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Old Jul 16, 2008 | 10:26 PM
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Headers? Decisions Decisions

I have a 2007 F150 and want to put new headers on it. Any input as far as a good brand goes? I am definitely going with ceramic coated. Have heard mixed opinions on each brand. Found JBA shorties for $420. Great deal. Heard that the welds tend to be rather poor. I am also replacing the exhaust and sending it out the passenger side before the rear tire. This is due to the fact that the rear axle has been hitting the existing Flowmaster exhaust out the rear. Let's just say that it is pretty LOW. Anyway, back to headers. Help?
 
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Old Jul 16, 2008 | 11:05 PM
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well i dont think JBA is a bad brand. pacesetter is good too. i havent heard any bad things about pacesetter. the price is about the same for the pacesetters as well. ive seen them on ebay, ceramic and non ceramic and the shortys come with an extra pipe to make them mid tube headers. been thinking about getting them myself but i dont want to loose what gas milage im getting. if somebody tells me that the milage wont suffer then ill probaly be on the net ordering them. i want them more for noise though. im not lookin at performance increase or clearence issues. sorry to get off topic. but yes i think jba or pacesetter or edelbrock etc... go to shopheaders.com and see what they offer as well. happy hunting and good luck ya
 
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Old Jul 16, 2008 | 11:07 PM
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oh and lets see some pics on your gallery. i havent seen any f150's dropped and i bet it looks pretty damn good.
 
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Old Jul 16, 2008 | 11:10 PM
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1. fix the way your current exhaust hangs. I've had my dual exhaust catback and done some serious 4x4 stuff. never had it touch the axle (or the ground luckily)

2. why do you want headers? for the money, they aren't worth it on the mod motors. unless they are part of a complete package of gears/tuner/full exhaust/intake...and maybe a Supercharger
 
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Old Jul 16, 2008 | 11:12 PM
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never thought of it that way tylus. but your right. they work best with a full package rather than by themselfs
 
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Old Jul 17, 2008 | 12:40 AM
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Thank guys! I have done the intake already. This is everything I plan on doing
1. headers
2. different exhaust
3. pulleys
4. electric cooling fan?????
5. mass airflow sensor
6. programer/ tuner
7. iridium plugs

as far as gearing goes, i am going back and forth on whether or not i should go from a 3.55 to 3.73
i have been told that all these together will produce some definite results.
 
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Old Jul 17, 2008 | 03:58 AM
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Originally Posted by samd77
Thank guys! I have done the intake already. This is everything I plan on doing

as far as gearing goes, i am going back and forth on whether or not i should go from a 3.55 to 3.73
good list of bolt-ons. and somewhat expensive. they all do help you get power, but you can short-cut them and go straight to a supercharger. your parts list is looking about $2,000 to 2,500 alone before install fees, and then gears will run you an additional $500 or so per axle.


btw, don't waste your money with 3.73 gears. go with 4.10 or 4.30 gears. gears alone will be the biggest kick in the butt you can spend your money on. gears and a tuner will make your truck a different beast. it'll be like night and day
 
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Old Jul 17, 2008 | 11:12 AM
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Originally Posted by tylus
for the money, they aren't worth it on the mod motors. unless they are part of a complete package of gears/tuner/full exhaust/intake...and maybe a Supercharger
I'll soon find out! Just got in a set of Dynatech longtubes with hi-flow cats.
 
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Old Jul 18, 2008 | 01:16 AM
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that sounds like alot of fun...and I'm a wee bit jealous
 
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Old Jul 18, 2008 | 11:29 AM
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Well, you wouldn't be jealous of the installation procedure! Its "tight" to say the least. The instructions don't say it, but its recommended that the motormounts are loosened and jacking the engine up a couple of inches to gain clearance.
 
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Old Jul 18, 2008 | 06:33 PM
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I think I could "suffer" for the gains of a S/c and longtubes
 
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Old Jul 18, 2008 | 06:39 PM
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Doesn't the 2007 and 2008 F150's come with "factory" headers?? Would the gain from aftermarket ones be worth the money?
 
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Old Jul 18, 2008 | 06:48 PM
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From: Enjoying the real world.
Well, actually, the 2004 and up all have "header like" exhaust manifolds. Each exhaust port has its own pipe-like tube in the manifold but they aren't up to par with true heaers. For 2007-2008 Ford made them a little better, more "header like" (similar to Toyota), but they still aren't true headers.

The headers I'm installing are long tubes as opposed to short tubes. The long tubes are definitely better for performance. Just make sure you get them cermanic coated or wrapped with header wrap to keep heat out from under the hood. Also, coupled with high flow catalytic converters it makes an even bigger difference. I'll be posting before and after dyno numbers.
 
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