Ok, just finished up with the JBA installation last night. I was impressed with the fit and finish of the headers, and the jet black coating looked great. They fit perfectly. Got them from the online store. I am glad now that I forked over the extra dollars for them compared to some of the others.

Installing them was a slow task though. It took me about 16 hours or so from start to end. Others have posted their experiences, such as Jim Mc, see post https://www.f150online.com/f150board...ML/000219.html I can confirm more or less what Jim Mc experienced. Six of the eight bolts on each side are easy to get threadded and tightened. The two back bolts on each side are difficult to get started. Once they are started, you can get a short open faced wrench on them. I bet I spent at least 2 hours on just one bolt trying to get it threaded. Finally got smart and beveled the end of the bolt slightly - it helped a lot - threaded immediately. Almost had a small disaster. Somehow I dropped a header bolt into the catalytic converter on the passenger side. Using a mirror and a flashlight, I could see it about 18" down the pipe. Thought about leaving it in place, but it would have bothered me to no end just knowing it was there. Had a stroke of genius and taped a magnet to the end of a dowel rod and stuck it down the pipe. Got it out on the first try (lucky).

Overall it isn't too bad of an install, just time consuming. It is one of those things that you could do in half the time if you had to do it all over again. You can get a wrench on even the most difficult of the bolts with room to torque them. The key is finding the right tool and the most accessible arm/hand location to reach them.

I have a 4x4, did not have to drop the front drive shaft or the starter, only the wheel well covers of course.

Will not test for performance for another several days. Will post my results and feelings
GDG

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2001 SuperCrew, Silver, 5.4L, 4x4, 3.55 LS, Tow Package, 265x70x17, Sliding Rear Window, Tuff Spray-on Liner, JBA Headers Jet Black Coated, Ravin Z55 SI/DO Sideswept Catback, K&N FIPK with fabricated cold-air box and ram-air, SuperChip, ASP Pullies, 1" Thick Sheepskin seat covers (nice "seat-of-the-pants" feel!), Nerf Bars, PIAA Superwhites, 65W (9006) Fog Lights
Future mods - Dual 14" Perma-Cool Fans, Baumann Shift Kit, Roots Supercharger, revamped sterio system

[This message has been edited by GoDogGo (edited 02-14-2001).]

 

Oh, no leaks either. I wasn't sure how much to torque the header bolts since I saw no specs. The OEM bolts came off much easier than I would have guessed, say 15ft-lbs or so. So I torqued the new bolts to about 15ft-lbs. Can't be too careful with those aluminum heads. Right now, the truck is still up on jack stands and is running to heat up the engine and exhaust system. When it cools, I will check on the torque to see if it needs adjusting. Then I'm ready to get up and go!!
GDG

 

GoDogGo:

Glad to hear you got them installed and that they fit nicely. I'm interested to hear how they perform. By the way the link you posted above didn't work for me.

Anyway, I too have the JBA Headers Jet-Black ceramic coated. I have been told by a number of local shops that they are difficult to install yourself on a 5.4 1999. I even heard that you might have to notch the frame. Is this information I'm receiving correct? One shop can do it for $150, while others have quoted me well over that. From your post, I'm thinking about possibly saving the money and trying it myself. Should I?


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1999 F-150 XLT Supercab Longbed
Black/Silver, Dark graphite interior
5.4L Automatic

Additions:
* Ford molded mud flaps from local Ford dealer
* Lund Trident bug deflector from carparts.com
* Fumoto drain plug valve from fumotovalve.com

Mods:
* Superchip from Performance Products (Mike T.)
* Borla split rear exhaust from truckperformance.com
* Airaid FIPK from f150online
* Poweraid from f150online

Mods coming soon:
* JBA Headers (Jet-Black coated) from f150online

 

Hi DeaconDoug,
Try the link now (there was a period on the end of html that sould not have been there - I edited it).

Yes, you can install them yourself and without any help (I put them in by myself). However, it is a time consuming job, at least it was for me. I am not a master mechanic by any stretch of the imagination and I managed to get it done right. Most of the time I spent was in trying to get three or four difficult to reach bolts threaded. Once they were threaded, you could get a wrench on them. Otherwise, most of the bolts were simple to install. I also went very slowly on purpose. I have another car for transportation to and from work, so I could afford to take my time.

I did not have to make any modifications at all to anything on the truck. I did have some difficulty getting the drivers side header in place due to the steering column and brake line interference, but I did eventually wiggle them in. Sure, if the frame were out of the way they would slip right in - but there is no reason to cut anything because they will go in on their own - patience is the key.

I decided to install them myself for the experience. Also just knowing it could be done without cutting anything (see posts by others at this site) or without any special tools was very comforting. Now that it is over, I am glad I did it myself.

IMHO, the shop that quoted you $150 will either lose money, or will charge you more when they finish, because even JBA suggests a 6 hour install time for an experienced mechanic for the 5.4.

Bottom line, if you enjoy getting your hands dirty working on your truck every now and then, I would do it yourself and save some money. Just set aside all day Saturday and possibly part of Sunday morning to do it.

Hope this helps!!
GDG

 

Let me know about the performance. Acceleration better or worse, gas mileage, power, etc. Did you have to change the pipes any or did the headers line up? How much were the headers and where did you get them from? Thanks for the info.

