And last but not least...........

William Bowers · 02-13-2002, 09:49 AM

Is it really worth the expense and effort to install aftermarket headers? I mean the stock stainless ones hold up so well and you really have to shell out some serious dough for stainless or ceramic coated after market ones.Are they really a bottle neck? I mean if you don't plan to exceed 300hp are they really holding you back? It just seems that my money could be better spent elsewhere.

302 LX Eric · 02-13-2002, 10:33 AM

Not knowing what modifications you presently have, or where you want to go with your Mustang it's hard to say.

If you plan on doing any mild mods to your car, a complete exhaust system is always nice. And, yes, the stock headers are very restrictive.

Mods cost money. You just have to determine where you want your car to end up, then we can really help you pick and choose the right combination of parts that will achieve the desired result.

E

NewAge 5.0 · 02-13-2002, 12:45 PM

bottleneck huh? you must work in manufacturing.. anyways even a stock car will benifit from headers I say get them!! BBK shorties and an H-PIPE 3.73 gear if your five speed and you will be tickled to death! only get longtubes if you dont care about minor driveabilty issues w/ the O2 sensors being to far down stream.. a good set of 1.625 headers will do you wonders.. They did me years ago on a 87GT.. 13.80@102 on street treads.. Headers Hpipe pulleys gears..1.7 RR's

Mr 5 0 · 02-13-2002, 01:21 PM

William:

If you intend to retain the factory heads and intake and do few other modifications to your Mustang then the stock headers are not the first thing I would replace, although they are a slight bottleneck due to the crimps and dimples they contain that the factory makes to ease their installation on the assembly line.

For exhaust mods, the worst bottleneck are the catalytic converters - so replace them with an X or H pipe or buy 'High-Performance' (low restriction) cats and you'll feel the difference.

Then, should you see aftermarket heads/intake in your car's future, you can consider aftermarket headers for your 'Stang.

William Bowers · 02-13-2002, 03:37 PM

Since it is a street only type of car my mods will be relatively minor on the list are 3.73's,xpipe, mufflers,pulleys,spacer,fenderwell air intake,70mm throttle body, larger mass air, higher liter per hour fuel pump,subframe connecters,tower brace, and kmember brace. these will probably be the extent of my mods for about a year or two, since fielding two drag bikes takes up most of my money.At that point just out of curiosity would i be better off to spend another 2500 on a blower and headers ......or heads, rolloer rockers,headers,and a new intake?

William Bowers · 02-13-2002, 03:39 PM

BTW it is a five speed 93 LX, with 60,000 miles FYI.

William Bowers · 02-13-2002, 03:49 PM

BTW again, I live in S.C. so no emissions laws or inspections so cats aren't an issue anyway

anyone care to make a guess at rear wheel hp with the combo I mentioned? 225 maybe? Hard for me to estimate, all I do is 4 cylinder bikes so my v-8 experience is very limited.

Mr 5 0 · 02-13-2002, 04:43 PM

William:

With those mods you can get by with the factory headers, although you'll lose a few HP, the H-pipe will make up a lot of that loss.

Good mod list but pass on the 70mm TB; too big for a stock intake/head combo. Stay with the stock TB for now, upgrade later when you get the aftermarket intake/heads.
The bigger capacity FP isn't strictly necessary with stock injectors but not a bad idea anyway, just as a practical upgrade that you'll need later.

For the future, I would opt to go step-by-step. Heads and intake , headers, bigger TB along with 24-pound injectors and an adjustable fuel pump and a MSD or other ignition control system in anticipation of a blower in the future.

That would eat up around $2,500. and give you a lot more power while making the engine blower-ready should you want still more - which you probably will. It's a curse...you'll see.

02-13-2002, 09:49 AM	#1
William Bowers Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: LEXINGTON S.C. Posts: 30	And last but not least........... Is it really worth the expense and effort to install aftermarket headers? I mean the stock stainless ones hold up so well and you really have to shell out some serious dough for stainless or ceramic coated after market ones.Are they really a bottle neck? I mean if you don't plan to exceed 300hp are they really holding you back? It just seems that my money could be better spent elsewhere.

