2005-2010 Mustang GT BBK 1-5/8" Shorty Tuned-Length Headers (Chrome) 1612

BBK-1612 headers. Though these units are chrome, they are not 'Bling' as the chrome is thin and appears meant more for corrosion resistance than looks. Mandrel grip marks show where each tube is bent and the chrome reflection makes them stand out more. There was still a good amount of welding slag on the inside of each tube. Metal edges are sharp and cut you easily. A bit more attention to detail in metal finishing/clean up would have been nice. Installation was performed in standard 2-car garage using a floor jack, jack stands and wheel chocks. Pretty much what a driveway gear head would have at their disposal. Really LONG extensions for your ratchets (18'+) are almost crucial and metric 'ratcheting' combination wrenches with pivoting boxed ends will save you much frustration. Do Not think you can 'short-cut' the tear down. The limited space means you MUST get things like the starter, motor mounts and steering shaft completely out of the car. In the actual installation we found the attention to detail issue rise up once more. In our installation we found that the drivers side top, third from front bolt would not clear the bend in the tube to go into the flange. We had to remove the header and chamfer the front/back side of the hole slightly to get the bolt to clear the tube. We had the same issue with the dip stick mounting bolt; here we shortened the original bolt. And yes, the gaskets do have a 'Top' and a 'Bottom'. We also found that the exhaust mounting flanges were warped/splayed nearly a full bolt width and had to be rebent to align with the holes in the clamping collars. All-in-all, our total installation time from key off to key on was 5 hours. Yes, the faults noted are admittedly minor and a bit 'Nit-picky' but the solutions during manufacture are also small matters. In the end, you install these for the performance so just where do we stand after completion? This car ran rock solid consistent 14.1's before. After, with corresponding tune 'tweeks' the car was getting solid again in the 13.9/pass range. Bottom line, two tenths per pass for under $325.00 and several hours labor we feel is good value. Installation, due to tight confines and some special tools (recommended but not required), make this a good challenge for the mid level skilled driveway hot-rodder.