Pipes don't match

[sllib]

I called Unique with this one but I guess everybody went to Pigeon Forge, so here goes. I am doing a mock-up to mark brake, fuel, and oil line placement, as well as mark the body for cutting holes before painting. The engine, tranny and drive shaft are hooked up and bolted down. I snugged on the headers with no gaskets and then mounted the side pipes. I should add this is a 351W with AFR 205 heads (ports are .125" higher than stock) and I'm using oversized headers made for me by Unique. The motor mounts are Prothane standard Ford mounts. The headers sit 1" too high on the right and 1.75" too high on the left!! I have minor mismatching back and forth on both sides which I can take out by slotting the sidepipe mounting brackets, but, short of running some sort of adjustable and SOLID motor mount, I don't see any way out of this. I'm going to try Unique again on Monday. I'm hoping it's just a stupid mistake on my part but, if so, it has escaped me. These are ceramic coated pipes and the thought of cutting and rewelding the headers to match makes me sick. If you can help, please chime in. Thanks in advance.

[RJacobsen]

Bill,
Double check your motor mounts, I had a similar problem with my car. The mounts that Unique uses for my application (289) are Sealed Power brand part # 270-2287, They are a shorter mount than what I started with.

[sllib]

Thanks, Rod. I spent hours on the phone yesterday with Maurice, Prothane, and a couple local parts stores. I even talked to a couple of Mustang racers and, I have to say, I'm still confused. I finally disconnected the engine and tranny, put the pipes back on and lowered the engine until the pipes matched up. At this point I took measurements and, armed with those measurements, I'll do some running around to see what I can find. Wish me luck.

[weaver]

How about an update.

Alan

[sllib]

Sorry it took so long. My laptop decided it needed yet another hard drive but I did call Unique with the two word message "It worked". I didn't want to add to my rapidly growing pile of unused parts by ordering another set of mounts off the Internet so I called around the area until I found a parts store that carries a lot of parts for older cars. They had the 2287 mounts, which are 1" plus lower than what I got from Prothane, and the engine now sits in the right place. Of course, my low-mount alternator bracket has now joined the unused parts collection...

[RJacobsen]

Bill, Glad to here you found the right mounts, I too have an alternator mounting problem. I have a small but growing amount of mounting brackets but will probably fabricate something custom. Let me know if you come up with a nice solution.

[sllib]

Thanks, Rod. With the too-tall Prothane mounts I could just fit my alternator in by the frame rail but with the right mounts I'll have to mount it high where it will interfere with my dipstick and, possibly, my upper radiator hose. My respect for automotive engineers grows by leaps and bounds daily! When all this is finished I think I'll gather up my unused parts and build a Yugo.