cost to get shorty headers installed?

[70torino429]

could always get some ford truck 5.0 shorty headers that come with the o2 sensor bungs and then get one of them universal h pipes from summit or jegs for about $40. be cheaper and give the same performance. just my .02

[Lincolnmania]

ford truck headers arent gonna bolt up to the cats
most exhaust shops wont headers because alot of times bolts break on various cars........if you want to do it cheaply, get a set of used shorty headers, and a used h pipe from a mustang or a mark7......you will need longer o2 sensors (91 mark7 longest harness you can get) two 43281 mid pipes, two 31885 flanges, a pair of 2.25" ofset ofset mufflers, a pr of stock tailpipes, and clamps,two swinger hangers and two pipe reducers to put the 2" tailpipes into the 2.25" mufflers, and bolts nuts and washers to bolt the midpipes to the h pipe

[87gtVIC]

couldnt one just extend the 02 wires themselves?

[Lincolnmania]

yea buy why reuse 20 year old sensors

[1987cp]

I also had a mechanic once insist that an O2 sensor won't ever work right if you extend the wires at home. Of course, he was utterly unable to give a coherent explanation why ("It works through the wires").

[mrltd]

any added length by soldering or by crimp connectors is going to add resistance and therefore skew the O2 sensor reading.

[1987cp]

That I hadn't thought of. Silly, really, as I know that most of the computer circuits are supposed to be highly sensitive to any extra resistance.

And, the upshot is still that long-plug oxygen sensors are the same price as the short-plug type, which are probably ready to be replaced anyway.

Actually, I have a barely-used pair of long-plug sensors here somewhere that aren't doing me any good .... I wonder if I know where both of them are .....

[merc91]

-i'm going to go with 2.75" mandrel bent dualies all the way.
-Probly get my new cats and make em a little better flowing and bigger inlet/outlet.
-and throw in an H-pipe of course... with the O2 sensor
-most likely flowmaster 40's with the matching big inlet/outlet
-and shorty headers which i can do myself which is great.

i'll probably get this exhaust done in late summer...

[351m]

Speaking of running 2.75" pipe, what about '94 351W Ford E series manifolds? You would still need the O2 sensors in the pipes but they look like sewer pipes compared to what comes on the older 351s and most 302s. I believe my van has 1 pipe that was 2.5" and 1 that was 2.75" on it between the manifolds and cat.

[King_V]

Wait, um, let's say you're going with stock Mustang type headers.

How much extra would it be, roughly, to:

1) Put bungs for the O2 sensors on the headers?
2) Get them to adapt-fit to the stock catalysts/H-pipe?

Reason I ask is because, if this diagram is any indication, then the cats are separate from the H-pipe.

I imagine the dual-exhaust H-pipe in that picture is FAR less expensive than getting the Mustang one with the catalytic converters on it.

And, yeah, I know prices vary from shop to shop . . so, since Scott's the only one I know thus far who's got a shop, what's the typical labor time involved for what I've proposed?

Yeah, and I realize that, in doing that, it'd actually be a situation where I've got headers going into cats going into the SINGLE exhaust Y pipe until I finally get the rest of the system, etc, etc, blah blah.

Er, that is, if I were to do it right now. More likely I'll get the factory-style dual system, then see about getting the Mustang headers (I've already got a used set from when I was planning things with an 88 Thunderbird Sport) installed later.

[Lincolnmania]

the stock front pipes can be modded to fit the headers, and its been done before......gadget had done this to his stock towny dual exhaust......the problem was that the pipe was up against the frame and it never quite sealed 100%
solution would be to have an exhaust shop make new flanged ends and weld those in with o2 sensors.....but lookin at some money there too

what do i charge for labor to install exhaust from the heads to the tailpipes?........around 350-400 dollars.

[King_V]

Ah, I was thinking more along the lines of labor cost for putting on Mustang headers and making them fit the Crown Vic's existing exhaust system (and I suppose the new flanged ends, which I didn't realize would need to be done)

Uh, with O2 bungs on the new ends as you've mentioned - I'd've guessed that it'd be "better" to put the bungs in the headers themselves, but I guess wrong a LOT of times!

[1987cp]

2.75" exhaust? I'll be very surprised if you're able to make that fit ... besides, I doubt any street motor can utilize that exhaust volume, plus you can build a 2.5" system using 100% off the shelf parts.

King_V: Vic exhaust has the cats separate, Mustang exhaust has them in the H pipe. Scott and numerous others like to use aftermarket Mustang H pipes because they bolt right to Mustang headers and are easily adapted to the rest of the system.