Here's the header test fitting... Ouch!
This pic was taken from the passenger side, looking straight down onto the shock tower, where the headers are touching.
It's here that I'd like to make a relief cut in the upper control-arm bracket.
This, of course, is challenging due to the fact that there is very, and I do mean very little room on the wheel-well side where the control arm mounts to the bracket.
I'll need to disassemble the passenger suspension completely in order to make a good cut.
And, as I said before, since this is an important structural element of the car, I will have to be smart in designing a piece to weld in its place.

It's become increasingly clear to me that the Ford designers were leaving no room for error (or gratuitous upgrades) in the Flairbirds.
For anyone out there doing anything like this, remember: it's not a setback, it's an opportunity!

They look pretty close. Before cutting try loosening all the motor mount and tranny mount and crossmember bolts and prying the engine rearward. If there's more room to the other side try prying it to the side and then retighten all the bolts. You'd be surprised how much slop there is in engine placement.

I do have a tiny amount of room on the driver side, maybe a quarter of an inch at best, but I won't know how much until I receive my valve covers, which may impinge upon the brake booster. I will, once all my ducks are in a row, line up everything optimally prior to cutting anything.
I appreciate the feedback, and welcome any ideas.
Thanks again!

Since you are not afraid of cutting and welding, why not modify the headers? From your picture, it looks like you could cut the pipes about a half inch off the header flange. Remove the stub from the flanges, and reweld the pipes to the flanges. Looks like you would only have to do this to the front two pipes, and tweak the other pipes to allow a slight bend on the cut pipes.

I have just done a front suspension on a 62 bird. I would not want to mess with the towers.

Cutting the headers is not advisable at all. You can't just chop 1/2" out, the tubes still have to fit to the rest of the header. Besides... they are already coated and that makes welding a bunch harder, messier and lots more expensive since you have to re-coat.

But comparatiely speaking, tougher than chopping up the shock tower?

This proves that gut feelings are usually true.
I was going to go with an uncoated set, test fit, and modify from there.
Since, at the time I ordered them (longer ago than I'd like to admit), I hadn't found any conclusive evidence of them not fitting. The risk seemed worth the chance. Now I sadly join the ranks of the 'Legion of the Doomed'.
That's the reason I began posting here, to help educate anyone considering this application for their T-bird. If you are going to put FPA headers in your Flairbird, you will become a member as well. One of us! One of us!

I would consider cutting / modifying the headers, but I honestly haven't researched the cost of re-coating. Not terribly expensive I'd imagine.
Option 2 is to see if I can get an uncoated passenger-side set, and modify those to fit. The problem I see in either case is that the bend of the pipe out of the flange is very severe, as I believe I read in one of Wild Bill's and Mark Pruitt's earlier postings. If I cut even 1/2 an inch off at the flange, the pipe would now have a significant oval profile. I could flatten the profile of the pipes where they contact the shock tower, which I have heard about as well. Truth be told, it is probably least expensive for me to cut and weld the towers. It won't be easy, nor will it be fun, but I'm determined, for the sake of the Legion.

Why not make a header that fit in the first place?? Obviously a known problem spot.

mostly and generally. The problem is, IMO, these cars are not identical or even close and the space allowed makes a CJ Mustang look like a Galaxie. Reports of acres of empty whiskey bottles in the Dearborn parking lots at the time might have had some effect on the products consistency. That said, I cranked my motor up 1/4" and to the left a bit and they cleared with no dents or mods. The shroud will not fit without mods however. I've never bothered to make it fit and have had no cooling issues but I run a sick radiator and a mild motor in a wimpy climate.

As for the valve cover issue, someone here found a bolt on Range Rover solution to that. Can't remember who. Maybe they will chime in.


You ain't doomed yet, this is the easy stuff. Wait untill you re-wire the dash and vacum system before you bitch. LOL-Mark

1965 Custom T-Bird 428 C-6

2004 F-150/buying a 2009 just to piss "Crown Vic" off

.........thick flanges, LOL, Rod.

