That bar is called a z bar, it has a nut on one end. once the nut is removed, it slides futher onto the z bar pivot ball which is screwed into the engine block; an comes right out. On my 74 theres a temp sending unit in the head that had to come out an a oil sending unit near the oil filter that has to come out. Thats it, the drivers side is a little more of a challenage,
Also before you bolt the drivers side up completly check the stearing box for clerance. You may need to mark the headder an slip it back out to put a small ding in one tube for clerance.

 

Sorry to see that, you've got some quality control issues there that need to be addressed......BACK AT THE SELLER'S END!

For the money you pay and the time you invest for that system you should get a quality product. Do not settle....get the correct product and quality you deserve for your money.


On the install,,,,,the passenger side is a dream,,,,,on the drivers side remove EVERYTHING (water temp sensor, oil pressure, wiring loom holder etc) and you may still have to remove your motor mount bolts and raise the engine a little to help out. I had to do all this to mine (not every install is the same) and was successfull with the help of DB. Otherwise I was well on the way to having a big fiberglass target for shotgun pratice due to my frustration.

 

I got the drivers side in last night after 4 painful hours. What should the clearance be between the steering box and the side fender? Also I think it may be touching the frame is this a big deal? Would some header wrap help solve this problem?

 

if you mean the clearance between the steering box and header, on my small block it wasn't close, on my big block I made a heat shield because the header tube was close to the rag joint.
as for touching the frame, that's no good, movement of the engine could present a problem. if all else fails I would dimple the tube where it contacts the frame.

 

If you are having clearance problems, check your motor mounts. If the rubber is shot, replace them before continuing. Poly mounts will flex less so you can get away with less clearance.

If you have clearance problems between the body and the pipes, check your body mounts. My headers were close before I replaced my body mounts. I don't think any 30 year old Corvette has decent body mounts unless they have been replaced or the car has been in controlled storage and rarely used. The easyest ones to eye ball are those behind the back tires. You can see them in the wheel well.

On the header being close to the steering box. Mine is real close. My Hookers are close to 20 years old and they have a "Hooker" badge welded to the pipe where it is close to the steering box.

The bends in your pipes before the collector look a bit different than my Hookers. Could just be the angle of the camera... but I would not be surprised if they are not made by Hooker.

If you are still having problems getting some of the bolts in:

- Loosen all of the bolts that are in until they are just barely in
- Pull the header away from the head as much as the bolts alow
- If your header bolts have a sholder on them, grind part of the sholder away on the problem ones (or look for bolts with a smaller sholder)
- Get the problem ones started
- Then snug all of the bolts up evenly

It's a PITA, but doable!

 

I'm almost positive these arn't made by hooker (no badge + the quality of them), but I got um all on yesturday and drove it to school today. Everything worked fine, but I am unable to torque down the bolts on the headers because they are so close to the pipes. I used a wrench and tightend as much as I could. Will this be a problem in the long run? I don't think there are leaking, but im not sure. In the long run i would say that it was worth the $650.

Here she is all done

 

A wrench is all I've ever gotten on some of the bolts.

Be sure to re-tighten the bolts! After you get it hot (and let it cool), re-tighten all of them. Then check them once a week for a couple of weeks. Then once in a while...

 

alright, thanks

 

alan head bolts may prove to be easier on the close spots, and you should turn the side tubes down a bit from where you have them, they appear to be turned up a bit.

 

no maybe about it , and you can get an allen head socket and lock em down nice and tight

 

If you can't afford to coat them or buy hookers, maybe you could paint them black with header paint. It wouldn't look as good right now, but would look better than what those will look like in a few weeks when they start to rust- and there will be something left of them to coat when you can swing it.

 

I kinda like the pipes turned up for now, but when I take out the mufflers i'll bend the brackets a bit and make them straight. As for the coating I think i'll take my changes and try and keep great care of the pipes and keep them out of the rain. I'll have to buy some alan head sockets, sounds like it will save me a ton of time and frustration.