Installed Kooks Shorty Headers

Finished these yesterday along with doing the clutch. I did the headers first, before I dropped the tranny to do the clutch. After reading how involved and what a nightmare headers can be on these...... its really not that bad. Mine might have been a tad easier because they were shorties, but I can't see them being that different than doing LT's other than needing more vertical clearance. I did do this with a jack and jackstands in my garage, with no power tools. Now I'm not saying it was cake, but very do-able. Here are some things I did have issues with.

The front most bolts for the engine mounts (the aluminum ones that bolt directly to the engine) are a bit of a pain to get to, especially the passenger side one.

Not hard but tedious: all the factory header nuts are pretty much tight all the way out. A 1/4 drive ratchet and socket comes in handy, and a ratcheting wrench does too.

I was not able to re-use all the factory studs. I wanted to, but time and space constraints just made it easier to use the bolts that come with the headers.

Again, tedious and time consuming, tightening all the header bolts/nuts. Some from the top and some from the bottom. Back and forth.

Lastly, if you use the factory mid pipe (like me lol), the passenger side outer most stud that bolts to the header is a NIGHTMARE! It is nearly impossible to use the factory stud and nut here..... there is simply no room for most any tool to tighten the nut and it is not accessible from the top like the factory headers are because the tubes route differently and block access to the area. I ended up knocking the stud out and replacing it with a bolt and lock nut, BUT, that is not the end of the nightmare. Because the factory cat is so large and close to the header flange, it is almost as impossible to get to. I ended up using a curved wrench to hold the bolt from the top and a crow foot open end with a 3/8 ratchet and extension to tighten it a 1/4 turn at a time lol! Not fun.....

StalkerStang,

Thanks for posting the highlights of installing those headers.

I've been ogling the Kooks for a while and thought (incorrectly) that they would be 'not too hard' to install, lol. Like your car, I pretty much have to keep the factory cats so the couple of nightmare fasteners have me sitting on the fence. Did you try lifting the engine (more) to get access to that flange?

Chris

Well, its really only one of the 4 that is this way. The other 3, while in a tight area, are still attainable and totally do-able.

I don't know if you could connect the mid pipe to the headers while the engine is lifted. Even if you did, I also don't know if you could properly get to the motor mount bolts after the mid pipe is installed.

I wouldn't let the one thing keep you from it. I plan to put a Lethal off road X on mine and swap it out every 2 years for emissions. When I throw it on there I can try to get some pictures of the area and the tools I used to get it on and off with.

Maybe someone else that has done these might have a better solution than mine or better idea too.

First post here, and am in the middle of installing the Kooks Shorties myself. My issue is, that I am stuck at the forward upper nut on passenger's side of factory headers. My ac compressor's tubes are in the way, and I will have to lower the compressor. It should be good to go after that. I have a Pypes ORX midpipe so I may not have the same problem you ran into. I have VMP gen2 stage 1 to install, so I have to move the compressor anyways for the OPG and CSG install.

StalkerStang,

OK, I'll steel myself for the task.

Pics would be helpful (and appreciated). Thank you!

Did you lift the engine from above or jack it up from below?

wildman926,

Welcome aboard! You are obligated to start a build thread, lol. We all like build porn along with the builder's comments about things that went well and things that were challenging. You're doing OK with the header post but get some pics posted, man!

On a more serious note, it sounds like you're going to have a great Mustang when you finish with all the goodies. Keep up the good work and please post a few pics so we all can enjoy the modding process.

Chris

Wildman,

I think I removed that nut and a couple others from the top. I didn't have to move the ac stuff at all. It's tight no doubt but I didn't have issues with it. Cool project too, I'd love to do a Procharger on mine but I have a fox that needs attention too....

Nyuk98gt,

I jacked it up from the bottom. I saw where some people were doing it on the oil pan but that shit made me nervous lol! I stuck a 2x4 on my floor jack and lifted it from the very front of the trans (mt82).

StalkerStang,

Thanks for the info about the method. I'm working on my bravery, next step is to order the shorties.

Enjoy the new exhaust!

Chris

Glad to hear you got your headers installed, at least you werent installing kooks long tubes, those are a real nightmare to install. Also when lifting the engine never jack from the oil pan. The very front of the transmission bell housing is the best place to do it, manual or auto.

