Kool88vette

You guys might think this is a dumb question. Can you leave the heat shields on with 2149 Hooker headers? I have an 88 with zz4 heads, angled plugs. Will they fit? Also, anyone have the part number for the Hooker Y pipe that fits these headers. I live in California. Ya know what I mean?

Randy93

Almost positive that Hooker LT's are not legal in Cali., your heat shields cn be used. You just have to figure away to afix them to your headers.

86PACER

You mean the stock header heat shields? I doubt it, as the Hooker pipes are larger.


16720

I suggest you keep your stock front y pipe and headers on hand. If you install these 2149's you'll have to swap back to stop every two years to pass visual. Unless the smog tech is blind.

Kool88vette

I cant find any street legal headers for California. NONE! Shortie or long tube.

86PACER

Don't bother trying to find a legal long tube. There is none. Only shorties are legal.

Kool88vette

But there are no shorties for the L98 with a carb number. Even if I could find them there would be no real gain over the stock headers.

86PACER

I know. Pisses me off. This is why I've said the hell with it. I run long tubes anyway. I just drop the front y and headers, and swap back to stock once every two years. I kept my original stuff on hand.

Kool88vette

Well if the hooker headers and Y-pipe bolt up to the cat I may do the same thing. Do you see much more HP with the hookers?

86PACER

If your car is automatic, the hooker y pipe might not clear your transmision pan. I had to cut mine and re-weld the corner section with the right curve.

Kool88vette

I have the 700R trans. That why I had the idea about leaving the heat shield on. With it on you can't see the headers from the top. I have never noticed the smog tech looking under the car. My engine burns real clean and with a new Carsound high flow cat I pass smog easily. I don't understand why they don't allow long tubes if it passes emissions. I have 2 1/2" catbacks so the restriction is in the stock headers and Y pipe.

86PACER

They don't allow long tubes because of no carb number and will fail you on the "visual" even if you pass the analyser part. I've had mine put on the smog analyser with long tubes and no AIR and still passed, but they would fail me on visual because of the long tubes. The heat shields on your stock headers will not fit. Not even close. The Hooker pipes are bigger, and turn differently. Won't work. You either have to have connections, find a smog tech who is a complete rock to not notice your long tubes, register out of state, or just do what I do.

Since you have the auto trans, you're probably going to have to modify their front pipe like me. The entire corner section you see between the red points curved in way too close at a retarded angle, hitting the pan, and not following the pipe tunnel in the undercarrige. This prevented me from getting a flush seal at the collectors, and also blocked access to several of the trans pan bolts.

I'm not the only guy on the forum who had difficulty with this pipe on an automatic car. Hopefully Hooker has fixed this, but I doubt it. So I post this in order for you to know what to expect going in.



You have to have the headers installed in the car, and cut the pipe with the car up in the air on a lift. Reason being, when you cut the corner section out, the collector ends remain attached and spaced out propely for you by the header collectors. If you do this with the pipe out of the car, you'll might not get the proper spacing/angle of the collector ends right.

Kool88vette

OK, Thanks. I'm gonna talk to a muffler expert about doing the work.