- Aug 25, 2006
- 4,436
So where to begin;
A very long time ago; in fact sometime last summer Fubar worked with a fellow to create a nice set of short headers for his gal; he shared some pictures on the forum and even information regarding the fellow that worked to create them however for a variety of reasons it quickly faded to black.
Being an anal fabricator I liked what I saw from a craftsmanship standpoint however let me be clear as I have stated many times over; the idea of adding headers to a gal with expectations of increased horsepower particularly on a supercharged gal is IMO akin to delusions of grandeur nonetheless I do have headers on my personal gal and have installed many sets on others because even though there are no IMO validated measureable performance gains; they look stunning and truly complete the otherwise wonderful OEM engine bay. Then I would add to this; IMO the headers retain less heat and cool much quicker as the resulting engine bay temperatures are lower.
With all of this having been shared a couple months after Fubar had his headers completed I chatted with Fubar and then ultimately the fellow that created the headers for him and we hit it off very well. It was during these conversations that I shared what I liked about Fubar’s headers and what if I was to consider such a project I would want different. I wanted the header to be created out of as few pieces of tubing as possible, I wanted extreme attention to detail throughout with the inside of the ports to be rough ported and the inside of the collector to be a state of the art design, I wanted robust header flanges to insure thermal stability, I wanted uniformity between pieces; specifically the header flanges, and the collector ball end. Once we agreed that all of these issues could be tended to then I said that I also wanted a complete system and not just one but two different styles. I wanted a system specifically designed for the gals with the OEM rear bumper and a system specifically for the gals with the rear bumper delete system. Not only did I want these systems but I wanted them to be completely stainless steel and modular in design thus being able to seamlessly integrate with the OEM system and to use all OEM exhaust mounting points and associated hardware as well as the OEM wiring harnesses with no extensions; in a nutshell I wanted the systems to appear as if presented by Ford during the original build.
This meant that if a system were to be created it would have to be created in such a manner that would allow a person for example to install only the headers while retaining the OEM cats (a big deal in some areas) which then also affords them the opportunity to use their OEM muffler, the Borla muffler, or as many have, one the x-pipes already in their gal. Now this was also the basic premise for the headers when Fubar initiated the project and had the initial set of headers for his gal created however I wanted to be able to integrate a complete system that would look and sound akin to the GT 40’s glory days of the past; a system that accentuated and is a reflection of these gals from many years ago. I wanted a sound that I have to come to enjoy from my other American muscle cars as created by Flow Master mufflers.
Now for this project to commence we had to overcome the logistical issue as we are 1500 miles apart. Initially we agreed that he would fly in and work with me in my facility however ultimately Fubar was contacted. He was told that I wanted to create a complete system (Fubar had a Borla muffler at that time) and would he be interested in allowing us to use his gal. Now it is my understanding that with very little hesitation Fubar agreed as such the ability to manage the project much easier was created. Initially Fubar offered us his gal for two weeks however by the time all was said and done I think that we had her for closer to a month however when he left smiling with her his original headers had been recoated and he had the first back half system on his gal. Now it was at that time Fubar wanted to share the system with all however out of respect for me has remained quiet as we slowly completed all of the final detail items associated with the project. Now FYI this project began nearly 8 months ago and it has been all about quality and not about how quickly it could be completed. My mindset from the beginning was to complete the processes as if I were doing so solely for my gal which means that the word anal does not come close to how particular I have remained.
So now onto the project itself
The fellow that I contacted and ultimately worked with me is Shawn Fischer; an awesome craftsman/fabricator and after the project was fully defined Shawn then took the proverbial ball and ran with it. He immediately contacted Flow Master because one obstacle at a time had to be overcome for this project to become reality. Flow Master agreed to make us the desired dual chamber Super 44 mufflers out of 409 stainless steel. The reason that 409 stainless steel was specified for this application is because by design it is very tolerate of thermal expansion and contraction cycling which is a by- product of a muffler’s operation. With this commitment another piece of the puzzle had been placed and now we were onto material selection and hardware. In as much as I wanted only the best system by design and esthetics and it had to be created out only the best materials too.
We then decided that the headers flanges, the collector ball, and the back half of the exhaust’s receiver socket would be created on a CNC machine out of 304 stainless steel. The header primary tubes would be created out of 321stainless steel using the same filler rod as needed to insure consistent thermal movement which will result in a long trouble free service life. The stamped bracket at the aft portion of the mufflers was also to be stainless steel albeit stamped from sheet material, and then the rear portion of the exhaust was to be created out of 304 stainless steel with the 409 stainless steel Flow Master integrated into it and we also decided to integrate a solo bung for those wishing to integrate an A/F gauge or as the place to easily put a wide band O2 sensor during testing, tuning, and dyno activities.
