That’s a different set up. I’ve never heard of two x pipes right after each other. Now it’s a maze for the exhaust gases to escape through haha.

 

Yeah lol
I did the two x pipes to help with the drone, it also removed more of the raspy sound.
Low rpm it has the muscle car rumble, over 3200 rpm screams like a Ferrari.

 

Ah, so it's not their fault. User supplied the cheap junk and instructed them to "Ghetto Fix" his cheap crap. Hopefully you didn't spend too much money on the GF and buy something that WILL work without having to GF it and be disappointed. Kinda why I say that I can't afford to buy cheap.

 

Yeah I had to pay them $500 for that install. I’m just hoping they last like I said before until I get the other engine upgrades then I’ll get the good hedman kind, the hedman elite ones that are ceramic coated with an air pump delete. I just try to avoid any bumps and go really slow over speed bumps and let it just slowly scrape so that it shouldn’t jerk something else loose if you’d hit it fast.

 

Sorry this went down the way it did for you. I have been watching this thread as eventually I want to go long tube on my C4.

 

I'd pass on the Phab. Sounds like it is trying to sound ghetto or it's warning you that you have to "Ghetto Rig" if you want to buy it. I'm fairly convinced that a well made set might be installed by just jacking the car up or better yet, a lift and has easy access to the plugs. They will be more up front though.

 

I can sympathize with how this went down. Lots of other information shared in this post. I am pretty convinced of using either TPIS or ARH. I wasn't watching this thread in anticipation of buying the PHAB ones.

Again, sorry it played out this way.

 

On my Formula? I'm running AFR210 heads and the plugs are very easy to remove. A few minutes.

I just installed some short stainless chinese headers on my C4 (it's just 450hp) and all plugs in from the bottom in 10 mins. (I have a lift). I wouldn't mind trying some phab long tube headers in the future if I did more with the car.

-- Joe

 

Can you get a picture from the bottom with the car jacked up?

Kinda like this:




I'm assuming the problem was the #7 primary was hitting the motor mount clamshell.

-- Joe

 

Ill try to remember to get a picture sometime. I haven’t been able to do much at all with the car lately because I broke my arm. It looks like they were telling the truth though because even after they bent that tube around to the other side it’s really close to the outer side of the car. In your picture it would be the metal piece that runs along the left side of the picture is what I’m talking about. I remember seeing that thread on your shorty headers you bought. Those look like they fit good but I want long tubes because they perform better even without a bunch of power. The exhaust shop was trying to say that all long tubes will have problems and I should just get short ones but I told them it’s just that brand must not have made them right and I will get some that actually fit at some point because I know of lots of people on here of course that have long tubes and they don’t even hang down any further than the regular exhaust.

 

Sorry another forum member got Phab'd. See my experience here:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...8-headers.html
In the end, since I do my own work and can tig weld it worked out OK but, really I should have just ponied up and bought a quality set of tubes.
PK

 

You can't expect them to make lemonade out of the rotten lemon they got. They want you to get shorty headers because they can charge money for the install, have it simple and you are happy. IF all LT headers are problems, I think I got the magic ones from TPIS for my C4 and Accel supplied my magic ones for my F-body (although they were Tri-Y). Whatever they are smoking, they should at least have given you a few hits of it.

As to the future, I have learned the lesson that if you want to play, you got to pay. If you command $20 an hour anywhere, NFW would you hire yourself to me for $10. At least you screwed up $500 to maybe learn your lesson. Back in the late 90s, I screwed up $5000 to understand I couldn't afford cheap stuff.

 

I’m about to order the hedman 68448 headers to replace those eBay ones that don’t fit. I will gut the air pump so that part is out of the way since these headers don’t have the air fittings, but what do I do with the egr? I don’t know what part of egr is involved with that stuff but I read that some people do something with egr when installing headers. Or is that optional and it won’t throw an engine code? If it is then I will wait to delete egr because I plan on installing a FIRST intake next year or the year after. Thanks for any help.

 

I think I just read that egr isn’t on the exhaust for 85 corvettes. It’s not until later c4’s that they added egr on exhaust if what I read was right. That’s probably why I didn’t understand what it was. Is this right that egr doesn’t have anything to do with exhaust and is all done in the intake on early c4’s so I can just gut the air pump and then install the headers?

 

Iirc yes, the smog pump is the exhaust hookup. So it should be okay.

 

FWIW,
My opinion of gutting the air pump isn’t worth the effort. And even though you can get a couple hp with the air pump eliminator, my feeling is it’s not worth the cost, unless your pump is already junk. My thinking is that you’re gonna have the parasitic loss of the pulley either way, so there’s little to be gained from gutting/losing the pump. If you do keep the pump intact, take the tube that goes to the diverter valve and cut it off below the pump and connect a hose downward to expel the air thru the valve at the bottom. Keep the valve so crud doesn’t get back to the pump. You can then lose the diverter valve and the rest of the air tubing. That’s how I’m doing mine.

 

Depending on how much is gutted, it might not make a difference like you said. It is easier to get around the pulley, at least mine is, than to get around the pump which, by your method, would be gutted but the shell still there,

 

Well there’s something I hadn’t thought of, the extra room where the pump was. That’s a valid consideration. But for me, I’m just gonna lose the diverter/tubing and go.

 

on a side note, regarding cheap header hiting engine mount... its not uncomment to have to lift the enginer (undo the mount) to make room to slide the header in. But once installed, no longer hits the mount. But I guess the problem with the aftermarket ebay stuff is quality control. plenty of people have installed them successfuly. But sometimes get a bad one. also got to have an installer commited to dealing with the extra hassle, and who has the skill set. typically an hourly rate not flat rate. So many shops are just basic parts replacers, sorry the situation happened. but good decission to stick with long tube for your replacement. as there is barely any gain without long. although im concerned your repeating the problem. I found that my car with the hedman header, im able to get all the plugs out after learning which exact tool I needed for each cylinder. so they work. but it still takes me twice as long to swap the plugs than on my car with the tips. headers. and then there is the issue of getting other gauges on the spark plug holes, like doing compression tests or leakdown tests, where the hole wont make the bend radius. its just an ongoing head ache maintaining my car with the headman. I heard the stainlesswork headers also worked ok, except for needing to remove the starter. the hedman long tube are inexpensive, probly under 600 for the ceramic coated ones. But If I ever have to do it again, I'll be doing with the tpis or arh. if I can afford it, I wont do it at all. to me one of the biggest factors is ease of maintenance after the headers are on.

 

tpis
look how tube under plugs to leave clearance