$$$ header install $$$

[DOOM]

Hey guys for those of you that have your headers installed how much did you pay?
I just went to a local shop to get an estimate and was quoted $1,500 - 1,600 :eek:
Now this price is for the installation of headers and all piping back to the mufflers.
I think thats waaaaayyyyyy too much!
A local member went to the same exact shop about a year ago with my EXACT setup and they charged him less than $600.00 :confused:
So im curious as to what you guys are paying for installs. :help:

[ImpalaSlayer]

doom ill help you install them! cant do the piping though...

[O's Fan Rich]

The shop more than likely learned it's lesson.....from the other guy's install.

What's their hourly rate?

[justbob]

For $1499.00 i'll drive to YOUR house and put them on!

[O's Fan Rich]

Doom.... did you read my install thread?
I also think Zack said he can do these installs pretty quick. Faster than me I bet!

http://www.motorcitymarauders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3530

[DOOM]

For $1499.00 i'll drive to YOUR house and put them on!

Gee thanks. You're all heart bob :D

[justbob]

If you were closer Jake i'm sure we could work out something involving thick steaks, scalloped potatoes, green beens and biscuits!

But yes that is a rediculous amount.

[Dragcity]

I paid a buck fifty for the flanges welded and the OEM mufflers fit to the X-pipe. The gaskets were another 26 clams.

I put the headers and pipes on and drove up to the shop.

Add in all the nuts, studs and exhaust gaskets from FoMoCo and that waws another 80 smakaroos.

Not an innexpensive endeavor on these Marauders. Next car I buy will come with headers from the factory....

FYI, it took me all of a dozen hours to R&R the exhaust. On the floor of my garage, several nights after work.

[SILVERSURFER03]

I might know someone that can do it other than justbob and his steaks

[DOOM]

Guys all i want to know is what YOU paid for your header installs???

[fastblackmerc]

My custom exhaust system install was alittle over $1,000.00. I supplied headers and mufflers. They supplied labor, 2.5" stainless steel mandrel bent piping, flanges, nuts, bolts & welding. Took about 12 hours of labor.

[DOOM]

Anyone else???

[O's Fan Rich]

Anyone else???

Having installed them myself, I can only comment on the time it took me, Jake. That's why I gave you the link to my install thread.

It's a matter of how much the shop charges per hour and then the time they estimate it at.
It seems to me that when the first guy who went to that shop with his kit, they figured "piece of cake.... easy money"... and got burned. But lived up to their quote, they know better now, and are quoting along the lines of their experience.

Now, if you could install the headers yourself and then trailer the car ( or have it flat bedded) to their shop, you might save yourself half of their quote.

Your exhaust, kit, is it ready to bolt on, or will it need to be welded too? There may be someone out there willing to do it as a side job, if it's a bolt in. But I'd imagine there will be welding ( at least for the tips), so it would need to be the right guy.
My first round with exhaust -Magnaflow catted X pipe, cobra manifolds 2 1/5 all the way back with stock tips welded on was $1100.00 iirc.... then I did the headers the next year, trailer'd the car to the same shop and had an H pipe installed and the exhaust hooked up for another $350.00 I believe.... the TAF did the Mandrel tailpipes and delete tips for me.

Ain't cheap!

[crouse]

What are you doing for catalytic converters? If you want to have them, I'd recommend Magnaflow.

http://www.car-sound.com/02product/displayuniversal.asp?universal =94066


$88 each at Summit Racing.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=MPE%2D94066&N=700+115&autoview=sku


You'll probably need O2 sensor extension cables. Something like this. Not sure if this is the correct one though.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=BBK%2D1676&N=700+400456+115&autoview=sku

[DOOM]

So do you think $1,600 sounds about right???

[Ken]

I see that $500 to install my Kook's was a bargain.

Ken

[DOOM]

I see that $500 to install my Kook's was a bargain.

Ken

That's what I figured the average price should be.

[bigbillybbs]

My KOOKS set up which was Headers - X pipe - Spintech mufflers installed cost me $600 .
I wouldn’t pay anymore than that.!!!!!!!!!

[Motorhead350]

I paid $300 for my install. Another $80 to get it hooked up, but it should have been less if you ask me. Seemed like a $40 job.

[DOOM]

My KOOKS set up which was Headers - X pipe - Spintech mufflers installed cost me $600 .
I wouldn’t pay anymore than that.!!!!!!!!!


Im not paying $1,600 for a $600.00 job :bs:

[RR|Suki]

cost me $600 to have the whole re done exhaust hooked up.

[O's Fan Rich]

Jake.... you need to get a friend with a lift in his/her garage...

[DOOM]

Her garage :D

[Dragcity]

If you can do it your self, you'll save most of that. All you'll need is some misc. parts and get the tailpipes and mufflers properly attached.

The job is not hard by any stretch, just a pain in the ash, neck, arms and especially the fingers and hands....

Hand tools is all I used and had to bend one 1/2 inch wrench about 70 degrees.

One mainifold nut had to be heated with Oxy/acetalyne because it would not budge.

Just jack the car 2 feet off the ground, lay down two layers of cardboard and have at it. Take the week to do it in the evenings and plan to finish up on the weekend. (that approach is dependent on have another car you can use).

I agree, I would never pay that much for the work to be done, which is exactly why I did it myself. Plus, I know it was done well.....

