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Very true. So the question is..."Should they be straight or angled?"
Looks like there are some other subtle differences too.... Not sure ...
My set is from 2010, and I installed another 3 sets after that - they all went in with no issues. In fact the header installs were so non dramatic it gave me the initiative to do the heads and cam.....
So What does the seller say about these headers has anyone got him to state what's going on and if it will be remedied
Jon's response after reading this thread:
Thank you for the heads up! I have reviewed this and also showed to XS-Power. I have also been in communication working with any customer that has an issue. Also I would like to inform you that I have previously already been in contact with XS-Power working on a solution to address these areas! I appreciate your bringing it to attention so I can help fix it!
Hey At least he's aware of it and trying to get it ironed out . Gotta give the guy credit . One thing I'd say is if you pay 950$ for a header kit and then have to pay a shop a labor rate of 10+ Hours just to get them to actually fit in the car then your savings over a set of Lg set headers just went out the window ..when you can pick those street versions for under 1400
Mine hang low as well, can you post a pic of your skid plates?
"Persistant"... I was stuck. Ifn I didn't get them in, I couldn't have started the car up. They were 'stuck' to low to lower the car off the jack stands.
I'll get a set of photos done, but not anytime soon... it's raining cats and dogs here (Tropical Storm Cindy) and there doesn't look like there's gonna be a let up for almost a week.
I need a violin for my experience with these headers. I'm out all of the labour the shop charged to install and remove. Which wasn't cheap. Now waiting for the headers to be picked up and returned to Jon. And then for the refund to be processed.
I bought this car to enjoy and planned to track it this summer, by the time I order another brand of headers and get them shipped.... which i'll have to install myself because I blew my install budget already... such a let down.
This stuff impacts peoples lives. I've been buying and modifying cars for over 17 years, I used to buy parts off of ebay in the late 90's, I've bought off of members on forums and never once has a product not worked out for me until now.
I need a violin for my experience with these headers. I'm out all of the labour the shop charged to install and remove. Which wasn't cheap. Now waiting for the headers to be picked up and returned to Jon. And then for the refund to be processed.
I bought this car to enjoy and planned to track it this summer, by the time I order another brand of headers and get them shipped.... which i'll have to install myself because I blew my install budget already... such a let down.
This stuff impacts peoples lives. I've been buying and modifying cars for over 17 years, I used to buy parts off of ebay in the late 90's, I've bought off of members on forums and never once has a product not worked out for me until now.
that's really a shame. I bought mine in Feb '16, installed them myself without too much trouble on a lift, and they've been bulletproof every since.
hard to understand ???? don't they use a jig of some sort, how do they screw up so bad ???? I am really pleased with mine !!!!
I'm sure they use a jig, I'm also fairly confident that whatever QC (or lack thereof) failed to see the jig get knocked over, bent, whatever.
The overseas stuff is always a gamble, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. That's the downside to the low cost.
If it makes OP feel any better I recently installed a set of LG headers on a 2007 C6 LS2 and had to make a minor alteration to the pinch weld on the frame to make room for them - they were rubbing pretty good. This is on a high quality, "expensive" set.
I'm sure they use a jig, I'm also fairly confident that whatever QC (or lack thereof) failed to see the jig get knocked over, bent, whatever.
The overseas stuff is always a gamble, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. That's the downside to the low cost.
If it makes OP feel any better I recently installed a set of LG headers on a 2007 C6 LS2 and had to make a minor alteration to the pinch weld on the frame to make room for them - they were rubbing pretty good. This is on a high quality, "expensive" set.
Great... I'm literally about to order a set of LG's ... or sell this car. It's honestly been such a bad experience I haven't driven the car in a week.
Well folks, the saga continues. The header is so close to the AC line that in burnt a hole in it and depressurized the AC system.
My headers have been installed about 2 months now and they are ceramic coated. Coolant temps varied from 170F to 180F on trips shorter than 60 miles. The problem happened after I took a 300 mile trip on somewhat bumpy roads. I guess the bumps, temps (peaked at 190F sometimes) and duration of the trip were too much for the AC line.
When I installed the header it was about 1/8" away from the AC line. I managed to bend the line so that there was 1/4" space. But the line must have pulled back to it's original form (bumps and vibes?).
Any way, rather than replace the AC line with a factory line, I'm thinking of using a flexible AC line which I can re-route away from these damn crappy headers.
Well folks, the saga continues. The header is so close to the AC line that in burnt a hole in it and depressurized the AC system.
My headers have been installed about 2 months now and they are ceramic coated. Coolant temps varied from 170F to 180F on trips shorter than 60 miles. The problem happened after I took a 300 mile trip on somewhat bumpy roads. I guess the bumps, temps (peaked at 190F sometimes) and duration of the trip were too much for the AC line.
When I installed the header it was about 1/8" away from the AC line. I managed to bend the line so that there was 1/4" space. But the line must have pulled back to it's original form (bumps and vibes?).
