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I did a write up a couple few years ago on thd OBX headers that I got for $650 new, and I STILL love them. They were also some of the nicest headers I ever dealt with, in terms of welding quality.
No need to take anything off to install, they only hang down just a tiny bit on the pass side (middle of my car contacts stuff before the headers anyways), they sound good, make good power, and are over $1000 cheaper than the American made stuff. The brackets to tie them to the torque tube bellhousing in the front don't line up at all, but they don't rattle. Bolts are still tight to this day, and never retightened, only checled to make sure they were still tight. Good for getting to your plugs too.
If you have money to literally blow on Gucci headers, then right on, more power to ya...but not really, maybe only a couple more horsepower, but is that really worth $1000??? You can slap a FAST on there for that price, and make another 15 wheel horse lol.
My rule of thumb has always been, if you're paying a shop to install. Buy the best part on the market.
If you wrench on your own ****, then you get to enjoy the cheaper parts/labor of used parts, ebay parts, and the like.
My ebay exhaust tips were crooked, hangers needed to be moved to my liking and I ended up cutting the tips off for corsa style ones anyhow. Extra hour of MY time, maybe be 5+ hours of shop time, which might not make it worth it.
For stuff like exhaust, it's steel tube and in no way warrants the ******* ridiculous price tag towards the corvette market. Quality headers for every other brand are in the ~$600 range. Even if it's "made" in the US it's still chinese steel.
Not off to a great start, exhaust arrived today in a mangled box with terrible packaging. It appears they laid everything in a bare cardboard box then dropped paper on top. As a result, the contents had broken though im a couple of areas. No damage was apparent and all the listed parts were included. As I suspected, the middle pipes joining the resonators to the x pipe were not present . Will updated in a few days when I begin the install.
Personally, I would box all that s*&t up (in a better box) and send it right back. This is probably indicative of QC in other areas of manufacture as well.
I'm going to bring everything over to a buddy who is a expert fabricator and machinist. If everything looks straight, and he feels the welds are good, then I will go ahead with the install. My primary concern is making sure the manifolds are flat where they mount to the heads. The flange material looks very thick so I'd be surprised if its damaged.
I have a set of the EBay headers. I had it install close to a year now, I have no issue with the headers. The fit and finish is good and once I had it tuned correctly I can feel a few more ponies under my seat. LOL
I even had the EBay X-pipe on as well. No problem at all.
but wondering if they have to have an exhaust shop make the parts between the collector & the x-pipe like the guy up top said about his amazon set.
It's sad, I had a set of hooker headers made at Holley several years ago for my LS nissan 240sx. Even having to eat the cost of R&D it was only $600 for long tube ceramic coated headers specifically for the LS1 into my 1990 chassis.
but wondering if they have to have an exhaust shop make the parts between the collector & the x-pipe like the guy up top said about his amazon set.
It's sad, I had a set of hooker headers made at Holley several years ago for my LS nissan 240sx. Even having to eat the cost of R&D it was only $600 for long tube ceramic coated headers specifically for the LS1 into my 1990 chassis.
I have the exact sam set that you are thinking about. Just have a muffler shop installed it and cut you a couple of piece of pipes for connecting the collector and the X-pipe. It'll be fine.
May need to get a couple of O2 sensor extensions so the Aft O2s can reach the connector for the Front O2's near the firewall.
May also need a tune to tune out the back O2s and get a little bit of kick after the tune along the way.
You will like the sound, it is awesome. After the install no-one can tell that it is a $1000 meg buck header or a Ebay everyday Joe header.
BTW my box looks worst than yours and everything was O.K. no damage done.
The set pictured is exactly what I purchased. I hope to at least document how the mid pipes fit, and the sizes needed so someone else can use the info if they choose not to have a shop install them.
Originally Posted by Skyhawk23
I have the exact sam set that you are thinking about. Just have a muffler shop installed it and cut you a couple of piece of pipes for connecting the collector and the X-pipe. It'll be fine.
May need to get a couple of O2 sensor extensions so the Aft O2s can reach the connector for the Front O2's near the firewall.
May also need a tune to tune out the back O2s and get a little bit of kick after the tune along the way.
You will like the sound, it is awesome. After the install no-one can tell that it is a $1000 meg buck header or a Ebay everyday Joe header.
BTW my box looks worst than yours and everything was O.K. no damage done.
The set pictured is exactly what I purchased. I hope to at least document how the mid pipes fit, and the sizes needed so someone else can use the info if they choose not to have a shop install them.
IIRC even ou have the collectors mounted and you will still be 18" & 16" short from the X-pipe. They are 2.75" pipes? I had that done and mounted about a year ago. So I don't remember exactly the length and size. But that is about right. What I did was to make sure that The car will pass inspection I went ahead and add two high flow cat after the collectors.
Unless you have a welding machine and the knowledge of welding, the shop going to have to finish it. Even I did all the other install myself.
The shop here charged me $150 so I am still a lot better than paying a heavy Corvette tax.
I personally hope to see the XS power headers make a comeback with their old quality. Mine have been great, and Jon is a stand up guy.
As for the eBay headers and texas speed headers, I don't like the fact that they hang down even slightly. If my XS powers had, I would have sent them back. May not bother some, but it drives me nuts, and I've heard my friend's trans am scrape his texas speeds a lot. Good luck either way, let us know how the install goes.
I personally hope to see the XS power headers make a comeback with their old quality. Mine have been great, and Jon is a stand up guy.
As for the eBay headers and texas speed headers, I don't like the fact that they hang down even slightly. If my XS powers had, I would have sent them back. May not bother some, but it drives me nuts, and I've heard my friend's trans am scrape his texas speeds a lot. Good luck either way, let us know how the install goes.
I was chastised for saying I liked my XS Power headers on this thread, So I e-mailed Jon at Huron Speed and he replied, "we have had great success with them and also always tweaking to continue to improve where possible!"
I was chastised for saying I liked my XS Power headers on this thread, So I e-mailed Jon at Huron Speed and he replied, "we have had great success with them and also always tweaking to continue to improve where possible!"
So far I've been chastised for my ebay exhaust, over seas wheels, brakes, not paying someone to build my LS7 and for saying I wash my car at the coin op.
After being around here for a while I now take those things as compliments. It's a plastic car, not some 1 of 1 1916 Bugatti
"It's a plastic car" a hint of Fisher Price eh? -- and here I've been making 'vroom' 'vroom' sounds lately while working of seats and what not.
Works for me!
The cheapest I'd go are with the SLP headers, or Texas Speed. They are both good options for the price. I think the Texas Speed ones are right around $1k with cats and a mid pipe.
"It's a plastic car" a hint of Fisher Price eh? -- and here I've been making 'vroom' 'vroom' sounds lately while working of seats and what not.
Works for me!
Everybody panel is either urethane or fiber glass, interior, plastic, the "plastic fantastic" nick name holds well.
10-31-2017, 11:10 PM
