Simon

You can definitely use rubber hose for the lines, and could go as long as you want with them. The steel is only there to ensure that the lines stay tucked away from heat sources, and so that they're ruined properly. Pressure is not necessary.

It is most definitely an interference engine. It will bend valves. If you're debating whether to change the t-belt or not, do it.

X2. Rookie mistake on one of these things. I did the same on my first stereo installation on my old truck.

Oh God. I don't think the forum will let me list everything. Let's just say I've got probably 10-15k worth of tools in my garage. Some of which I'm even capable of using!

Glad you got it sorted out!

I'll post them up here, along with a vid.. Gotta wait for daylight.

VHT

I have seen both Thorleys, and Pacesetters, and I will agree that the Thorleys are better built. The steel is thicker, and the fit/finish seems better. That said, the Pacesetters fit perfectly on my truck and I didn't even have much issue with the EGR tube, which some have complained about. Everything went together smoothly, and I was done the entire job in about 6 hours. I will, however, say that the coating on the Pacesetters SUCKS. It burned off in about 10 minutes of me starting the truck. I will be getting some hi-temp paint to coat them with that we used on my friend's twin-turbo Mustang exhaust. It held on that, so it'll be fine on my truck, which runs considerably cooler.

I would suggest that if the studs aren't already broken, there shouldn't be much issue with them breaking off upon removal. I had one that looked like it was okay, and as soon as I put the ratchet on it, it snapped. I didn't even torque it. The rust, I assume, held it in place.

87 Octane should be fine. These motors are relatively low compression. Any higher and you're effectively wasting your money.

If the flange pattern is the same, I would say they should. The Thorleys might fit better, as they're short tubes, which leaves more space for customization of the rest of the exhaust to make them fit. The Pacesetters are long tube headers. My crossover pipe connects to the headers pretty low.

So, the previous owner was an idiot, as suspected.

Make sure the truck is warm when you do it. The idle will be steadier. You can get it within 1 degree, which is fine.

Incorrect. I had 2 snapped in the head. Got them both out with the motor still in.

Nope. Rotating the distributor will set ignition timing. Too far advanced can cause pinging issues.

OR the previous owner was an idiot, and THOUGHT they were increasing gas mileage. I'd be very surprised to hear that it was full time 4wd. I have, though, been wrong once or twice before.

Also being fresh from a header install, I can shed some light. driver and passenger side suffice for "standard" denotations for left and right. (Right is Passenger) There is a good chance a stud or two has already broken off in the head. I had 2, total, in the job I just did, both on the driver's side. I was able to weld nuts (fill weld the nut, to the stud) and turn them out. Many mechanics will simply drill them out, possibly reverse-drilling. I would agree with B that you can just as easily go with bolts instead of studs, but I used studs, and did find it nice and easy to slide the header onto the studs, which held the header in place, while I started the nuts. Both B and I have the benefit of body lifts, which give us more room to work on the manifolds through the wheelwell. A soak in penetrating lube can't hurt your cause. Most decent auto parts stores will carry Fel-Pro gaskets. They're one of, if not the, bigggest names in aftermarket gaskets. Good luck!

You guys are mean. Just help the new guy out! YWCT, the answer to your question is 48" tall tires.....you'll have to do a LOT of trimming. Have your sawzall handy.

He just means a voltage regulator. IIRC= If I remember correctly.

Sounds like your timing may be too far advanced. Try retarding the timing a bit to see if it goes away. You mentioned that under heavy load it got worse, hence my reasoning.

Custom stainless exhaust. Hi flow cat and muffler, 2.25"

Though, mine aren't Thorley's, (Pacesetters) I too started on mine yesterday. I was lucky enough that I had only 2 broken studs. In both cases, I was able to weld a nut (fill weld) to the stud in the head, and then turn it out. Mine are complete, and I drove the truck last night, though, I do have a leak at the flange where the Pacesetter Y-pipe meets the rest of my exhaust. I will be tackling that today. All in all the install was not too bad, though the Pacesetters don't allow any more access to anything than the Thorley's. Torque arm is necessary here as well. I used the clamps provided for the kit, and tack welded the joints after clamping. It's still removable with only a minor amount of grinding. No leaks at the clamps at all.

Mine's custom, built by me and a friend of mine who's a talented metal worker. He also built Morpheus' rear bumper for his R50. Unfortunately, I have no plans as we built mine on the fly, but I could get some basic measurements for you. That said, I don't know that they'd be of much help, as I have a 3" body lift, and my bumper was designed to hide/protect as much of the rear end as possible, given the 3" of space between the body and frame.

With a snapped exhaust bolt/stud, your exhaust will most likely leak. Mine went from the cold weather tick, which went away as the truck warmed up, to a full on tick, at all times. I can see where the gasket has given way, and there's carbon all over the head where the exhaust is leaking out. Header install is planned for this weekend, if all goes well. One tip I was given to remove those bolts is to weld a nut to the top of it, then try to break it loose with a wrench, or ratchet. That, of course, is if you have access to a welder.

Get spraying!