Any way, rather than replace the AC line with a factory line, I'm thinking of using a flexible AC line which I can re-route away from these damn crappy headers.
I'm sure this won't make you feel any better, but this same issue occurred on my 2000 C5. I installed my XS Power longtubes over a year ago with no problems to the AC system as a result. However, in preparation for a long trip, I went to refill the system at the low pressure port by the firewall and moved the line slightly to allow the fitting to connect to the port. The line has always been pretty close to that primary header tube, but this must have been enough to make some contact. A day later my ice cold AC was blowing hot air. I removed the entire AC line (which, unfortunately is a 1 piece system from the firewall, to the compressor, to the condenser) and had my cut out the bad section of line, and crimp on a new high pressure JIC fitting (he works for a hydraulic specialty parts company.
The new fitting is still close to the header tube, but at least I know it won't melt. If I ever have issues with it again I'm ripping it out and rerouting the line. The ideal path is out of the firewall, towards the coolant overflow tank, and then a straight shot down to the compressor. Snaking by the header tubes is a bad place to be. If you buy that repair kit, be sure to follow that re-route. At this point you have nothing to lose, so go for it!
I'm sure this won't make you feel any better, but this same issue occurred on my 2000 C5. I installed my XS Power longtubes over a year ago with no problems to the AC system as a result. However, in preparation for a long trip, I went to refill the system at the low pressure port by the firewall and moved the line slightly to allow the fitting to connect to the port. The line has always been pretty close to that primary header tube, but this must have been enough to make some contact. A day later my ice cold AC was blowing hot air. I removed the entire AC line (which, unfortunately is a 1 piece system from the firewall, to the compressor, to the condenser) and had my cut out the bad section of line, and crimp on a new high pressure JIC fitting (he works for a hydraulic specialty parts company.
The new fitting is still close to the header tube, but at least I know it won't melt. If I ever have issues with it again I'm ripping it out and rerouting the line. The ideal path is out of the firewall, towards the coolant overflow tank, and then a straight shot down to the compressor. Snaking by the header tubes is a bad place to be. If you buy that repair kit, be sure to follow that re-route. At this point you have nothing to lose, so go for it!
Good advice!
Just spoke to Ethan at Auto Cooling Solutions and he said the same thing.
However, instead of using the kit on the site, he recommended I either send in my tube or, depending on the condition, buy a new factory one and he will cut away the tubing which routes near the headers and weld fittings on both ends and attach 2-3 feet of flexible AC hose. Which I can route as you described.
Cost for welding my tube and flexible hose installation is ~$100
Ethan recommends getting a new one as brazing the old aluminum tube can be tricky and not hold up as well over the long run.
New GM AC line is ~$95, so around $200 for the new AC flexible line.
I'll pull mine out this weekend and check the condition of the tube. But I think I'll go with a new assembly.
Sounds like a solid plan to prevent future AC issues.
FYI- I had a BEAR of a time trying to remove/install the line with the header still bolted up. I ended up removing the header and letting it hang down under the car so that I could route the line to where it needed to be.
Sounds like a solid plan to prevent future AC issues.
FYI- I had a BEAR of a time trying to remove/install the line with the header still bolted up. I ended up removing the header and letting it hang down under the car so that I could route the line to where it needed to be.
I'll be dropping the header as I also need to change the starter.
Recall the original starters had a short bolt design which has a tendency to break and take away a chunk off the block. I definitely don't want to wait for that to happen so I'm replacing it with a Bosch long bolt design.
FYI, for those who are also thinking of AC line changes.
Primary burnt through upright section at the left of number 8
Wonky. I'm not surprised the XS-power headers were such a poor fit. When the shop was trying to install my XS-power headers they said the headers were so close to the A/C line that they would boil the A/C coolant and cause it to blow hot hair... and that boiling the fluid in the A/C loop would also damage seals/hoses etc. OP when you do the repair make sure you don't use just a piece of rubber hose, use a high pressure hose rated for the application.
Its all of this crap that at the end of the day makes it worthwhile to spend up a bit and get a better quality header. I bought a set of quality headers since the XS power headers fit like crap. Laying them side by side its interesting to see the vast design difference between the two.
XS power on the bottom, LG's above. Notice the tight bends on the XS power headers, the straight down into a 90 degree bend design and short runner length compared to the LG's. The photos don't do it justice, its a huge difference. I'd consider the XS-Power headers to be mid lengths headers. You can also see the collector on the XS-power header is tilted up which is a manufacturing defect, just one of the many issues which made this header not fit on my car. I ended up loosing my money on the install costs... which wasn't cheap... $800ish US...remove, try to install headers...try more... not fitting... remove and re-install factory exhaust.
I have missed out on a track rental that I was a part of, and 6 Friday night street legal 1/4 mile events. Believe me guys its not worth trying to save a few hundred dollars on these headers. Whatever has happened with the newer versions, they do not fit right.
06-21-2017, 08:27 AM
I was stuck. Ifn I didn't get them in, I couldn't have started the car up. They were 'stuck' to low to lower the car off the jack stands.