Now that we had the system designed, the support from Flow Master, and the materials to be used defined we then discussed the hardware. As with the primary portion of the system I wanted the hardware to be only the best. In the case of Fubar’s system there were tweaks made to OEM studs which is perfectly fine and typical of a one off designed systems however I wanted none of this as such ARP was contacted because in our opinion when it comes to creating and specifying hardware they are at the top of the game. Shawn shared with ARP the application and asked for them to specify the studs and associated hardware to use. They came back with a rather pricey proposition; they wanted to create studs out of A 286 stainless steel. These would be cut, rolled edges, and then polished. I now refer to them as hardware jewelry however at the time when they presented the associated costs the only word that I used was expensive. The nuts were to be Aerospace specified steel JetNuts, the collector bolts to be Aerospace specified NAS steel bolts along with Aerospace specified SAE steel washers, and steel JetNuts. It was about this time that even ARP said; is this not a bit overkill to which Shawn quickly shared that I wanted only the best. The last piece of hardware was to be the EGR bung; now this is readily available through Ford as an OEM steel piece however wanting only the best these were to be machined out of stainless steels so that in the end every component of this exhaust system was thoroughly thought out and there were no compromises introduced to the build. As the final piece of the puzzle I wanted the systems thermal coated by HPC; IMO they are the leaders in the Aerospace coating business.
It was at this time that we finally had all of the pieces of the puzzle defined and the needed support from the various companies to make it happen as such I agreed to the project and it commenced.
As shared above; there were to be no variables introduced throughout the build; meaning no exceptions to the quality, the materials, and hardware used to create the system. It was to be and IMO is truly a world class exhaust that looks and sounds fantastic. To look at the system it appears as if it was a component of the original build, the mounting of the system utilizes all of the OEM mounting and thermal expansion components, and there is no drone within the cab of the gal. You can roll the windows up and use the phone and or listen to music or carry on a conversation however if you roll the windows down the sweet aggressive music is heard; and sweet music it is.
The very last detail that we had to decide on was what to call or how to refer to the system; it was agreed that it is to be the “Shadowman/Fischer Motorsport” system. There is no doubt that I was the PuppetMaster however Shawn was able to bring my vision to life in a way that I dare say very few others could have.
Now having shared this let me share a heartfelt thank you to Fubar for allowing us the use of his gal which was the platform on which these systems were created and also to Fubar for keeping a lid on the project for such a long time. Also I need to extend special thanks to Shawn for not only for committing to but even more so a sticking with the project as I know only too well that my expectations are extremely high. Having said this I must now share that Shawn’s desire to create only the best was only moderately over shadowed by mine as he truly wrapped his mind around the project and like myself is very proud and happy with the completed system.
Here are many pictures; I will attempt no to bore but rather enlightened many as they see what I consider exhaust artistry at its finest. The first picture is of Fubar's gal as the initial system is being completed and the subsequent pictures are the system that was just integrated into one of forum member Sandman’s gals; she is referred to as "White Rabbit".
Takes care
Shadowman
A very long time ago; in fact sometime last summer Fubar worked with a fellow to create a nice set of short headers for his gal; he shared some pictures on the forum and even information regarding the fellow that worked to create them however for a variety of reasons it quickly faded to black.
Being an anal fabricator I liked what I saw from a craftsmanship standpoint however let me be clear as I have stated many times over; the idea of adding headers to a gal with expectations of increased horsepower particularly on a supercharged gal is IMO akin to delusions of grandeur nonetheless I do have headers on my personal gal and have installed many sets on others because even though there are no IMO validated measureable performance gains; they look stunning and truly complete the otherwise wonderful OEM engine bay. Then I would add to this; IMO the headers retain less heat and cool much quicker as the resulting engine bay temperatures are lower.
With all of this having been shared a couple months after Fubar had his headers completed I chatted with Fubar and then ultimately the fellow that created the headers for him and we hit it off very well. It was during these conversations that I shared what I liked about Fubar’s headers and what if I was to consider such a project I would want different. I wanted the header to be created out of as few pieces of tubing as possible, I wanted extreme attention to detail throughout with the inside of the ports to be rough ported and the inside of the collector to be a state of the art design, I wanted robust header flanges to insure thermal stability, I wanted uniformity between pieces; specifically the header flanges, and the collector ball end. Once we agreed that all of these issues could be tended to then I said that I also wanted a complete system and not just one but two different styles. I wanted a system specifically designed for the gals with the OEM rear bumper and a system specifically for the gals with the rear bumper delete system. Not only did I want these systems but I wanted them to be completely stainless steel and modular in design thus being able to seamlessly integrate with the OEM system and to use all OEM exhaust mounting points and associated hardware as well as the OEM wiring harnesses with no extensions; in a nutshell I wanted the systems to appear as if presented by Ford during the original build.
This meant that if a system were to be created it would have to be created in such a manner that would allow a person for example to install only the headers while retaining the OEM cats (a big deal in some areas) which then also affords them the opportunity to use their OEM muffler, the Borla muffler, or as many have, one the x-pipes already in their gal. Now this was also the basic premise for the headers when Fubar initiated the project and had the initial set of headers for his gal created however I wanted to be able to integrate a complete system that would look and sound akin to the GT 40’s glory days of the past; a system that accentuated and is a reflection of these gals from many years ago. I wanted a sound that I have to come to enjoy from my other American muscle cars as created by Flow Master mufflers.