Mickey Thompson's 63 1/2 #997 S/S Hi-Rise 427 Lgt/Wgt Galaxie,
1957 C-600 Cab-over carhauler w/390-4V, 2-speed rear-end
FGCofA member #4908
MCGC member #75

"There will ALWAYS be an FE in my LiFE"

then you can't get at the bolts without medical equipment. Mine have never leaked or lossened as far as I can tell (about 3/4 of the bolts).



Mark

1965 Custom T-Bird 428 C-6

2004 F-150/buying a 2009 to piss "Town Vic" off

I wonder if the header tubes could be flattened in the interference areas. Not dented as by hitting them with a hammer, but gently rolled into an oval shape for the required distance.

Dimple or flatten the tubes to make them fit. Easy and fast, and you will not notice any performance changes from doing something like that. I would not hesitate to use a small hammer to get the job done, either...

Alternatively, run them as is. I've run Hookers in my Mach 1 that had a couple tubes touching the shock towers. I was worried about vibration transferring to the chassis from the engine in this spot, but I never noticed a thing.

Jay Brown
1968 Shelby GT 500 Convertible, 492" 667 HP FE
1969 R code Mach 1, 490" supercharged FE, 9.35 @ 151.20, 2007 Drag Week Runner Up, Power Adder Big Block
2005 Ford GT, 2006 Drag Week Winner, 12.0 Daily Driver
1969 Ford Galaxie XL, 460 (Ho Hum....)
1964 Ford Galaxie 500, 510" SOHC

Max, I built my own headers for my 66 Tbird. When I built them I left about 3/16" clearence on both sides. I also have solid motor mounts. If I pull my engine or lift it for any reason, it is a real bear to get it positioned perfectly again. I shim, pry, push and jack my engine until it gets into the same exact spot again. You have quite a bit of play with the mounts on these cars. From the bottom of the car, loosen the two 7/8 nuts that hold the motor mount studs through the frame. Also, loosen the Tranny cross member. Put a jack underneath on the oil pan flange using a 2x4. You can rotate the motor a few degrees, or shift it left to right, and gain quite a bit of room. Then of course look at your engine straight on from the front to make sure that you haven't rotated it too much. I bet that you can move the engine enough to gain the room that you need.
Now the next problem is going to be your motor mounts if you are launching that heavy car with a higher rpm torque converter. Rubber motor mounts can and will break if you are launching hard. When that happens, you will crush or break your header tubes. Been there, done that. One small modification leads to another real quick. One time my wife wanted a dish washer installed in the kitchen, and before you know it we dropped $50000 adding onto the house. Be careful how far you are willing to go with this project!!! Just make sure that you are aways having fun!
Try moving the engine before you cut anything.

.

1964 Galaxie 500XL 458cid,med riser dual quad,mech roller cam,C-6 3500stall
1994 Mazda B4000
2004 Audi A6 Quattro S-Line
2003 VW GTI 1.8T
2003 Ford Excursion 4x4 enhanced 6.0 Powerstroke Diesel

the shock towers are not collapsed inward.

Install a monte carlo bar to check. Or build sth. yourself with rod ends & lh & rh threads.

To gain a little more clearance you could always go a little beyond the "factory settings".

I have seen several īstangs that you could not install headers without spreading those towers apart - just bend in by time and normal use - no accidents.

Mike (Germany)
68 GT500

The shock towers on a Bird are somewhat more substantial than a Mustang. Kind of like Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station compared to the little pigs house made of straw! If the front end on a Bird has moved it has become a parts car. Hawkrod

Hawkrod

39 Ford Deluxe Coupe
59 Tbird 430
60 Lincoln Premier
(2)62 Tbirds
(3)68 Cougar XR7-G's
69 Cougar 428CJ 4 speed
77 1/2 Ford F250 4X4 w/460 swap
86 SVO mustang
76 F250 Crew Cab
1969 Mach I
look at my cars past and present at superford!

that was FPA's response to me when I complained. Royce got the same line I believe. Figured someone would remember the ensuing brouhaha.

Mark

1965 Custom T-Bird 428 C-6
1969 XR7 R/A 428cj 4-spd (project)

Yup. Been lurking here for a long time.