust you can have fun and learn something new when trying to upgrade.

As for me and my setup (Again www.youtube.com/CrainRacing (http://www.youtube.com/CrainRacing) no mufflers) I gained some good power, enough to feel it from this modification, but I really needed to get mufflers on it before I felt the power increase. The Torque loss was too great without mufflers causing it to bog heavily.