Welp, i installed the hedmen headers (hed89300 from summit) about 3 weeks ago. the install went fairly well with minimal hassles. there were some modifications to the altenator/smog pump bracket as well as the engine lift bracket. i have many pics of the install i will post later. i h ad the headers ceramic coated with a 1900* flat black coating which, IMO, is the cats meow. i am all for ceramic coatings. i dont have any offical temps from my temp gun but after a run around town i can touch the primaries w/o giving myself 3rd degree burns.

i ran open headers w/o an o2 sensor for about a week and one day and it was the most fun and most miserable time. it was so loud it made driving a nightmare but it was so nice to hear the 300 roar. i didnt make long trips, longest was about 14 miles. i then had an exhaust installed with a custom y-pipe, magnaflow "high flow" cat and magnaflow muffler. pipe was 2 1/2" all around except off the headers into the y-pipe. the magnaflow muffler made it sound good under an est. 2500 rpm but over that it was horrible so i cut the muffler off last night. much better, back to the ol' tractor sound im used to....

The good:
Power is definatly noticable. i can now pull most hills with ease and run block to block at 40-43 mph instead of around 35 mph. it will also bark the tires loose around turns and really feels strong from idle to WOT. they seem to have helped mid-range power the most with a slight difference at lower rpm, but dont be fool...it still pulls like a mule...

The bad:
i have a constant CEL (code 332, insufficent EGR flow) because i cut the pipe going to the EGR from the manifold about half way behind the upper intake. at first i placed a penny between the gasket (fit perfectly) but the truck ran horribly. i removed the penny and am currently running the EGR "open" (it is essentially letting in fresh air through the pipe). i would like to try FFI.coms EGR elimator but i have no hard evidence that it'll work 100% on a 300 (he says it will work on 302/351s). if i cant find any info i may have the EGR hooked back up. i also notice a slight hesisation at part throttle while cruising. it is mainly evident when pulling a hill but i reckon its from the EGR. other than that there is no major problems (yet).

on a recent trip of almost 200 miles (and a good 20 minute of idling with the AC on) i pulled 14.2 mpg, which is average for me...so fuel consumption hasnt changed so far.

as soon as i get around to it i will post the pics and i need to upload the sound clips i took of it with open headers. i didnt take any sound clips of it with the magnaflow muffler because...to be truthful...i was ashamed of how it sounded. but i will try to get clips of my current set up ASAP (mufflerless)...lets just say its a tad loud :twisted:

 

Awesome man! I need to get more power out of my 300! Did these headers come with O2 fittings? What kind of mufflers if any did you put on?

 

no o2 bung, i had it installed in the y-pipe, i didnt wanna booger up my headers if i wanted to sell them for some reason.

 

i have considered getting a header for my '93. did you use the gasket that came with it? that come with that coating on there or u pay extra for it? is it all still emissions legal with the header and hiflow cat?

 

Headers are generally emission legal as long as you have a stock equiv. cat in the original location [or close to it] and can still pass your local smog check.

 

That is completely false. Nothing you do to your exhaust between the engine and catalyst is legal without a federal E.O. number. Anything you do after the catalyst (or rear O2 if equipped) is legal. The only hope that non-E.O.'d headers might pass is if there is no visual check and it must only pass a tailpipe test. Even then it isn't legal, you just aren't being caught because your local inspection standards choose to ignore the federal guidelines for emissions regualtions. The chances of a long tube header passing a sniffer test are slim. They release too much heat that the catalyst needs to do its job. Ceramic coating will help, but it may or may not be enough to get the job done.

 

i used the stock gasket, the ceramic coating was extra ($150) and no...they are not smog legal. off-road use only...

on a side note, i did not have to shim my alt/smog bracket. i trimmed enough to make them fit with a little room to spare and it all went back together nicely.

SS, what kinda of issues did u experience when u had ur EGR unhooked?

 

thanks for the info, i guess thats somethin to consider than.

 

I could have made the header clear the bracket without shims, but it wouldn't have left much material and would have still hit the alternator itself.

I don't have any issues, but mine isn't sucking air either. I have a rubber heater pipe plug over the end of the EGR valve so it doesn't leak. It seems that yours has a DPFE sensor and it's giving you a code if you plug it and it gives you a big vacuum leak at part throttle when you don't? You might be able to hook the EVR output hose to the upstream port of the DPFE sensor and trick it into thinking the vacuum it sees is EGR flow. I'm not sure what the volts/vacuum ratio is on the sensor, but it will be very sensitive I'm sure. You might need a controlled leak in the line to keep it happy.

 

thats odd, mine doesnt hit and cleans fine. perhaps ford used different bracketry?

im not sure what kind of EGR i have off hand. but for now im gunna let it go because i am going back to school and dont have time to mess with it. im sure we'll come up with something.