2001 with 7120 head/header question

First time poster, enjoy all the great info here. My situation: My 2001 XJ overheated due to sveral issues least of which was a bad impeller on the water pump. Have fixed the cooling issues but they caused a blown head gasket and a cracked head (0331 casting). Reading posts on this site has caused me to think that a 7120 head might be the way to go, no inherient cracking problem, better exhaust flow. Since the 2001 exhaust manifold had smaller exhaust ports (matching the 0331 head) so that the 7120 head will not match the ports, I thought that going to an earlier year header might be the way to go. Looking at getting an APN Header (http://www.ineedparts.com/index.php?target=products&product_id=15343)
with my rebuilt 7120 head.

Question is if I would have any problems with this from an istallation standpoint with the engine in the car and if there is an issue bolting the new manifold to the stock 2001 collector/exhaust system? I know about the coil pack mounting fab and do not consider that a problem. Anything else I should take into account? If I decided not to go this route, and went with a replacement 0331 head, how can I be assured that it is from 2002 or older (change in casting to correct cracking)?

Thanks in advance for your help!!

The redesigned and improved 0331 head has the letters TUPY cast into the head.

Any decent muffler shop can bend and weld a custom down-pipe, or you can recycle one from the junkyard from a 1997-99 Cherokee.

Scroll down the very bottom of this page for more threads on 0331/7120 heads.

Is this a street legal vehicle?
If so, you must keep the two mini-catalytic converters and the four oxygen sensors to pass California smog inspection.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwade/6199008483/in/set-72157617739562174
The APN header you indicated does not have provisions for using the mini-cats.
There are no off-the-shelf headers for the 7120 head that will accommodate the dual mini-cats.

As mentioned, a 0331 TUPY head or a new head is a less challenging way to get you on the road.

Yes it needs to be street legal. Thanks for the responses, just what I was looking for. I will go the 0331 TUPY route. Thanks!

If you have the cali emissions package the two mini cats won't fit with the APN header.

I haven't seen it first hand but have heard that the 00-01 headers work fine on the earlier heads.