Over the last couple of months I have installed a stock rebuilt '89 Bronco 351w in my '83 F-150. I had to order a new intake (weiand stealth) this morning after finding the 2181 Performer I had been running for 6 years on the old worn out engine was warped. I decided to step up to the stealth as it gives me room to grow performance wise as the money tree comes back to life.

I'm still running the stock peashooter '83 iron exhaust manifolds with their 1 3/4" outlets, stock y-pipe, no cat, and 2 1/2" single exhaust back to a flo-pro race muffler turned down in front of the rear axle. I know this setup is doing me no favors for performance or gas mileage. I have been doing a ton of research on the limited number of long tube header options out there, and so far I have not been impressed with any of them. Seems that nearly all have all kinds of fitment problems.

Would there be an issue running shorty headers designated for the '87-up models? Most of the long tubes are listed for '80-'96, so if the long tubes will fit, I dont see why the shorties wouldn't.

I'd like some real world input for those that have a 351w in this body style pickup, including whether or not there was any increase (or decrease) in mileage or performance. I've already spent way too much getting other things done on this truck...the wife wants me to get a newer truck but I have had this thing for 8 years and am rather attached to it.

 

Subscribing. I have an '81 2WD F150 supercab with short bed and 351W and hope to reuse the exhaust system I had on the same engine in a '70 2WD F100 short bed. It has Mustang shorties from ebay and the tail pipes exited on the sides in front of the rear wheels on the '70 F100. I'll be interested in what you come up with.