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I have pulled the front bumper, fan, radiator, accessory belt. I will move the compressor today to access that one nut behind the ac lines. My son in law was working that side, as I removed all the bolts from the driver's side, so the header is just hanging there. Once I get the passenger's side done, it will be smooth sailing.

You can used the oil pan to jack the engine up, you just have to use a wood block, and use the rear corner of the side that you are working on. You are using the walls of the side and rear for the strength. I was leary using the transmission, but now I know I can use it too.

So, are you pleased with the enhanced exhaust sound with the shorties? Great that you were able to conquer all of the installation issues you encountered. Nice write-up, by the way. Even without photos, although they would definitely have been a help for others in the future who decide to install shorties.

I won't lie. I bought stainless LT's and then waited till I could buy my BMR K member. Talk about cake. Had room for days.

Can you tell a difference with the shorties?

For the most part, the CJ Pony Parts vid on installing LT's is a pretty good one. It doesn't give you every bit of info you need, but the basics of what your getting into. I will grab a couple photos of that outer most header to mid pipe bolt on the passenger side. My lethal pipe is on the way.

So far all I can report on is the sound difference, I'm breaking in my new clutch so I haven't done any full throttle blasts yet. But it did make a difference in sound. It has a tad more volume, and it gurgles more. More prone to some popping out the pipes too.

I'm sure without the cats it will only exaggerate what it does now.

Hopefully sometime this weekend I'll hammer it and see if it feels any different.

fuelforfire87 said:

Glad to hear you got your headers installed, at least you werent installing kooks long tubes, those are a real nightmare to install. Also when lifting the engine never jack from the oil pan. The very front of the transmission bell housing is the best place to do it, manual or auto.

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I was getting relief from this thread until I got to your reply lol. I am just now jacking up mine about to start my kooks long tubes today. Nightmare, here I come! Good to know about where I need to lift engine from.

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Reaper14 said:

I was getting relief from this thread until I got to your reply lol. I am just now jacking up mine about to start my kooks long tubes today. Nightmare, here I come! Good to know about where I need to lift engine from.

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Well, some people say its not that bad, but this was my first time installing headers where you had to jack up the engine and remove the motor mount brackets, starter and whatnot. I would definitely drop the k member while doing it. I made the mistake of installing the bmr k member first and the headers a few months after and even with the extra clearance the bmr k member, some of the bolts are really hard to get to. Also the shape of the kooks long tubes being different from most other brands makes it harder. For me the driver's side was a lot easier than the passenger side. If you have an auto there are transmission cooler lines that get in the way. On the passenger side there is an AC line directly in front of the front most top stud. I was unable to remove that stud so I just re-used the stock header nut at that location and the header bolts everywhere else.

Make sure you have a wide variety of tools at your disposal like ratcheting wrenches, socket extensions, u joint sockets, etc.

I have most what I need except longer 1/2" extensions. Cat bolts are already starting to be a pain. But slow & steady. Thanks for the tip. Umm, about the k member. Does it just unbolt & come down easy? This is my 1st mustang. Still learning as I go.

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Not exactly. There is a write up on here from someone who installed the bmr k member that shows what's involved. When doing headers most people don't completely remove it, they let it hang from the suspension. Another thing to note is that you may need an alignment after if you drop the k member. It's a good idea to trace the outline of it so you bolt it back up its in exactly the same place.

Here is the thread I was looking for

https://www.svtperformance.com/forums/threads/bmr-k-member-install-lots-of-pics.982106/

Ok thanks. I wish I would of done my research sooner on the k member removal. I just did the aligment last week. Had I known sooner I would of been more patient. Ill trace it anyway & do my best to put it back the same. Thanks again for the tip.

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So I know I said I would post pictures of how I bolted the passenger side header to the factory mid pipe, but its not a good way to do it. I wouldn't want anyone to replicate what I did and have to deal with it trying to take it off and put it back on.... it flat out sucks.

Good news is with a offroad pipe, or even a catted pipe that has smaller cats or moves them farther down the exhaust away from the header, its totally fine. I put my lethal X pipe on last week and there is not issues bolting it up.

Bottom line, if you plan to use the factory catted mid pipe with these headers, be prepared to come up with something to fasten the outer bolt/stud to the header. There is no room to get any tool in there because of how close and large the factory cat is to the header.