I would like to put some headers of my '94 F150 with a 5.0L. Its got 80,000 miles. I have been warned by family members and friends that it is very possible that I may brake off a bolt inside the head when taking off the old headers. I would really like to get new headers becuase of the performance benefit but I dont want this project to turn into a nightmare with broken bolts stuck in the heads. Any suggestions on what I should do?

 

Hey! I just finished the process so you can listen to my story. I pulled my manifolds so i could switch to headers, and ended up breaking six bolts. I tried to easy out them, but only broke the easy outs. I ended up puling the heads and going over to my bosses shop cause he has a drill press. It is pretty easy to drill the bolts with a drill press so long as you start with a small bit and work up to a big one. Make sure you have the hole center punched real good and you keep the bits oiled well and sharpen them if they dont turn out good curles of metal. Its OK if the bit walkes off center, i was still able to re tap threads into the cast iron heads. Use cheap drill bits so if you break one you can drill it out with an expensive hardened one. Oh yeah, before you do all the drilling, my bolts broke in such a way that a lot of it stuck out so i got new nuts welded on and was able to get two out that way so if you have access to a welder this can save lots of time. Before you even start i would recomend heating the bolts red hot and then soaking them in PB blaster for a few hours and re soaking them. Also try some blows with a mallet, but be careful cause cast iron is brittle and can crack. doing it yourself will save you a lot of money. Good luck! write me with any q's.

 

Ok... how about an easier (less scarry) way of doing it?

Soak the bolts in PB blaster (regarded as the best we sell at farm&fleet) every night when you're done driving it, after its cooled, for a week or so.

The day you do it, soak them every 15 minitues, for an hour or so...

you shouldnt break anything, unless they've been over torqued before. Using this method, I tightened mine (that havent been touched in 13 years... deaf grampa didnt know)
Put new ones on, for good measure...
Worked for me
~Nate

 

77Ford Guy-
Did you soak your header bolts with PB blaster or anything before you decided to take them off? And how old is your truck and how many miles?

Also I'm worried about spraying PB blaster on the headers everday after I drive it. Would all that stuff cause an underhood fire the next day when I drive it?

 

Hey! sorry to get back to you so late. I did soak the bolts with pb blaster a lot, but my truck is a 77 and i'm pretty sure the mile gauge has turned over a couple times. With a 94 i dont think you will have much trouble with getting the bolts out. PB blaster is flamable, but when i went to heat up the bolts with a torch after having it on, it didnt seem like it would cause a fire, so i wouldnt worry much.

 

you could always try and lossen them with the engine "warm" kinda like the 02 sensor trick. little bit of heat always seems to make things slide a bit easier.

 

So, did you have any luck with the bolts? I just wanted to warn you, if you have to drill them watch out for your water jacket. Its a lot easier than i thought to hit it.

 

Well, I havent bought headers yet. I just wanted to know how difficult it would be to install them. I think I might wait a little while until i get really motivated to do that project.

 

Its easier then you think... I did have to make a wrench for mine by grinding down the box end of a china 9/16, and shortening it.

PB blaster is non flamabal to around 800? degrees I can shoot it into a match, and it puts the match out. I did spray it on my hot headers accidently, and there was just some white smoke (NASTY smell).
It's also a jet type stream, so its easy to control exactly where it goes... JET, not fog (like WD40)

It's easier then you think, dont worry about it
~Nate

 

I'm not so much worried about putting on headers, I'm quite mechanically inclined, i'm just worried about breaking a bolt inside the heads and possibly having to take the head off and have it drilled out. I might try it one day when I get brave.

 

i just put full length headers on my 90 302. didn't break a thing, and were way easier to install than the instructions made it out to be. the old bolts didn't even crack or creak when taking them out.

 

I put some Summit shorties on my '87 302 (100k miles) last year. No problem whatsoever removing the factory manifolds. I think I squirted the bolts with some WD-40 the night before and they came right out. My biggest problem is now trying to keep the header bolts from inching out.

 

fordF150guy, mike2112- Did you feel it was worth the effort to put on your headers, and what kind of performance benefit did you get, if any?

 

WD40 is NOT a penitrating oil, or effective luberciant... U wouldnt have broken them off if you had done nothing to them.

PB is the best stuff out there for this type of work... High flashpoint, and low residue... Just do it...

For good measue, soak them the night before... Then (after soaking them) put cotton *****/squres, or a rag over the bolts, and soak that too.. Day of, soak them another 2-3 times

Mine came out no problem, one did make a "creaking" noise, but I replaced them all anyways...

Good luck to you, as headers not only sound cool, but I made some more MPG with mine.

~Nate

 

Speaking only on my experience, I think it was worth the effort, which really wasn't much at all. My truck seems to "exhale" a little better and there seems to be a bit more punch when I accelerate. As far as mileage goes, I haven't noticed any significant difference. But, I only drive my truck about 50-75 miles a week and most of that is city. I suspect if I did more highway drivng then I might notice some gain in that department. Of course, it wasn't just the headers. I installed a K&N drop-in filter, I pulled my cat (going to put that back on, though) and installed some "performance" mufflers. (Please see my previous post in this forum for more info on that -- entitled "exhaust upgrade.") All in all, I would recommend doing it. Headers are not that expensive, there is some performance gain, and it's really not that big of a deal to do. Keep in mind that the headers are just the beginning -- you need to upgrade the exhaust system to gain the full benefit of better breathing.