Close



Results 1 to 17 of 17
  1. #1

    Default H pipe for 85 5.0

    Looking to get a h pipe for an 85 5.0
    Seems all vendors list only 86-93.

    Can one of these work for the 85?

    I was going to buy the kit that includes catless h pipe, mufflers and factory style pipes/tips.
    But I don’t want to have to hack up or do massive custom work to get the h pipe to work with the factory tube headers.

    I know I am going to have to get the 2.5” over the factory 2.25”.
    Just trying to find out how the stuff out there for 86-93 will or can work with a 85.

    Thanks in advance
    1985 Mercury Motorsport Capri Registry
    Official Pace Car of the Mercury Motor City 100 - Grand Prix IV

    www.Motorsportcapri.com

  2. #2
    FEP Member endub's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Fayetteville AR
    Posts
    154

    Default

    85's have a different system than 86 up. I think mufflers back is the same but has a y pipe before the mufflers. You can do some changes and make an 86 and up work.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    FEP Power Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    San Mateo, CA
    Posts
    2,271

    Default

    Good luck finding the pre- muffler parts.
    http://catalog.walkerexhaust.com/cat...dStatus=ACTIVE
    Fox Body/3rd Gen MCA Gold Card Judge
    84 SVO 24K miles, 85 Mclaren Capri Vert. 84 GT Turbo Vert.
    88 Mclaren Mustang Vert 20K miles, 89 Mustang LX Sport Vert,
    03 Mach 1 7900 miles, 74 Mustang II, 69 Mustang, 67 Mustang, 07 GT500,
    14 Mustang CS/GT, 15 F150 FTX Tuscany, 16 F250 Crewcab, 67 Tbird 47K miles

  4. #4

    Default

    I don't know if the 85 headers will work with the 86 h pipe, if you add 86 headers it will all fit. You will also have to add a double hump cross member for the trans to clear the h pipe.
    Mike
    85 GT - owned since 87

  5. #5
    FEP Senior Member DadBox's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Mesa, AZ
    Posts
    992

    Default

    So your 85 headers won't work with the 86-93 H-Pipe. The flanges are different, plus there's a valve on one of the 85 headers to contend with. So in short, you have two choices:

    You need to find an original '85 Ford Motorsport H-pipe that they sold in the catalog, which will then work with your headers but only fits the factory 85 dual mufflers, or...

    You need to switch to 86-up headers for the more common 86-up H-pipe. And yes, you'll need a double hump transmission crossmember as mentioned. Then you're changing the mufflers and tailpipes to match as well. Take-off factory headers are inexpensive and easy to bolt on, H-pipes are plentiful and the cat-back is easily available in a variety of decibel levels.

  6. #6
    FEP Power Member fgross2006's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Freeport NY
    Posts
    2,024

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by JKengineering View Post
    I don't know if the 85 headers will work with the 86 h pipe, if you add 86 headers it will all fit. You will also have to add a double hump cross member for the trans to clear the h pipe.
    Mike
    85 headers were made to fit with a heat riser valve that was only on 84-85's. When i updated my 84 to dual exhaust i searched like mad for a stock 85 set of shorty headers because I wanted to keep the heat riser that came on my car. I ended uo getting headers came out of an 87 and stock H pipe 4 cats. I had the muffler shop hollow out the two pre cats and kept the downstream cats with a functional secondary air system. It worked for me and I love the sound and ride. The after market X pipe I tried to use with hi-perf magnaflow cats caused too much aggravation.

    I still have the stock 84 heat riser. Still works and holds vacuum.

  7. #7
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Nebraska
    Posts
    4,575

    Default

    I have a catless H that bolts up to factory 85 headers. It’s removed from my 85GT build. Afaik it’s a rare part.

    Parts going back on switch my car to 86+ style headers and H pipe with cats.

    Never get caught in Nebraska driving a car with a motor that’s newer than 1974 and doesn’t have cats. You’ll wish you would have gotten busted for willful wreckless driving or robbing a bank or something instead.

  8. #8

    Default

    If you leave the valve intact on the driver side of the 85 header I believe you can bolt up a 86 and later pipe. I think it will hang a little low because of the extended length of the driver side header with the valve. I may be wrong on this. But I have an 85 with its original factory headers and the valve still installed and it has an h pipe on it. Looks to be just a generic 86 and later cheap h-Pipe. Maybe my h-pipe has been modified but it doesnt look to be. Not saying this is the way to go. I am going to switch to 86 and later headers.

