So I bring the car to the local dealership to install the headers and x pipe. I had asked one of the service managers a couple days ago if I could watch the tech do the install. They told me that it would be fine so I was pretty excited. When I get there this morning I met the tech and he said he would come get me after he got the car on the lift. So I watch the car get pulled into the shop and another service manager comes to me and says that I cant watch the tech because of "insurance regulations" but that if I satayed he would come get me every once in a while and I could go see what was goin on. I felt like this was reasonable so I stayed. After about 30 minutes he comes and gets me, so i go out and they havent done anything with the car but put it on a lift. Two of the techs were talking about how they were gonna get the headers off and on because of the tight space. I told them that they were gonna need to drop the k member and they were like no thats not gonna be necessary. So i go back into the waithing room and this manager never comes out again to get me after 3 hours. I was getting frustrated so i called my dad to come pick me up. When he got there we went into the shop to see what was goin on with the car. They had only unbolted the stock manifold and were like "umm I guess we have to drop the k member" now im pissed because I know they could have dropped the K right away and were just dicking around and couldent get the stock headers out. I ended up leaving and they said that the might not even have the car done till tommarow afternoon. They better do it right.

 

This as close as i could get for the past 3 hours

 

hmm. if the car is on a lift, you shouldnt really need to drop the K

 

What are you smoking?

 

Should've just done it yourself and some buddies. lol

 

...no comment.

but sierously..that's what I've been told over and over

 

Nah, to do it the "easy" way, you need to drop the K. Its just a beeyotch and a half without dropping it.

 

yeah...if you dont have a lift...and most people dont so they drop the k member

 

Experience > opinion

Sorry, but you have to drop the kmember. Plain and simple...
lol

 

hmm...alright I beleive you, and I strongly agree with the experience > opinion/what you "heard" statement...i just remebr when I was looking into buying headers...eveyrone was saying if you dont have a lift, drop the K

 

I had a lift, engine hoists, engine lowering braces, and everything else our dealership has available, and we still had to drop the Kmember.

Its a pain in the *** to do headers, and thats why I laugh at anyone who asks if they should attempt it. A lot of people dont understand the work involved in doing headers on our 281. Its a huge headache to deal with.

 

well i stopped by there again this afternoon to take a look and they had the k member on the ground and had one of the longtubes in. They say it will be done tommarow afternoon. I cant wait!!!!!!!

 

wow, when i did mine.. we had it all done and buttoned back up in alittle under 3 hours... and we had no lift... just jack stands and a engine hoist, undid the engine mounts, lifted it up, unbolted, bolted new tubes, re did mounts. Done... Next time get a performace shop

 

Do you know the tech doing this? Only reason I ask is that you said it was only 350 bucks but I would think being ford and removing the K and all that stuff it would be more

 

My dad has a fleet of trucks he has brought there for service for about 20 years so we get a really good price for everything. I feels alot more comfortable now after talking to the tech. The only reason it has taken so long is because he has to manage about four other mechanics and half the shop. Because we wernt waiting for our car he had to stop here and there to do some other jobs. I think it is going to turn out great, he is very organized and a nut about taking his time and doing it right. Tommorow is going to be an exciting day!

 

Good luck!

What si funny about this story is that you dropped the car off and decided to wait for them to install headers. Holy hell, this is not a "wait in the waiting area" type of job. I would have dropped it and ran and picked it up the next day.

 

I know that but I was supposed to watch the entire job which I wanted to do considering I have done every other mod to the car except for the gears

 

It is possible to change headers without dropping the k-member but its a doozie! If you don't wanna drop the k-member you have to unbolt the motor mounts and raise the engine about a good 7" to work in there...

 

should have done it yerself...

 

i've done easily a handful of 2v LT's
never once dropped the k-member or was on a lift...
i don't c y everyone says u HAVE to
2 or 3 man crew, done in 3-4 hours...