I think Kooks charges 1K, if it's their headers.

Plan on getting new gaskets at Ford. Mine were wiped out and fell apart when I removed the manifold. Also, most of the studs and nuts were rusted to the point they could not be re-used, so might as well replace all those.

Sorry for the bad news, but don't forget, all these shops are trying to make ends meet. Not only have most folks stopped buying new cars, they have also stopped servicing their olds ones.

I recently inquired about a local Dynotune for mine. They guy said at least $800, maybe more... I declined.

[Joe Walsh]

I've got to agree with Joe/Dragcity...If you have another car and can let your Marauder sit for a weekend...you can do the install yourself.
I did mine over a weekend and then cobbled up some PepBoys flexpipe to connect the new 2.5" X-pipe to the OEM mufflers.
It looked like a friggin' joke...but it worked long enough to allow me to drive it over to to the exhaust shop where they finished welding in the 2.5" Magnaflow mufflers.

I re-used my OEM Ford layered stainless steel manifold gaskets...they are the best.
DO NOT use those compressible 'Mr. Gasket' type manifold gaskets that Kooks ships with their headers.

Soak the manifold studs/nuts with 'PB Blaster' several hours before you start to loosen the manifold nuts.

[O's Fan Rich]

One mainifold nut had to be heated with Oxy/acetalyne because it would not budge.




I recently inquired about a local Dynotune for mine. They guy said at least $800, maybe more... I declined.

I just read on vintage-mustang.com about mixing ATF and acetone 50/50 and it makes a great rust buster! I'm gonna try it out.

Dyno tune... $800.00!!!! Well, I drove out to Lidio's to get mine done, again (3rd session with him).... gas, hotel, food, tune.... Nope.... not that much!

[Local Boy]

The price drove me to do it myself...

It was a bear...!

But, you'll be glad you did it...

ALOHA

[Peace2Peep]

I have talked to a couple of shops in Daytona Beach that said it would take 8-10 hours(overnight) and would charge around $550 +/- odd and ends it might need(many tell me to get those good aftermarket fasteners for the headers) and reuse the gaskets if possible.

[freakstatus]

Doom, I was in on the group buy. I paid $600cdn for headers, cats and lead pipes bolted up to the stock H. No welding.

[Hotrauder]

Your quote if for the install of the headers, 2 cats, custom H pipe and all new full 2.5 inch MANDREL bent tubing and new muffs is a fair price. If you can get the headers installed and connected to your existing cats and pipes, muffs and tips for $600 it is a deal. I paid that for my install of SS headers welded to my existing high flow single cats and existing 2.5 inch setup...An excellent shop, first class work....they had done a lot of work for me but stated never again on header installs. :D Dennis

[bigbillybbs]

Im not paying $1,600 for a $600.00 job :bs:

I know it is a ripppp off but I had no other way at that time. I am not
Mechanically inclined. And I had the whole exhaust system welded up.

Best bet is these talented guys on the forum… :D

[Taemian]

I paid about $600 to have my SW headers and cats installed, hooked up to the stock h-pipe and mufllers/tailpipes.

[bob6364]

On my 02 Mustang I paid 600 dollars for headers and a twin disk clutch install just labor no parts,and the 02 mustang makes the Marauder install a cake walk.

[TJCOX]

How much hp/torque gain?

[ImpalaSlayer]

doom im tellin you. we did a tranny we can do headers! and we can definitly rig something up like joe is saying to get you home to the exhaust shop to finish the piping the right way!

[RR|Suki]

doom im tellin you. we did a tranny we can do headers! and we can definitly rig something up like joe is saying to get you home to the exhaust shop to finish the piping the right way!

have the headers come with bungs so that you can screw in your O2 sensors. Install the headers yourself like said above and run them open to your exhaust place. prob solved

[Dragcity]

I just slipped the X-pipe extentions over the OEM mufflers. It was a little noisy, but not too bad. I had to drive it two days like that.

I did not cut the mufflers off, I slid the H-pipe off with the help from my two friends, Oxy/Acetalyne and Big dead blow hammer...

[sd8683]

I think I may attempt to install mine myself.... What would you guys that installed them yourself say I need for tools? I mean I have the basic socket sets and stuff but is there anything out of the ordinary that i will need to get the job done?

Sean

[Dragcity]

Removal was much easier than assembly for me and my Kooks. A couple pipes were bent in such a way you cannot get a socket on the nut. Many studs had to be cut shorter and the nut placed on it prior to putting the header on. Still, a few were really hard to get to, even with an open end wrench.

A swivel head 13 MM Snap-On socket 1/4 " drive. A 3/8 to 1/4" adapter, you'll need the torque from a larger rachet. Lots of extensions in varying length, preferably with the wobble head. A good 6 point 1/2 inch socket, in the event you have a few rusty nuts that the 13 MM slips off.

Some short 1/2" or 13 MM open end wrenches. I bent one to work in an awkward spot upon assembly

Slim arms and grease (you pigs, it's so your arms can slip between the pipes) My arms are too big an had trouble on two nuts.

Lots of patience. Just take your time and don't frig anything up. When you get stuck, stop, clean-up, wash your hands, grab a beer or cup of tea and think about an alternate way of getting to what you want. Can't tell you how important those steps are, you just have to try it.....

Give yourself plenty of time and make no deadlines. If you mess something up, it will cost you a whole lot more $$$ and time.