jamie660

I need to know what is involved in installed BBK Shorty Headers on a 2004 GT. Please be as specific as possible. How hard is it and are any special tools required?

luckymckay21

i recently had mine installed and had my buddy do it for me. It's really not that bad if you don't stop once you start. I know that you can forget about getting a socket wrench up there to loosen and tighten the bolts on the headers, so lots of wrist turning. I would say around 5-6 hours by yourself, quicker with a friend. Or you can raise the engine up a bit if you really want too in order to save time, but you dont have too if you dont want too. The fit was great and no problems with them so far. hope this helps.

jamie660

Did they make a difference in sound and power? So you did not jack the motor up at all?

nick_thames

I have had mine for about 3 months and they make the car a little deeper than the manifolds but as far as power i cant tell. We jacked the motor up and took the motor mounts off and still had some trouble on the pass-side. One bolt is real tricky to get to. Once installed they look pretty cool with that one pipe coming up....looks mean... If I were you and if I could do it all over again i would get some long tubes. There more expensive but make much more power.....

2000GT4.6

If you can go with LTs, the shorties are supposed to be almost as bad as the LT install, and they won't make anywhere near the numbers (if it improves at all) the LTs will.

I would definatly not attempt this install unless you have a lot of experence with automotive work.

luckymckay21

Well the benefits of the shorty install was kind of a catch 22. I definetly feel the power increase once i get above 3500-4000 RPM. But i actually lost torque from about 2000-3500 RPM. Then again i had yet to install my CAI, TB and Plenum which is going on this weekened. I was told once i get a TB and Plenum that i should gain back the lost torque on the low end. With the intake mods combined with the predator tune and 3:73 gears, i know i will more than make up for the low end torque loss. Ill let you know how the car runs after this weekened. By the way, the loss down low was worth it for the power increase up top. My car screams up to 125mph now in 4th gear.

70 MACH I

I have the same setup, and ditto the power up top is crazy! The car literally comes alive above 3 grand. I have done the intake mods, but the setup really took off when I changed the midpipe. I installed my own and yes, it was a B**CH, the key thing is, to jack each side of the engine individually, as high as you can, and remove the motor mounts for clearance. Buy a cheap, short, 13mm wrench and bend it straight with a torch. Starting the bolts with your fingers is the most difficult task, the right side of the car is more difficult than the left. Lastly, use Percy XX carbon header gaskets, I never had to re-torque, and no leaks. Long tubes ultimately produce more HP, but I find on a daily driver can be more troublesome, because of their length, vibration will loosen the head flanges in time and a retorque is necessary. (now, there might be new locking header fasteners out there that prevent this) The nice thing about the Percy's is if they did loosen, you would not haver to replace them as they don't burn through.

John