Even with a blank check and the car, working on it full time will take more than a week... The steering column on the drivers side gets in the way and makes you do some crazy turns IF long tube headers is what you want to stick with. Another consideration is you'll have to rework your exhaust too, because you'll be cutting off the upper cat to get the collector under the car. The problem we ran into with this was the only exit for the collector on the drivers side wouldn't line up with the factory exhaust, so it's a little more involved than just welding on a reducer and a flange (reducer if you wanted to keep the 2.25" exhaust, I redid mine to 3" and a 3" collector).

Granted my car is a bit different (SLK) I'm sure it's set up very similar. And if that's the case, the only way you can get the header tubes to fit will be to send one of them under the car, around the motor mount, and then straight back. We had to use a seperate flanged pipe for the front cylinder, so the driver side header is actually in 3 parts because it made install easier. Trying to keep it one peice is not a jigsaw puzzle that you would want to undergo.

The shop that designed/built mine looked at several of the other shorty designs and had a similar conclusion, that if you don't make the tubing progressively larger from the front to the back, then there's no increased flow, and the hp numbers would be right around 5hp, IF ANY. He referred to it as an "upgraded OEM log type manifold". He said shorties would work, if you used FOR EXAMPLE (these numbers weren't calculated, just given as example to me) on the front cylinder using 1.5" tube, then on the middle using 1.75" tube, then on the back using 2" tube, then going into the 2.25" collector. That way there's room for the previous gasses in the next tube it dumps into. I gave him my stock manifolds to work on a design for some high flow shorties, but I'm sure he's still up to undergoing another long tube headers project if you're willing to get your car to Oklahoma for a week or so.

And I probably SHOULDN'T be giving a price quote, but I did talk to him after doing mine about doing other people's on the forums if they ask, and he said it depends on what all you want done... BUT if you want full length headers including the custom exhaust work (all mandrel bends), it will be right around $2000, and that includes installation. But of course, he'll need your car. Granted, this is assuming it's even possible, as he hasn't seen under the hood or underneath a crossfire yet.

And you will need a tune afterwards, unless you're running a stock pulley. The increased air flow is a tremendous gain. I have no dyno results yet, still working on my tune. But just from the "butt dyno" (get your own butt dyno here: http://kalecoauto.com/index.php?main...products_id=41) (That's a joke by the way) I can tell it's the most powerful mod I've done yet. And those that have kept up with my posts on Benzworld know I'm all about the mods.