I installed my S&S headers last = week replacing the original exhaust system, along with new motor mounts and all new = coolant hoses in the engine compartment. I opted for the "High Performance = Silver coating that S&S offers as an option and ordered them through = Van-again. Like Ken said in a previous post, they were individually bubble-wrapped = and well packaged in a sturdy cardboard box.

They didn't come with any instructions = so I ventured out to install them on my own. The fit of the front pipe and = the pipe for the right rear cylinder was excellent, they bolted right on. When I = test fit the pipe for the left rear cylinder, the mounting flange was about 1" = away from the head itself, but aligned correctly. I ended up cutting about 1" off = of the slip-fit end and bending the pipe until it fit without having to apply = any tension. I used some exhaust joint compound on the two slip fittings.

I have put almost 800 miles on the = system since last week including two 200+ mile non-stop runs to South Florida from = Miami. The pipes look like new with no discoloration.

I re-installed the stock muffler and = cat with new gaskets due to time constraints. When the S&S muffler did arrive, I = did a test fitting and found that using the muffler mounts, the muffler = flange was still over an inch away from the cat. I re-installed the old muffler = and am looking for a stainless turbo muffler that duplicates the stock one.

A couple of other things, all of the = hoses I replaced in the engine compartment were original, and I couldn't find = any soft spots or deterioration on any of them. If this new set lasts 14 years = and 180,000 miles, I will be happy, though I will probably change them out = long before then. The original owner had replaced all the cooling system = hoses in front of the firewall at 11 years/125,000 miles because of a hose = failure. The thermostat housing itself had deteriorated where it connects to the = cylinder head, so that was also replaced (BTW the o-ring is the same size as a = large end pushrod tube o-ring of a type 4 motor). I flushed out the heater and = radiator loops from the thermostat/coolant distributor connections.

I had jacked up the back of the van = about 10" so I could work on it in the garage and still open and close the garage door. = I started it up on the stands to check for leaks and had none, so I let it = warm up, then added coolant to the tank with the engine speed at = 2500 rpm. I test drove it and it didn't overheat so I felt good about it until I = read the messages last weekend relating to overheating at highway speeds, = knowing I was driving to South Florida early Monday am. So I got it warm, ran = it up on a small hill and bled it the Bentley way, but got no air of any kind = out of the radiator, only that lovely orange Jell-O looking = dexacool..

I installed the 80 degree thermostat = and now the temp. gauge needle stays just to the right of the LED when I am in = motion and just to the left when I am in stop and go = traffic.