Finally installed the Gibson headers last night. I had forgotten exactly how much fun headers can be. Beats the hell out of working on a car though. I had more trouble with the colletcor bolts and the EGR connection than the head bolts. Installation wise I really liked the product. The upper four holes are slotted which allowed me to start 8 bolts without grimacing. The lower bolts were easy to start once the header had been pulled up to the head with one of the upper bolts. Jury will be out on performance until the computer resets. Right now it feels like the engine pulls back more than it used to when I let off the throttle. But I've only driven about 10 miles so far. I like the sound, the rhythm that comes with headers was worth the effort. So far it doen't seem too loud, but with the Gibson SS, there is not alot of cab noise to begin with (slightly more than stock). But the beat is cool. I'll probably retorque the bollts towards the end of the week. I'll post an update on performance after the computer readjusts. Dave

 

Jury is back on performance and it's a big thumbs up ! Response is better up to 1500 RPM, from there up to 4000 RPM is outstanding. The truck really muscles up quickly. Much better improvement than I expected with the 4WD train. No leaks at all and I hope it stays that way. I plan to retorque this weekend out of curiosity as much as anything. As far as noise goes, the engine seems smoother. I used to get a minor valve tick type of noise from the drivers' side of the engine, but not now. What is more apparent now is the soft shifts at high rpm. I may not be able to wait on the flip chip to solve that problem. Next on the list are the underdrive pulleys, then maybe an electric fan next year. Dave

 

I got headers on my "to do" list. I was thinking about the JBA's but I'll have to look into the Gibsons more. I guess I'll start now! Are your headers Jet Hot or ceramc coated? How much were they and where did you get them from? Thanks.

 

99flareside, plain old stainless steel. I got them from truckperformance.com for 459.00 plus shipping to KY. Headers pass on a lot more heat at higher temperatures to the engine compartment than the cast iron stock manifolds. Any engine running on higher octane fuel is going to run hotter than an engine running on 87 octane. I'm going to try and avoid the combination by putting in a flip chip. If I find myself running the high octane setting more than I expect, then I might put an insulator around the headers. Right now I just don't drive enough miles to worry about it. Short trip to work and most everywhere else, maybe 600 miles/month. I'm sure JBA makes a fine product, I just wanted to see if Gibson put the torque where they said they did (2000-4000 RPM). They did.

 

about your jury. you do know that you have to let the computer reset before you drive it. Look up computer reset procedure in your manual. It commonly requires letting the engin sit in Park with the AC off for 5min, then with the AC on full for 5, then the AC off but the truck in Drive (with the Emergency Brake on) for 5. then the comp should be set for almost full performance gain. If you listen closely durring the process you can hear the engin's beats change slowly. i mean in the 1/10 Hz/min. I just put in my JBA headers but i didn't have nearly as much fun. Im about to write the post.

 

Spade$, I'll look up the reset procedure and give it a try. Sorry you had so much trouble with your headers. The rear tube routing must be different between the brands. I used a standard 12mm open/closed end wrench on all of my bolts. Headers are never easy, but they're worth the pain. I'm really happy with the improved throttle response and low/mid range hp improvements. LOL, Dave

PS. All this has me thinking SC.....wallet's not thick enough at the moment. Whipple is designing a SC for the 5.4.....that would be tempting !

 

Daveo,

Thanks for the header write-up. I've been thinking headers are the next addition but hadn't settled on the brand yet - most likely JBA, but reading Spade$ posting on the JBA's, might make me re-think my choice - I already have the Gibson Cat-back....

I'm hoping the engine compartment on my F250 SD gives me a little more room to get headers in.

About resetting the EEC, doesn't disconnecting the battery for a few minutes accomplish the same thing?

Dan

 

I've been thinking about headers for my new SCrew but I've been wondering how much they'll help on the low end. I've been told headers are more for high end horsepower than low end torque. I also want to know what they'll do for gas mileage. Since you've had yours installed for a while now, could you comment for me?
-Michael