Sorry, I've missed some of the questions directed to me. Miles answered correctly to Buzz's question. I had all the pieces and took them to Rob as I didn't trust my welding skills for something like that.
951mat, yes, the Hooker merge collector is a slip in/on fitting for the primary tubes to slip into and then welded around. In regards to your Lone Star, going to 2" primaries amd a better flowing muffler than the stock Lone Star one will definitely make a difference. When I had my Lone Star I used the same set up as I have with my Superformance. I do believe the merge collectors help the flow and that's what it's all about when you want to get power out of those FE's. They have to be able to breath and flow!
JCoop, they are definitely louder than the stock pipes. I don't find them uncomfotably loud but that's pretty subjective.
