I have a '92 F150 2x4 and I have given it to my son as his first car. He has a few years to go til he'll be able to drive it, but we want to do some work to it to get it in really good shape for him. I don't want to make it a street racer or anything, but i'm thinking of installing headers and possibly a 3/5 lowering kit and reworking the suspension a bit. I am no mechanic, but i do know my way around an engine. I think this would be a great project for my son and I to do together to teach him about engines and mechanical work. Is this project too much to bite off for a shadetree mechanic? Are the shorty headers better/worse than long ones? I am looking at heddman headers, does anyone have opinions/advice on these? Thanks in advance for your responses.

 

Shorty headers will probably be easier to fit and, if equal length headers, will give a power boost to the upper rpm range.
Long tube headers, likely more difficult to fit, will give a boost in the rpm midrange, around 2400rpm. The long-tube headers should terminate in good collectors, 3 inches or better, and an H-pipe should be installed behind the cats unless there is one there already. (An H-pipe, or exhaust crossover, should be installed in any dual exhaust setup.)