LD85

Insulated my tunnel with DEI Heat Shield too, this is the aluminum stuff that is thick, I will put sheet metal screws into the heat shield along the bottom to hold it in place, I used the beam plate bolts every 4-6 bolts above to hold it down up top.

Front


rear to front



middle to front



I used a 2x4 and a small hammer to make it square in the corners, turned out great, with the left over I wrapped my battery, looks great

RaceMart had the best price around
http://www.race-mart.com/Audio-Acces..._c_3509-2.html


DEI-050508 Design Engineering 050508 Floor and Tunnel Shield II (FT II) - 21" x 48" - (7.0 Sq Ft) Boom Mat Retail Package
$55.07 x 1
$55.07

berk4422

Use stock gaskets, not the header mfg's.
As everyone else said, use ARP Studs, do not try to re-use your bolts, it will ruin your day.
Get your headers ceramic coated.
Use jack stands. Research how to properly lift the car if you have not already done so...

Chokeu

Anyone know the ARP part number? I am looking at Summit Racing and there is like a half dozen? I think this is the correct part number, correct me if I am wrong..... 434-1301

Cherokee Nation

Don't forget to TORQUE to the specs...

Vito.A

I agree with spraying the OEM bolts/nuts with PB Blaster the night before. One of the hardest parts is breaking loose the OEM bolts/nuts. Just unbolt the Cats from the H pipe and remove the OEM manifold and cat together.

You can clean the original header bolts and reuse them. Just make sure you apply some ARP bolt lube to the threads.

I do not like header studs on these cars as they force you to pull the header back away from the head at least two inches to install or remove and it can be a tight fit.

I also agree with reusing your OEM header gaskets or possibly purchasing new ones from GM.

A racheting wrench (one the size of the oem bolts and one the size of your new bolts/studs) really helps shorten the time.

Usually, you can just loosen the starter and slide the passenger side header in place.

Removing your OEM over axle pipe on the passenger side is tough on 2005 auto trans cars. Be prepared to cut the the pipe to get it out.

I think you'll find this a pretty easy job to perform on jack stands.

Chokeu

LD85, I noticed you got the car 19" off the ground. Where did you put the jack stands at all 4 jacking puck locations?

Chokeu

Can the Kooks offroad X-Pipe be used with the factory headers/cat setup? I have some free time this afternoon to take the factory H-Pipe off and attempting to put on my Corsa Sport axle back. Figured if I am going to drop the factory mid pipe why not replace it with the Kooks if at all possible or does it only work with the Kooks LT's?? Sorry if this is a stupid question but i've never installed anything but axle back mufflers.

Vito.A

No, the Kooks X pipe is not compatible with the OEM manifolds and Cats. It will only fit Kooks headers.

Suprfly

i reused my header bolts, also make sure EVERYTHING is loose and lined up before you crank stuff down. use wood blocks, wedges to keep the xpipe centered before cranking down, also as stated higher up the better, I used jack stands and put them under the cradles. I also reused same gaskets.. getting pass header was a bitch but it can be done without removing the started just have to get the wires from starter pushed in the right spot, it will be frustrating but take your time and look at all the angles good luck !!

Chokeu

Vito, yes you were right about the x-pipe, once I got it off I noticed the Kooks is angled for the headers as the factory h-pipe is straight.

So I got the factory h-pipe off and lowered the rear sway bar to get the mufflers off. Got the drivers side muffler off in 2 minutes while I am still attempting to get the pass. side off. The end of the pipe won't clear the trans. oil pan. Anyone have any suggestions? I am almost ready to say F it and pull out the sawzall. Having bought the car from FLA and having it shipped up to NH, I noticed one thing. Things don't rust in FLA. Every nut and bolt under the car looked like new. I WD-40'd all the nuts and bolts prior to taking it all off and it came off in seconds, literally. Everything pulled right off, except this #@$@%@& pass. side muffler, lol.

Chokeu

Any suggestions on how to get this pass side muffler out? Besides cutting it that is.....

sevinn

Remove the heat shield above the mufflers and get to wrestling. Add some (safe) height so that you can use angles to your advantage.

Chokeu

Tried everything to get the passenger side muffler out to no avail. Wound up cutting the pipe 3" before the muffler. So now I got the OEM x-pipe and both mufflers out. Just removed all the plugs and wires. Got all the drivers side header bolts out but the last one. I propped up the header/cat with a piece of wood and when I get home from work, i will take out the last bolt and drop it out of the car. And no it's not the last bolt way in the back, I took that one out first. What a pain in the azz that one was.

Chokeu

Success, drivers side header/cat came out from the bottom with no problems at all! Now to attack the passenger side in the morning.

Chokeu

I have a Kooks off-road X-Pipe, there are two bungs for O2 sensors. Because the rear O2's are turned off in my tune already, should I just put in the OEM O2 sensors but leave them unplugged? Or does anyone know where to get 2 plugs?

Suprfly

i got o2 sensor plugs at my local bumper 2 bumper autoparts store.. i actually didnt think they existed but i went in there asking if they had a bolt or something i could cap off the holes and sure enough he was like "yea o2 sensor plugs we got them" i do forget the size tho...

Chokeu

So that means if the rear O2 sensors are turned off, there is no need to even put them in and hook them up right?
Really? I am going to try that today, I will hit the auto parts store after work thanks!!

black.z51.c6

If your car is a manual be very careful to keep the slave cylinder hose for the clutch at least a quarter inch away from the headers when finished. If you don't you will melt it and it's a big job if you do it yourself or a $1600 job at the dealership… Ask me how I know

Vito.A

The rear O2 sensors are used to determine Cat health. They are M18x1.5 thread. You can buy two plugs and plug them.

An easy way it just to clip the wires off the rear sensors and install them as plugs. Make sure you tie the rear O2 wires from the chassis back out of the way incase someone wants to put it back to original.

Chokeu

I went to my local VIP auto parts store and bought 2 bung plugs to cover them up, bastards charged me $20 for the pair.