Hooker Short tubes not fitting?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,705
Likes: 30
From: Chesapeake Beach Maryland
2015 C5 of Year Finalist
Hooker Short tubes not fitting?
Last year I bought a pair of used Ceramic coated Hooker Shortie headers, I think I remember paying like $50 or $75 for them so I'm not out much if they have a problem. I received them and cleaned them up knowing I would use them when I did my engine work. Well tonight is the first time I tried to mate them up to the heads and cats. Guess what?
If I were to bolt them up to the heads there is at least a half inch to an inch space between the flange on the converter and the flange on the bottom of the header. From my research there is not supposed to be any donut gasket, and even then I don't see how I can adjust the converter up to the header.
Any thoughts?
If I were to bolt them up to the heads there is at least a half inch to an inch space between the flange on the converter and the flange on the bottom of the header. From my research there is not supposed to be any donut gasket, and even then I don't see how I can adjust the converter up to the header.
Any thoughts?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,107
Likes: 171
From: Dublin CA
Weld in additional tube to make up the differece. You can also get the ball type joints and weld them to the headers to fit the cats. Or get the header flanges (triangular with three bolts) and weld to the cat pipe. If you don't weld.....make friends
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 800
Likes: 3
From: Port Orange FL
Did you loosen up the converters where they bolt to the back of the block? If not you are going to be surprised how much you can move them around once they are loose. I had a similar problem installing hooker shortys and found out exactly the same thing.
Roy
Roy
Safety Car
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,290
Likes: 140
From: Salem NH
Last year I bought a pair of used Ceramic coated Hooker Shortie headers, I think I remember paying like $50 or $75 for them so I'm not out much if they have a problem. I received them and cleaned them up knowing I would use them when I did my engine work. Well tonight is the first time I tried to mate them up to the heads and cats. Guess what?
If I were to bolt them up to the heads there is at least a half inch to an inch space between the flange on the converter and the flange on the bottom of the header. From my research there is not supposed to be any donut gasket, and even then I don't see how I can adjust the converter up to the header.
Any thoughts?
If I were to bolt them up to the heads there is at least a half inch to an inch space between the flange on the converter and the flange on the bottom of the header. From my research there is not supposed to be any donut gasket, and even then I don't see how I can adjust the converter up to the header.
Any thoughts?
I have the same headers, and I was told "they won't bolt up to an L98". Which is BS IMO. I was also told the bolt pattern was "wider" which is not true, I bolted them up to the pipes on the work bench to verify.
I think it's a matter of losening the rest of the system, tightening the manifolds to the y-pipe/converters then tightening the rest up.
Normally when I build an exhaust, I bolt it up, tighten the collectors leaving everything else "lose". Check for any tight rigid spots, remove any tension, then I tack weld it in like 30 places. Unbolt it, weld it up on the floor, and them bolt it back in.
Every once and a while, something needs to be heated cherry red with a torch and a minor angle change with a prybar
-- Joe
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 11,672
Likes: 20
From: Lake Wylie SC
I have a 92 and Hooker shorties. They bolted right up to my cat assembly with no problems. The key is to loosen your exhaust to give you some movement. To be honest, I had the exhaust off at the time I was installing the headers. This made it easy to make all the connections as I worked rearward. On your 94, the only places you'll have to modify are on the AIR tube on the pass side and the brackets that help secure the a/c and alt bracket. Don't just ignor these braces as you could crack the main bracket later.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,705
Likes: 30
From: Chesapeake Beach Maryland
2015 C5 of Year Finalist
Thanks guys,
I guess I will get back under there tonigth and loosen everything up, realign and then snug it back together after I have the shorties in place.
I was hoping I could just drop them in without any adjustments.
I guess nothing is free.
To answer the last question: I'm not neccesarily looking for mass improvements here, but as I understand there are some improvments, and I got these ceramic coated tubes for under $100.
Cheers
I guess I will get back under there tonigth and loosen everything up, realign and then snug it back together after I have the shorties in place.
I was hoping I could just drop them in without any adjustments.
I guess nothing is free.
To answer the last question: I'm not neccesarily looking for mass improvements here, but as I understand there are some improvments, and I got these ceramic coated tubes for under $100.
Cheers
Safety Car
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,290
Likes: 140
From: Salem NH
Depends on who you talk to. There are some people on here who jump up and down screaming that you need long tube headers, talk about tuned primaries and all that. And they might be right, if they actually understood enough about what they were preaching to realize you need a cam to take advantage of the longer tuned primaries. Which again, most people do not have since a cam that bug is a nightmare to tune, and won't run in closed loop.
Those same "experts" will post all day, telling you they could build you an 11 second daily driver if you handed over your credit card, yet you'll find most of them have very stock motors in very slow cars.
To make a long story short, a large-tube short header will perform just fine with a short duration (street) camshaft. If you have a cam with over 80 degrees of overlap, a 3500 stall converter, etc then perhaps a longer set of equal length headers are right for you. Then again, since you'll be running a dedicated race car at that point, you won't mind removing the heat shielding and having the floors dry out and crack from the extra heat.
-- Joe
Those same "experts" will post all day, telling you they could build you an 11 second daily driver if you handed over your credit card, yet you'll find most of them have very stock motors in very slow cars.
To make a long story short, a large-tube short header will perform just fine with a short duration (street) camshaft. If you have a cam with over 80 degrees of overlap, a 3500 stall converter, etc then perhaps a longer set of equal length headers are right for you. Then again, since you'll be running a dedicated race car at that point, you won't mind removing the heat shielding and having the floors dry out and crack from the extra heat.
-- Joe
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Race Director
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 11,672
Likes: 20
From: Lake Wylie SC
I can not give you numbers, but it sounds better, feels stronger and keeps the heat down under the hood. It also looks better. I installed mine when I did other mods so I can't tell you if it was the shorties or the other mods, but I know they didn't hurt any. I have a set of EM long tubes ready to install on my next mod round, but I still enjoy the shorties. From my previous readings here and there, on a stock LT1 there isn't much difference between OEM and long tubes, except at the higher rpm ranges, and that is where the LT1 does best.