Dean Paradise

Ok - Guys... I am looking at buying a nice fastback, but it has an early 1990's 5.0 engine which may have come from a ford explorer.

The problem is I have not been able to check the engine compression because the headers are in the way. The mechanic says it could take 2 hours just to remove the headers to check it. My questions are:

1. Has anyone else had this problem?

2. It this typical to have to remove the headers to check/replace the spark plugs?

3. Can the headers be replaced with " Less interfering headers" to allow for access to the plugs?

Thank you for your response.