sidepipes and header position

[paulg-dublin]

Hi guys
With all the info on this forum, i still have a problem positioning my sidepipes to match on both sides of the car.
I am now on my 3rd set of 4into4 headers form factory5, and i think the pass. side is "perfect" but the driver side is too low and too close to the body as it comes through the cutout.
to make things even more confusing i have a 302 header on the pass side and a 351 on the driver - and this is the best fit/closest match so far, but still a 2"+height difference (btw, FFR sent the 351s in error but the 2 replacements of 302 headers were both worse on the driver side)
HELP - they are already ceramic coated.
What is the correct height of the pipes from the ground- at the corner and at the 4" tube part.
Also, i am using a '93 mustang Cobra motor, and it is level.
Thanks for any help, this is driving me crazy, when i should be driving my Cobra!
Paul G
Dublin, GA

[NiceGuyEddie]

it probably has to do with the leveling of your engine. i can get you a photo of what i did later this evening.

i loosened the engine mount, propped up one side of the engine with a 2x4, and then nudged the engine mount just a little bit with a c-clamp. i played with it for a while, but i eventually changed the level on the engine just slightly and now my sidepipes are level to the ground within 1/2" on each side.

can you take a picture of the motor mounts from underneath? can we see how the little motor mount "pimple" is positioned in the frame's motor mount slot?

[paulg-dublin]

The engine is level and the bump i think you are refering to is all the way to the top of the hole on the driver side. no more room to move it up.
And damnit!, im going to go get a digital camera this weekend. Maybe then i might be a little less helpless.
Thanks

[Richard Oben]

Do not level the engine it is a worthless exercise. Put the pipes on and then the side pipes. Use alighment shims as spacers between the mounts and block (replace with washers when done). Put smaller bolts in the joint where the side pipe meets the header. We have been building cars since 1998 and with the exception of getting the wrong parts (once) we have never sent a set back. Between movement in the headers and slight shimming in the motor mount and or trans mount they have always fit. We never bother fitting until the body is on and the front splash panels are pre fit. Anything else is again a worthless excercise in futility. HTH, Cheers Richard.

[ChrisH]

What I did was to put both headers on with no sidepipes and the motor mount loose. I measured each side from the flange to the ground and shifted the engine accordingly. Once even I tightened up my motor mounts. At that point it was a game of getting the pipes aligned straight to the body and even with the ground. I ended up doing a little bending of the pipes, but level with the ground was not a problem for me. Like Richard said, if you try to level the engine they will never fit right. I like his shim trick too!

[Nick Smith]

Try these "wedges" for the angle in and out.
http://www.breezeautomotive.com/deta...=509&cat_id=26
Nick Smith
www.gas-n.com

[NiceGuyEddie]

okay here is what i did per forum recommendation. just a little nudge will do it. you said your pimple is all the way up, can you lower the other side a tad to help?

my sidepipes were -/+4" from each other. just this little nudge fixed it. it took a while to get it right, but it was indeed just one little nudge.

by the way, my engine is not level. it is tilted slightly to the driver's side. as i understand it, this is necessary because the engine torques toward the passenger side.

not sure this would help, but i posted it anyway.

[paulg-dublin]

Guys, thanks a million
I'm not sure what said here will work, but i'm going to try. If i strike out, ill have a digital camera by the weekend so maybe if i illustrate, i can get even more input.

Thanks!

[accobra66]

You will be amazed how much one single washer between the engine mount and the block will make. As Rich said, this is the way these things are and you will have to play with it a bit. I too sent pipes back to FFR. Ended up having my body guy do a little trimming and tilted the engine to one side. Problem solved and it is not noticable. To be honest, I forgot about the whole exercise 5 years ago until now.

[paulg-dublin]

Guys,
This is the "pits". i shifted the motor just slightly and hardly any affect, except to move the sidepipe on the pass side up, so that the support arm is now only 1/8" below the frame 2x2. The driver side still is too high and the support arm points to the ground under the oil pan but is still too high to get under the 2x2. Will different motor mounts help?????
Anyone will to talk this through on the phone????????????????
Paul

[airdrop13]

Paul, What kind of motor mounts are you using? I had Engery Suspension Poly mounts and the drivers side was too high. I switched to stock mounts for a 90 convertible and that helped to lower the drivers side. The engine was level with both sets of mounts. mike

[289FIA_Cobra]

airdrop13: is there a measurable difference between the Engergy Suspension mounts and the OEM mounts? I don't have them to compare but I have the Energy Suspension mounts on mine.

[airdrop13]

I looked at both sets of mounts side-by-side and could see some difference. The OEM mounts fit lower in the frame mounts than the ES by almost an inch. A BIG difference when you have sidepipe fitment concerns. mike