searching "headers" in the titles of threads in the 04-08 section netted me 4.5 pages of results, 90% of which were asking about gains from shorty headers.

i am considering them, but not for gains.. i want to fix my manifold leaks(s), ONCE. i am in the heart of the salt belt, so i don't want to be changing OE/Dorman manifolds every year or two. i currently have 3 studs broken on the passenger side (which as you can imagine is making quite a racket), and see there is one missing on the driver side as well. not sure if there are any cracks, but based on the notoriety of them i am assuming it's not IF, but WHEN they do.

so i'm considering SS shorties. looking at the JBA based on what i've googled, and am wondering about long-term durability of them or other equivalents. also i am curious if there is a far-and-above set of bolts/studs that hold up, as well as a standlone set of gaskets.

again, gains would be nice, but i want to do this once, and having stock exhaust otherwise (which i am content with after driving loud vehicles the last 15 years) i don't feel longtubes are worth it for me.

 

I have a 2005 FX4. I have installed the JBA shorties and am quite pleased with the results. They fit tight, don't leak, and add slight low end power gains and a nice sound to the engine bay. Downside is the install is tough. Given you have broken studs pull the heads, I did, went easy. You cannot reach the bolts to retighten after heat up, but I have had no problems.

 

well 5 years later and i haven't fixed this yet, but the leak has gotten worse this summer to the point it's embarrassing. anyone else able to chime in on low-end shorty headers? are the eBay ones asking for trouble? OR, is there an updated OE-style manifold on the market?

 

Not sure about updated, but I had my manifolds replaced when I put in the reman. Pretty sure they are ****ty Dorman ones, but they are quiet and I don't plan on keeping the truck for 5 years, maybe 1 more or 2 more years. Either way, the cost of headers is really not worth it. If you went with headers and a full exhaust, you are looking at more than likely over $1k of work. If that is something you can justify over everything else, then why not. Personally, I would not invest that much into a 3V. You might need it in 30k more miles

 

no i wouldn't have considered anything beyond headers anyways. and like you said, this truck isn't worth the cost of a full system... worst-case scenario is driving it/keeping it alive another 3 years.

it goes in to the shop this week for an OE-style passenger manifold. i think this is the third time in my entire life that i've taken my vehicle to a shop to have work done, but my gut tells me it's the right choice for this job since i don't have an engine hoist or a welder, both of which i see coming in handy to get it done.

 

Unless you are taking the entire cab off, manifolds are a PITA... and pretty sure they will do that anyways. Easier than removing the engine.

 

If you do it yourself, always assemble with NORD Lock washers. They prevent the need for re-torqing and they don't back off.