02-13-2002, 10:33 AM	#2
302 LX Eric or '331 LX Eric' Join Date: Jan 1999 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 2,142	Not knowing what modifications you presently have, or where you want to go with your Mustang it's hard to say. If you plan on doing any mild mods to your car, a complete exhaust system is always nice. And, yes, the stock headers are very restrictive. Mods cost money. You just have to determine where you want your car to end up, then we can really help you pick and choose the right combination of parts that will achieve the desired result. E __________________ 1991 5.0 LX Coupe - 40,750 miles 331 cu. in. / Tremec 3550 / BFG Drag Radials 12.22 @ 114.31 mph - w/1.89 60'

02-13-2002, 12:45 PM	#3
NewAge 5.0 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Sanford NC USA Posts: 155	bottleneck huh? you must work in manufacturing.. anyways even a stock car will benifit from headers I say get them!! BBK shorties and an H-PIPE 3.73 gear if your five speed and you will be tickled to death! only get longtubes if you dont care about minor driveabilty issues w/ the O2 sensors being to far down stream.. a good set of 1.625 headers will do you wonders.. They did me years ago on a 87GT.. 13.80@102 on street treads.. Headers Hpipe pulleys gears..1.7 RR's __________________ 88 Hatch 10.60's @ 130 89 Hatch Not as fast but holds its own

02-13-2002, 01:21 PM	#4
Mr 5 0 Conservative Individualist Join Date: May 1997 Location: Wherever I need to be Posts: 7,487	Headers William: If you intend to retain the factory heads and intake and do few other modifications to your Mustang then the stock headers are not the first thing I would replace, although they are a slight bottleneck due to the crimps and dimples they contain that the factory makes to ease their installation on the assembly line. For exhaust mods, the worst bottleneck are the catalytic converters - so replace them with an X or H pipe or buy 'High-Performance' (low restriction) cats and you'll feel the difference. Then, should you see aftermarket heads/intake in your car's future, you can consider aftermarket headers for your 'Stang.

02-13-2002, 04:43 PM	#8
Mr 5 0 Conservative Individualist Join Date: May 1997 Location: Wherever I need to be Posts: 7,487	Mods William: With those mods you can get by with the factory headers, although you'll lose a few HP, the H-pipe will make up a lot of that loss. Good mod list but pass on the 70mm TB; too big for a stock intake/head combo. Stay with the stock TB for now, upgrade later when you get the aftermarket intake/heads. The bigger capacity FP isn't strictly necessary with stock injectors but not a bad idea anyway, just as a practical upgrade that you'll need later. For the future, I would opt to go step-by-step. Heads and intake , headers, bigger TB along with 24-pound injectors and an adjustable fuel pump and a MSD or other ignition control system in anticipation of a blower in the future. That would eat up around $2,500. and give you a lot more power while making the engine blower-ready should you want still more - which you probably will. It's a curse...you'll see.

02-13-2002, 03:37 PM	#5
William Bowers Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: LEXINGTON S.C. Posts: 30	Since it is a street only type of car my mods will be relatively minor on the list are 3.73's,xpipe, mufflers,pulleys,spacer,fenderwell air intake,70mm throttle body, larger mass air, higher liter per hour fuel pump,subframe connecters,tower brace, and kmember brace. these will probably be the extent of my mods for about a year or two, since fielding two drag bikes takes up most of my money.At that point just out of curiosity would i be better off to spend another 2500 on a blower and headers ......or heads, rolloer rockers,headers,and a new intake?

02-13-2002, 03:39 PM	#6
William Bowers Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: LEXINGTON S.C. Posts: 30	BTW it is a five speed 93 LX, with 60,000 miles FYI.

02-13-2002, 03:49 PM	#7
William Bowers Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: LEXINGTON S.C. Posts: 30	BTW again, I live in S.C. so no emissions laws or inspections so cats aren't an issue anyway anyone care to make a guess at rear wheel hp with the combo I mentioned? 225 maybe? Hard for me to estimate, all I do is 4 cylinder bikes so my v-8 experience is very limited.