1979 Ford Mustang Hooker Headers And FlowTech Cross-Pipe Install - Pipe-Fitting For Power - Tech

With all the joints welded and clamped, it was back to the dyno. Naturally aspirated, Jackson's stroked Windsor made 356 hp and 342 lb-ft of torque. The 10hp gain was encouraging. With such large-diameter primary tubing, the crew expected a slight loss of torque and horsepower off the bottle. Would a modest power increase with a marginal loss in torque on motor alone mean bigger gains with nitrous?

It did. With the bottle warmed up, Jackson made his nitrous pull. The result was 517 hp and 549 lb-ft to the wheels-a solid 35hp and 27-lb-ft gain! Without any tuning changes, the air-fuel ratio was in the high 12s and low 13s, so for consistency, the crew left everything alone. It's worth noting that the converter allowed the engine to flash to its peak torque at the start of each pull. That, combined with a typical torque spike at nitrous engagement skewed the peak torque numbers a bit, but the horsepower figures are nonetheless impressive. Figuring a 25-percent driveline loss through Jackson's C4 transmission, the headers were good for 44 hp. Needless to say, Jackson and the C&C Performance crew were very pleased.

In true MM&FF fashion, we wanted to see what the newly found horsepower would equal at the track. Jackson's previous best eighth-mile pass of 6.41 at 105 mph was made in cool, dry February air on a perfectly prepped track, so beating it would be a tall order. Uncooperative springtime weather and lackluster traction scrapped several attempts. In late spring, Jackson clipped off a clean pass, albeit in air that was 87 degrees and an equal percentage of humidity. The best Jackson could muster was a 6.53 at 105 mph. Clearly, the initial track times were not as conclusive as the dyno results. But the fact that Jackson's '79 ran the same mph in poor air has Jackson confident that quicker time slips are in his future. Besides, who would be disappointed about unlocking 35 rwhp with just an exhaust change.