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1997 XLT Teal 4.6L Flareside 4x4. Automatic, Reg. cab, tinted windows, bug deflector, Dual exhaust, K&N Generation 2 air filter, BullDog keyless entry/remote start(installed myself), Custom 16" wheels, bedliner, Covercraft tonneau cover, electronic shift on the fly. Going to add headers.

 

GDG:

Hey thanks for editing the link above and encouraging me to install these myself. I just might do it. If I decide to try it I would probably wait until we have some warmer weather around here. Maybe I'll take a Friday off and work at it Friday and then Saturday. Sunday's are a day of rest and worship for me. If I get into trouble I guess I could always put the stock headers back on, right?

This shop that quoted me $150 is called Robert's Exhaust and specializes in doing exhaust mods. I've been referenced to him by a local Ford dealer and a couple of performance shops too. I talked with him and he said that he just did a Lightning and that he would charge me $150. It seems he knows what he is doing and what he is getting into before he starts. A few other places I called either had never done it before and couldn't give me an estimate or said $250 to start and it could go up depending on what they run into. I'll do some more reading on this site about header installation and then decide if it's worth it. I've done all the other mods so far myself so we'll see. I do enjoy working on my truck and my wife's 96 Taurus, so maybe I'm talking (typing) myself into doing it.

Thanks again for the advice and help!

 

DeaconDoug,
Wow, $150, although a lot, is a good price to have them installed by a reputable shop in my opinion. I didn't even check around for pricing here because I thought it would be much higher than that. Good luck with your install and let us know how it went!!!
GDG

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2001 SuperCrew, Silver, 5.4L, 4x4, 3.55 LS, Tow Package, 265x70x17, Sliding Rear Window, Tuff Spray-on Liner, JBA Headers Jet Black Coated, Ravin Z55 SI/DO Sideswept Catback, K&N FIPK with fabricated cold-air box and ram-air, SuperChip, ASP Pullies, 1" Thick Sheepskin seat covers (nice "seat-of-the-pants" feel!), Nerf Bars, PIAA Superwhites, 65W (9006) Fog Lights
Future mods - Dual 14" Perma-Cool Fans, Baumann Shift Kit, Roots Supercharger, revamped sterio system

 

Hi King James!!,
Yes, I will post about performance a little later. Insofar as fit-up is concerned, the JBA's lined up perfectly with the engine, the collectors, and the EGR tube to within a tolerance of 1/16"!!!. I don't know how they obtain this precision, must use a fabrication jig to get these kind of tolerances. Thus I did not have to change the pipes or anything.

I purchased them here from Roger at the online store. I used the holiday special he had for a few bucks off of his price. Howe this helps.
GDG

 

Go Dog where is the performance data?

 

Any performance #s yet? BTW, you did pretty good guessing the torque for the bolts. I have a chiltons manual and it says 13 to 16 ft. lb.

------------------
1997 XLT Teal 4.6L Flareside 4x4 ORP. Automatic, Reg. cab, 3.55LS, tinted windows, bug deflector, Dual exhaust, K&N Generation 2 air filter, BullDog keyless entry/remote start(installed myself), Modern 16" wheels, bedliner, Covercraft tonneau cover, White faced gauges, electronic shift on the fly, Clarion ADX5655z Double Din Cassette & CD, 4 Pioneer TS-A6865 speakers and superchip. Going to add headers.

 

King James; You said you were going to install Headers...I bought the JBAs here from Rodger..And the service was great.Less than a week to order them and they were on may porch inthat guick of time..I do have a quistion for you .How hard was it to install your keyless entry??? Ill let you know the performance iI get form my installion of the JBAs.They will be on as soon as the weather brakes.. Sat. I have a date with Midas to get a Z55 Ravin si/do put on.$325.for everthing.including crome tips.I didnt think it was a bad price.Later...OlDGRAY

 

Hi Guys!!
Sorry as I have been away for a while.
Performance gains - yes, I noticed some increase but not much since I believe they are only good for about 15RWHP. It does feel like the low end torque has improved because regular stop and go traffic seems peppier now. Have not yet measured any top end gains via ET's or 0-60 times w/ the G-tech, but plan to when we get a clear weekend. Lately my weekends have been honey do's or rainouts.
GDG

 

King James; If you can get it done for that price do it . Your truck is a 1997 right.. Mine is a 1998 4x4.4.6L and every nut and bolt on the exhaust pipe, on both sides had to be cut off.The chimny had to be cut and spliced. I used a gallion of liquid wrench and P>B blaster to no avail.dont use anything on the manifold nuts because they will bring out the studs with them if you dont.and this will save you a step.also the manifold nuts are 13mm not 5mm like the instu.say. when you try to install the drivers side line up the header and kind of rollit in place.mine slipped right in. Like I said ,the only problem I had was the damn exhaust nut and bolts..good luck Redeye

 

Does anyone know how bad the install is on an Excursion? Just currious.

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2000 Black Excursion
4WD XLT V10
-Volant Cold Air Intake

 

GoDog,

Just wondered if you could give us an idea of how happy you are with your JBAs. What is your 0-60 with all your mods?

Thanks