mustang tubular manifolds vrs my steering shaft, who wins??

[Guest Anonymous]

I'm pretty sure if you've read any of my posts by now you know I'm poor

SO this weeks question is do mustang tubular exhaust manifolds clear the steering shaft in my 280??

I know they aren;t as good as shorties but the price at the yard more than makes up for it.

[Guest bluex_v1]

this is Alsil's install...If I remember right he has the stock header at least on the driver side. He does have a mustang power steering rack too though, and I beleive that changes the angle of the steering shaft at least slightly. You might want to dig through his site and see if he had the header on before the power rack swap and to make sure he doesnt have a mid-shaft u-joint somewhere...

http://zcar.netdojo.com

[Mudge]

Hate to bump a slightly old thread - do shorties work fine or is there a certain type of block hugger that is recommended? Something with 1 5/8" primaries would be snazzy.

 

Looks like these worked, whatever they be

http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/album_personal.php?user_id=2311

[74_5.0L_Z]

I am using Dynomax Block Huggers, and I had to add a universal joint to the steering. Its not that difficult or expensive.

 

Good Luck,

 

Dan

[JoshB 240Z]

Dan,

 

Do you have the part number to the specific Dynomax headers you used?

 

Josh

[74_5.0L_Z]

No, I don't remember the P/N. They are shown in the JEGS catalog for the Ford smallblck Blockhugger application. I posted the part number in one of my earliest posts (circa July 2000). If you search my posts, its there.

 

Good Luck,

Dan

[Mudge]

This makes it sound then that shorties may not be readily possible without some serious steering relocation or ?

[Guest bluex_v1]

I can tell you that BBK equal length shorties definitely do not fit, and the u-joint angles would be very extreme if you had one mid-shaft. Also the flange for the down tube is at an angle that would put the pipe through the firewall unless you had the engine mounted a little further forward than ideal.

[alsil]

Stock - type shorty headers won't work on a Z, unless you have the engine mounted in SCCAMike's position...which is a few inches lower than mine. the collectors hit the frame rails on both sides, by about 1/4" or so. I used a block hugger on one side, and a HIGHLY modified tubluar shorty on the driver's side....pretty much for steering shaft clearence. If I had it to do over I would just put a U-joint in the shaft and use the block hugger.

I would think the stock steering shaft might work ok with a hugger, has anyone tried it?

Al

[Guest bluex_v1]

Stock steering shaft inteferes with both flowtech blockhuggers and patriot 'tight tuck' headers, with my positioning. Patriot ones were very close and might fit with the motor up an inch higher or so from where I had it, but I was rather unimpressed with the tight angles right off the exhaust ports. Probably would be just fine for a stock motor though.

[Mudge]

the collectors hit the frame rails on both sides, by about 1/4" or so.

 

1/4" does not sound all that bad, as long as its not in the motor mount area - it sounds like something I can cut into and re-weld? It would be rather nice to at least have shorties, or workable block huggers with a 1 5/8" primary, I am not going to be happy with 225 HP forever