Well since the shop I took the vette to misquoted me and didn't realize I wasn't going to drive it there with straight headers with them attached to nothing I'll have to put those on myself since they want to charge $350 just to put the headers!

Anyways, before I tackle this task early Sunday morning, what are some difficulties that generally arise? The type of headers going on are block huggers. What I'm going to do is tear out the old exhaust and install the headers and sidepipes and then connect them temperarily with flexible stainless steel piping so I can at least drive it down to an exhaust shop to make my solid pipes.

So tell me what snags will I run in to before I do it? Being that the engine was rebuilt less than a year ago the bolts on the exhaust manifolds are new so there shouldn't be much effort getting them off. Should I invest in some swivles for my ratchets or can I get to them without? Enlighten me experts of the exhaust world!

 

I removed my manifolds and replaced with long tube headers recently. My engine is about 2 years old also so the manifold bolts came out without a problem. You might want to use a 6 point socket to prevent rounding off bolts. The only real problem you might encounter is other brackets that are bolted to the manifolds, such as alternator and a/c compressor. You might need spacers etc. If not, its a snap.

 

Spacers...? Like an extension on the ratchet? I'll make sure to get some 6 point sockets, definitely. I don't want to have to try and do this with a vice grip like I had to with the right shock... damn thing rounded off on top of the rod...

Otherwise, cakewalk, yes?

 

I did what you did. Bolted on the headers then used flexible pipe to get to the muffler shop. Don't waste your money on stainless since you are throwing it away anyway. Watch out, those pipes get really hot. I used Hooker sidepipes. The flexible tubes weren't long enough to go into them so I just ran them out behind the front wheels like a racer. I used baling wire to the frame to hold them til I got there. I didn't want to leave my car there overnight, so I made an early appointment and brought my computer (they had a wireless hookup in the waiting room).

You should be able to get the header bolts on with an ordinary wrench or sockets. You will have to re-tighten the head bolts after the first 100 miles or so, and keep checking them until they don't loosen any more.

This setup is louder than crap. Beware of neighbors on Sunday morning trying to sleep. You may encounter a shotgun or two. I took backroads and coasted whenever I could to keep the sound down, even shut it off at long stop signs.

Good luck -

 

we had the front of the car up high and slipped them in ....just keep working it and all of a sudden you get the correct angle and its in place, on one side we actually had the thing upside down with the collector pointing to the front and rotated it into place

 

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one that's had the header -> sidepipe dilema! Would it be better to just run the flex tube, with an adapter, to the sidepipes or just use it to point the exhaust somewhere away from critical components?

 

what critical componets??? not much down there to worry about

 

Power steering... body panels, brakes, anything that would become damaged due to hot gases being poured on them.

 

pretty easy task took me 2 hours start to finish on 1981 to put in my hookers just the only problem would be stripping a bolt just remember to make sure you have a good contact and no vice grips u should have no problem

 

You've no idea how reassuring it is to read so many of you say "pretty easy" or "no problem." Haha. Sounds like this Sunday's project should go as planned!

 

I guess I was either stupid or brave. I drove mine to the shop to get the pipes I needed with just the headers. I only had a couple miles to go and left early while all the cops were still eating donuts
I pulled my starter off for easier access to everything and made the mistake of trying to put it on last. Ended up having to pull the passenger side header loose to get the starter back in, also ended up ripping the gasket so I had to buy a new one.
You probably won't run into that with the block huggers.
I don't know how long or if my motor had been worked on with the exhaust but all the bolts came out fairly easy.

 

Fitting Dynomax full length Headers to mine was easy (it was hooking up the rest of the exhaust that wasn't!). 1st thing is that I ignored the supplied Header bolts & gaskets & replaced the bolts with st/st allen heads (slightly longer that the supplied ones - 1/8" longer? Just measure the depth of the thread in the holes in the head for an idea) & got a copper head gasket. The Allen bolts are easy to tighten/loosen &, combined with the copper head gasket, have needed no tightening since the initial tweak after a few heat cycles 4 years back. A length of hex bar in the head of the bolt, along with the correct size socket for it, allows a torque wrench to be used to tighten them.
2nd thing is that getting them in was also easy. I jacked the car up enough to get the front wheels up on wooden blocks & went in from underneath. To minimise the amount of juggling. twisting & ripped up knuckles, I just took out the 2 bolts from the trans mount. With a jack under the trans pan (protecting the pan with a pice of wood) I could lift/drop the entire engine/trans unit to give me the gaps needed to get the Headers into position. Taking those 2 bolts out made it so much easier.
3rd thing is that I haven't got AC so don't know anything about the brackets for the compressor.
4th and final thing is that if you do drive to the exhaust place with some flex pipe on the end of the collectors, can you take a sound recording & post it up here?

edit:just in case you forget, disconnect the battery when you do it!

 

Out of curiousity, why disconnect the battery? I don't think there's anything electrical down where I'm working... It's not a big deal since the memory wire on my stereo isn't hooked up and there's no clock, still curious, though.

I have ramps but I don't think I'll be able to get it up on the ramps from inside my grandparents' garage. I'll just jack it up high enough and put jack stands under it.

 

well when you hit the positive battery lug on the starter with the headers or a wrench your question will be answered.

 

PAIN! Didn't think about the starter! Point taken and noted.

 

thats just when life gets interesting

 

you know how would be time to upgrade to that mini starter you are going to need to eliminate the hot start problems the headers are going to give you.....i used a proform one for $120

 

Perhaps I should put a heat shield in, to prevent that?

Edit: Oh screw it, a new starter ranges from $22 to $120 at Kragen. I'll have my girlfriend's friend hook me up with a discount on a midrange one with the lifetime warranty and stuff.

 

i never got the idea of a heat shield around the starter ,... next to an engine block.....seems to me that would just get hot and radiate heat towards the block and then when the headers cool down keep the heat in...

 

Installed dynomax headers a few years ago. Really not difficult. I would strongly recommend locking header bolts like Stage 8. The single biggest gripe I had was leaking at the header flange. So I eventually used a hacksaw and cut the flange to relieve the bow. I also used some sealant around the gaskets to make sure there was no leak. Other than that it was easy.