Changing Side Pipe and Header Alignment; Ground Clearance

[FFMark3MN]

This is my first post, so excuse if I missed some pertinent information. I recently acquired an MKIII Roadster from the person who had it built for him in 2005 - 2007 (titled in '07). There are several areas of TLC needed, which I have been addressing one by one. Next on my list is the exhaust. There are two issues I believe need addressing with the exhaust: first is how the side pipes are exiting the body at a very low angle, giving the car only 1.5" ground clearance. Besides the fact it doesn't look right, it doesn't have adequate ground clearance for navigating any angles or road conditions. I haven't bottomed in the few weeks I have had the car, but that is only due to extreme caution to avoid any bump or road imperfection. The two attached pictures show the side view of where the pipes are exiting the body, and a second shot looking down showing the headers and connecting pipes and where they attach to the side pipes. The engine is a crate 302 Boss long block from JEGS (found the receipt in the stash of documents the owner was generous enough to pass along to me). Since this is my first FF roadster, or any car with side pipes for that matter, hoping someone with a trained eye can give me a general direction to get started. The second issue is the need to polish up the pipes an consider options for a more attractive header. Once I pull the pipes, I can polish them with a compound and polisher. The headers, however, look more problematic. They do have a metal tag on them that indicate they are a "Ford Racing" header (assuming they came with the crate engine). Can I have them treated and reuse them, or am I better off putting on new ones that are ceramic or polished? Appreciate anyone jumping in with some experience and advise. Thank you. FFMark3MN

[68GT500MAN]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the purchase of a roadster. Looking at your photos, the "J" pipe (the pipe from the headers to the side pipe) looks long to me. You may want to look into the "4 into 4" headers that FFR sales, replacing the header and J pipe with one unit. I believe that the 4 into 4 still come ceramic coated.
Doug

[OCCPete]

Looks like the J pipe needs to be bent up a bit.

[FFMark3MN]

OK thanks. That was the help I needed and J Pipe…that was the word I was struggling with. I plan to put it up on my lift/take them apart this weekend and will either modify or order the 4 into 4. Loving this car…haven't had this much fun since I was a teenager.

[skullandbones]

I agree the 4x4 headers are the easiest way around your problem but if you would like to give yourself some time to get the best deal on the headers you might do a quick fix to keep it on the road while you are shopping.

You can position the side pipe with some wood blocks exactly where you want it based on looking from the side. This is, of course, after you remove the J pipe. Then cut the J pipe near the collector. With some careful placement of the remaining J pipe piece you should be able to accurately measure the amount you have to remove. I love these kinds of mods as they give you the opportunity to get it perfect by having both mounting points connected to the respective component. You just have to connect the dots so to speak. If you have a welder or a friend with one you can tack it in place and when you take the J pipe off it is custom fit to your car. You can also weld a tab to the top of the J pipe to line up with the 3/4 inch tube directly above it in the picture. Then you can install a "hanger" like on a muffler to help dampen the movement of the J pipe and side pipe (better support). If you go with the 4x4 headers you won't need the support though. The reason I mention this is it is much cheaper for you and it is still a way for you to give your roadster the needed love! The shorty headers you have aren't bad looking at all (large tube). You probably won't get a significant increase in HP by changing to the 4x4s. Never hurts to have multiple solutions does it? Congratulations on your new ride. Sounds like the roadster found a good home.

Good luck, WEK.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Easy and low cost solution is to cut and rework the J pipes solution. Looks to me like the original builder used the longer, high deck 351 Js on a 302.

Jeff

[FFMark3MN]

Really appreciate all the input and ideas. Thinking I will try the J-Pipe mod first, then if that goes south on me, I can order up the new 4to4 headers. I don't have a welder (maybe the "excuse" I needed to finally add one to my garage), however, there is a welding shop a mile down the road that has done some work for me in the past, so that is a good option either way. This car had ~8,000 miles on it, and other than oil changes, little/nothing had been done to maintain it. The engine does run great, the trans/clutch were both good, the chassis had been lubed at least once/twice, and the paint was really in nice shape, so there are very good bones to work with. After changing all the fluids, new battery, replace bad solenoid, tightening up too many bolts/nuts to count (steering shaft U-Joints were sloppy lose…scary!), realigning door hinges, new wheels/tires, etc etc I can now focus on some of the bigger improvements. Have a full winter list of projects to get it ready for the big refresh for next year.

[FFMark3MN]

One more question (completely unrelated to the exhaust) I can't seem to figure out (hopefully I didn't violate posting etiquette by not starting new thread). Does anyone happen to know how to ID the axle specifications from the ID tag number (see attached picture)? I tried a couple sites, and can't locate anything that matches this numbering sequence. There was no information in the pile of paperwork I received, other than a handwritten note in the assembly manual that states it was from a Turbo T-bird (no date, or other information included). I did ask the original owner when I bought the car, and he thought it came out of a Lincoln, which doesn't match the note I found in the assembly manual. He paid someone to build the car for him, so wasn't overly familiar with that level of technical.

[Jeff Kleiner]

The "3L27" and "88" indicate that it is an 8.8 rear end that left the factory with limited slip and a 3.27:1 ratio.

Jeff

[FFMark3MN]

You are awesome. Thank you!

[68GT500MAN]

What Jeff said, I just saw the post a few hours too late.

[michael everson]

Those J pipes have a ball and socket type of connection at the header. Loosen the bolts then jack up the front of the side pipe where you want it. Then tighten the heck out the bolts. Run the car until the exhaust is good and hot and tighten them some more.
Mike

[FFMark3MN]

More great information. Thank you. Paul

[FFMark3MN]

To close the loop on all the great advise given. Wasn't able to work on the pipes until today. When I loosened up the bolts on the header side of the J-Pipes they rotated up on the sockets and the side pipes would aligne up perfectly. Much easier project than what I had feared. Still might look into the one-piece 4 into 4 header solution down the road when I start the engine compartment cosmetics, but this gets my pipes up where they need to be and resolves the critical ground clearance issue. Thank you again!