Now for this project to commence we had to overcome the logistical issue as we are 1500 miles apart. Initially we agreed that he would fly in and work with me in my facility however ultimately Fubar was contacted. He was told that I wanted to create a complete system (Fubar had a Borla muffler at that time) and would he be interested in allowing us to use his gal. Now it is my understanding that with very little hesitation Fubar agreed as such the ability to manage the project much easier was created. Initially Fubar offered us his gal for two weeks however by the time all was said and done I think that we had her for closer to a month however when he left smiling with her his original headers had been recoated and he had the first back half system on his gal. Now it was at that time Fubar wanted to share the system with all however out of respect for me has remained quiet as we slowly completed all of the final detail items associated with the project. Now FYI this project began nearly 8 months ago and it has been all about quality and not about how quickly it could be completed. My mindset from the beginning was to complete the processes as if I were doing so solely for my gal which means that the word anal does not come close to how particular I have remained.
So now onto the project itself
The fellow that I contacted and ultimately worked with me is Shawn Fischer; an awesome craftsman/fabricator and after the project was fully defined Shawn then took the proverbial ball and ran with it. He immediately contacted Flow Master because one obstacle at a time had to be overcome for this project to become reality. Flow Master agreed to make us the desired dual chamber Super 44 mufflers out of 409 stainless steel. The reason that 409 stainless steel was specified for this application is because by design it is very tolerate of thermal expansion and contraction cycling which is a by- product of a muffler’s operation. With this commitment another piece of the puzzle had been placed and now we were onto material selection and hardware. In as much as I wanted only the best system by design and esthetics and it had to be created out only the best materials too.
We then decided that the headers flanges, the collector ball, and the back half of the exhaust’s receiver socket would be created on a CNC machine out of 304 stainless steel. The header primary tubes would be created out of 321stainless steel using the same filler rod as needed to insure consistent thermal movement which will result in a long trouble free service life. The stamped bracket at the aft portion of the mufflers was also to be stainless steel albeit stamped from sheet material, and then the rear portion of the exhaust was to be created out of 304 stainless steel with the 409 stainless steel Flow Master integrated into it and we also decided to integrate a solo bung for those wishing to integrate an A/F gauge or as the place to easily put a wide band O2 sensor during testing, tuning, and dyno activities.
Now that we had the system designed, the support from Flow Master, and the materials to be used defined we then discussed the hardware. As with the primary portion of the system I wanted the hardware to be only the best. In the case of Fubar’s system there were tweaks made to OEM studs which is perfectly fine and typical of a one off designed systems however I wanted none of this as such ARP was contacted because in our opinion when it comes to creating and specifying hardware they are at the top of the game. Shawn shared with ARP the application and asked for them to specify the studs and associated hardware to use. They came back with a rather pricey proposition; they wanted to create studs out of A 286 stainless steel. These would be cut, rolled edges, and then polished. I now refer to them as hardware jewelry however at the time when they presented the associated costs the only word that I used was expensive. The nuts were to be Aerospace specified steel JetNuts, the collector bolts to be Aerospace specified NAS steel bolts along with Aerospace specified SAE steel washers, and steel JetNuts. It was about this time that even ARP said; is this not a bit overkill to which Shawn quickly shared that I wanted only the best. The last piece of hardware was to be the EGR bung; now this is readily available through Ford as an OEM steel piece however wanting only the best these were to be machined out of stainless steels so that in the end every component of this exhaust system was thoroughly thought out and there were no compromises introduced to the build. As the final piece of the puzzle I wanted the systems thermal coated by HPC; IMO they are the leaders in the Aerospace coating business.
It was at this time that we finally had all of the pieces of the puzzle defined and the needed support from the various companies to make it happen as such I agreed to the project and it commenced.
As shared above; there were to be no variables introduced throughout the build; meaning no exceptions to the quality, the materials, and hardware used to create the system. It was to be and IMO is truly a world class exhaust that looks and sounds fantastic. To look at the system it appears as if it was a component of the original build, the mounting of the system utilizes all of the OEM mounting and thermal expansion components, and there is no drone within the cab of the gal. You can roll the windows up and use the phone and or listen to music or carry on a conversation however if you roll the windows down the sweet aggressive music is heard; and sweet music it is.
The very last detail that we had to decide on was what to call or how to refer to the system; it was agreed that it is to be the “Shadowman/Fischer Motorsport” system. There is no doubt that I was the PuppetMaster however Shawn was able to bring my vision to life in a way that I dare say very few others could have.
Now having shared this let me share a heartfelt thank you to Fubar for allowing us the use of his gal which was the platform on which these systems were created and also to Fubar for keeping a lid on the project for such a long time. Also I need to extend special thanks to Shawn for not only for committing to but even more so a sticking with the project as I know only too well that my expectations are extremely high. Having said this I must now share that Shawn’s desire to create only the best was only moderately over shadowed by mine as he truly wrapped his mind around the project and like myself is very proud and happy with the completed system.
Here are many pictures; I will attempt no to bore but rather enlightened many as they see what I consider exhaust artistry at its finest. The first picture is of Fubar's gal as the initial system is being completed and the subsequent pictures are the system that was just integrated into one of forum member Sandman’s gals; she is referred to as "White Rabbit".
Takes care
Shadowman
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