Ah......I didn't factor in, that he needs a cam and a tuner in this upgrade.
Still......I would have thought there would be some discernible difference between the stock and the BBK headers on the ole butt o' meter. Being the BBK's are supposed to be of a superior design and all that.
I guess BBK's PR dept won that battle.
Don't want to say more on this, as I don't wish to spoil the original posters pleasure in his upgrade.
Sorry to the OP. I'm just trying to get my head around if these BBK's are worth it compared to longtubes, which have a lot more work and cost involved to fit.

Al.

 

I installed JBA Shorties a couple years back. I got them for dirt cheap.
Install took about 1hr(breeze). I pulled out the fender liners and worked over the tires. I did not have to remove anything to get them fitted.
Tone was different and a noticeable gain in midrange was felt. I could really feel a difference when towing.
I know the gains are about half what LT's would be, but I paid a lot less than 1/2 for the headers and spent less than 1/2 the time installing them. So, yeah, def worth it comparing apples to apples.
I got way more gains on these headers than anyone out there with a $300 CAI set-up.

 

Al....how much did you expect he was going to gain by just installing these back through the stock exhaust system. His truck still has a breathing problem, and it would have had the same breathing problem running long tubes through the stock exhaust. Quit being such a pessimist. They will help when he gives his truck what it needs. I know you just want to say I told you so, but he's now in a position that when he improves his exhaust system he can see some results. You take little steps to make these trucks run better. No one step is going to do it on the butt-o-meter, with the exception of a gear change, which requires no help from anything else. Those stock cats have a pipe diameter of about two whole inches. He now needs to get rid of them or get some GOOD hi flos and a better overall system and then he might feel a little something. To the OP, small steps and after taking a few you will see some difference

 

I am happy with the headers and wasn't blaming them for the install issues. They are a tight fit, but that wasn't the PITA issue. The bolts came out easily that were not already broken, the one lower bolt was a pain because of the frame rail blocking access to it, and I suck at removing broken bolts.
I do have a CIA, and the tuner will be next on the list, but I don't expect to keep this truck much longer. I plan to own another diesel soon since I tow Hay and cattle often and this truck just doesn't cut it after owning diesels for years.
I also have a magna flow Y-pipe and muffler.

 

[QUOTE=Old Man with a hemi;3156542]Al....how much did you expect he was going to gain by just installing these back through the stock exhaust system.

I genuinely thought he might have felt at least something?? So please....let me ask him the question!

"No one step is going to do it on the butt-o-meter, with the exception of a gear change"

I beg to differ. I put on a new Edelbrock intake manifold and a new Holley carb on an old Mustang engine and junked the cast original intake and carb. The car lost about 30lb in weight at least and gained a lot in power with the better designed and lighter inlet manifold and the butt o' meter certainly felt it and that was still using a stock exhaust. So increasing breathing etc is a concept I well understand thank you.


"Quit being such a pessimist. They will help when he gives his truck what it needs.I Know you just want to say I told you so"

Don't put words into my mouth!
I have never given him that advice.

I again genuinely wanted to appreciate the finished install, as I have a 4x4 QC with a drop in K&N, but with a full 3" stainless exhaust with high flow cats. I couldn't afford either the shorties or the longtubes when I got that done. So it's bolted right up to the stock headers. I wanted to see if by using his install, I'd get anything worth while from my set up. As I have a lot of work to do before I install headers, as some CLOWN in the past, put arches on the front wings and bolted and stuck them down using some silicone glue or something and these arches now fit over the top of the inside plastic wheel wells. That makes them impossible to remove to get access without causing a lot of work removing these arches.
I would therefore have to try and fit any headers from the top of the engine. I don't even know if this is do-able??
So in my case, I have to be certain the shorties are a god power option to offset the work I'll need to do to fit them.
If they're not, it's have to be longtubes and then a lot of cutting and welding to my stainless 3" system to tah onto the arch and inner fender work. But at least with longtubes, I know I'd be getting about 30 horses. Well worth the effort.

So before you jump to conclusions and put words into peoples mouths, try to understand that forums are an asking and learning tool and give people the benefit of the doubt......if you can.

As for being a pessimist.....We all know company's employ PR BS to push their goods. Lord If I had just 1 horsepower extra from all the kits out their saying it would do this an d that for an engine, I'd be running a 1000HP by just using bolt on's.
That along with my explanation of why I asked the OP questions, was what I was trying to get at. Real world experience of fitting the mod.

To the OP....I honestly hand on heart, did not wish to turn this into what it has become. Sorry to spoil your thread and any inference to your new addition to your truck as previously stated in my other post.
I sincerely apologise to you and hope that you do finally get what you wish for from your shorties.

Gettin' that people can't even ask an honest question around here any more??

Al.

 

No worries Abarmby, I wish there were more discussions like this on here to search through. I may have went a different direction if I had read more threads like this.
I am sure with a tuner and fixing the leaks the shorties will net some gain over the stock manifolds, but I highly doubt it would be over 10/15 ponies.

 

Thanks bud.
I appreciate your comments to me there.
I just don't want or wish to be, a "lurker" on here......frightened to either post up because of my ignorance in potentially asking a "stupid" question - IMHO such a thing doesn't exists - or for fear of being shot down.

As stated, I thought I asked an honest question with NO malice or intention of being so as that's just not me. I truly wished to see if you could feel a difference and as such, this might have guided me to buy a set.
I'm sure you will gain power when as you say, you have the other stuff sorted.
Good luck bud and take pride in what you've achieved. As with the upgrade you will have sorted out a load of issues by yourself and saved a ton of $'s by not going to a stealership.
Al

 

[QUOTE=abarmby;3156710]

Al, I wasn't trying to make you out to be a lurker, but right from the start you started talking about how you've heard this or that about shorties, and didn't know if they were worth the money or not.


Thought we were talking about trucks here and now we are talking about a 3200 lb mustang that you swapped manifold and carb, and got some butt feeling. I seriously doubt you'd get that feeling from a 5-6 thousand pound truck, so that point is pretty much mute

The Op was looking for some information from someone that had done this swap, not info from someone that was going to doubt what he was doing, and hadn't done the swap.


I never made any claims as to butt-o-meter feeling just from doing this, and when I did mine I never expected anything amazing to happen, but I can tell you this, with the BBK's, an E fan, K-N CAI, magnaflo hi flo spun catylytic convertors and an X pipe Magnaflow dual in dual out muffler and a diablosport tuner with a KRC Performance tune, my 06 made 300 rwhp and 390 rwtq at Beans Diesel Performance Center, on their dyno. See the TQ numbers, that's what I was looking for in a heavy truck, and that's what shorties are noted for, and after modding a little at a time I got what I wanted.


Al sorry if I offended you, didn't mean to, was just speaking my mind as to the feelings I was getting from your posts. It's all good.


My advise to you is if you're looking for a one mod butt-o-meter wonder,,,,get some 456's. If you're looking for a good starting point to build on get some headers