  9. #9

    Default

    My 84.5 and the 85 GT I had both were covered to 86+ exhaust. So many more options, not that much cost difference if you're already upgrading exhaust either but these guys are right about the crossmember which should be plentiful. You may also need the hanger bracket depending on the h or x pipe you decide on. It bolts between the tranny and tranny mount. Personally when I did it I went with long tubes and eliminated other stuff while I was at it.
    1984.5 G.T.350 had since 16y/o
    95 Cobra, Crystal White

  10. #10

    Default

    Yeah, down the line it will be even more impossible to try and keep the heat riser as parts get even more scarce. Might as well do the upgrade to some headers you like so you can get cheap exhaust for the rest of the cars life.
    1984.5 G.T.350 5.0 CFI AOD Convertible (TRX package, loaded)
    K&N filter in a stock dual snorkel, GT40 heads, Edelbrock 3721 intake, MSD 8456 Dist., MSD 8227 coil
    Comp cams XE254H, hypereutectic pistons
    Hooker Super Comp Shorty Equal Length Headers, catted BBK H-pipe, full custom duals
    Maximum Motorsports caster/camber plates and strut tower brace, 3.73 rear, dura grip (both Yukon)
    Ford Performance Springs, Firehawk A/S 225/55r16 on LMR TRX r390 wheels (street)
    Federal 595 rs-rr 245/40r17 and 255/40r17 on OE cobra r wheels (race)
    AOD rebuilt with a 6 clutch direct drum, Koline steels stacked with 8 clutches, Kevlar band, superior shift kit, new torque converter. --Everything else stock and fully functional.

  11. #11

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ford 5.0 View Post
    If you leave the valve intact on the driver side of the 85 header I believe you can bolt up a 86 and later pipe. I think it will hang a little low because of the extended length of the driver side header with the valve. I may be wrong on this. But I have an 85 with its original factory headers and the valve still installed and it has an h pipe on it. Looks to be just a generic 86 and later cheap h-Pipe. Maybe my h-pipe has been modified but it doesnt look to be. Not saying this is the way to go. I am going to switch to 86 and later headers.
    The actual flanges on the '85 headers are in the same place as the '86 and later. The '85 flange is just flat,
    rather than a ball flange. So the length difference is equal to the thickness of the heat riser valve.

    Using two separate pipes, the driver side would indeed hang lower, and the muffler end would be a bit longer
    as well. But using an H or X pipe, the lengh difference wants to skew the whole assembly toward the passenger
    side.

    This can be easily overcome by sectioning the driver side pipe just behind the flange, to compensate for the
    thickness of the heat riser. Or a muffler shop may be able to just cut the flange off, and re-flare the end of
    the pipe.

    My '85 hatch has JBA shorties, so when I installed the '86+ Magnaflow 4-cat X pipe, all I did was swap the
    driver side to a later version, and added the stub for the hot air tube. The JBAs have an E.O. number, so the
    smog police have never questioned any of it.
    Cheers,
    Jeff Cook

    '85 GT Hatch, 5-speed T-Top, Eibachs, Konis, & ARE 5-Spokes ... '85 GT Vert, CFI/AOD, all factory...
    '79 Fairmont StaWag, 5.0, 62K original miles ... '04 Azure Blue 40th Anny Mach 1, 37K original miles...
    2012 F150 S-Crew 4x4 5.0 "Blue Coyote"... 65 coupe, 289 auto, Pony interior ... '67 coupe 6-cyl 4-speed ...
    '68 Vert, Mexican block 307 4-speed... '71 Datsun 510 ...
    And a 1-of-328 Deep Blue Pearl 2003 Marauder 4.6 DOHC, J-Mod, 4.10s and Lidio tune

  12. #12
    FEP Senior Member E2ZZGLX's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Broomfield Colorado
    Posts
    675

    Default

    Attachment 129247

    FMS H-pipe for an 85 and older...I have one that came with my 85 ASC
    Current keepers...
    77 Cobra II

    80 Bobcat Sport
    82 GT-first new car is back home!
    85 ASC Coupe
    86 SVO
    86 Escort GT
    88 Ranger GT

  13. #13
    FEP Power Member fgross2006's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Freeport NY
    Posts
    2,024

    Default

    I'm pretty sure the difference on an 85 dual exhaust was the passenger side header is a few inches shorter to make space for the heat riser valve that were stock on 84-85.

    when I did my dual exhaust conversion on my 84 I had wanted to try to keep my heat riser but I was not able to find stock shorty headers from an 85 so I used headers from an 87 with a stock (catted) H pipe and had the mechanic remove the heat riser. Everything bolted up perfect.

    BTW I still have the original heat riser valve from my 84 and it is still good, it holds vacuum with no bleed-down. Just FYI if anyone needs one.
    Last edited by fgross2006; 08-22-2019 at 09:30 AM.

  14. #14
    FEP Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    South Central Ohio
    Posts
    111

    Default

    On my 85, I converted to a set of shorty headers and the 86 and up transmission crossmember, and exhaust hanger to put the 86 and up H pipe and duals.

  15. #15

    Default

    For those who may be interested, I have two very nice sets of 85 style factory Ford tube headers that I bought years ago for an 85 I had at the time but never used. Each set is a little different with different Ford numbers stamped on them. Possibly automatic and stick although I thought the automatics (CFI AOD) never had tube headers. I can post pictures and numbers if anyone is interested.

  16. #16

    Default

    One other thing to note is that 85 headers also have the tubes welded on for the hot air tubes to the air cleaner along with the flat exit flange on the right (pass) side to accommodate the heat riser valve.

  17. #17

    Default

    My mistake. Looks like the heat riser is on the left (driver) side.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •