This can't be good. The header pipe is touching the steering linkage. Any ideas on a fix? I was just going to "tune" the pipe with a BFH to give some clearance. How much clearance is recommended?

 

what brand/size headers are those?... I have plenty of clearance with my lg's... hard to tell from the pic but are they fully bolted down and seated and what gaskets?

 

They are XS power using new OEM gaskets. Pretty sure they are seated correctly and torqued down. It was late last night and I had spent a couple of hours wrestling with them, so I am hoping to go out this morning and see something obviously wrong that I did. Otherwise i will just take them out and and put a dent in the pipe for clearance. Unless someone pipes in with a better idea.

 

I told them about this issue from DAY ONE when I muled the first set of test headers. Hard to believe that it was never resolved.

You can try to loosen the engine mount bolts and horse the engine towards the passengers side, There is a small bit of clearance that you can gain there.

Other wise, its a BFH cure.

Bill

 

I would send those right back for a refund if I were you, assuming everything is installed right... invest a little more for one of the big 3 brands and you won't have to worry about this

 

Thanks guys, I just got it back out and did some measurements. It deflected the steering linkage 3 mm towards the wheel well. what should the CLEARANCE be when I am done? I think I will keep them since the goal here is not necessarily perfection for a show car I just want to drive it and have it sound good, extra HP is also a consideration. With the BFH method, combined with horsing the motor to the right I should be able to accomplish my goals. So any advice on clearance? 1/4 inch, 1/2 inch, or more?

 

When you think youve clearanced them enough, clearance them a lot more. Theyll expand with heat and start rubbing again. Ive got a set. Youre gonna need a big hammer bud.

 

clearance with my lg's...

 

1/4" will be good.


Bill

 

If your going to use the bfh, mark them with a sharpie first. If you can, heat the tube up, lay a piece of hd tubing against the tube the same angle as the steering shaft and hit that. It will look like it was made that way instead of having a bunch of hammer marks. Stainless steel doesn't bend as easy as mild steel.

 

I decided to go this route

You're right Bill, it would not be a huge ECO for the manufacturer. There is lots of room to move that pipe closer to the engine, just a bit of a twist before they weld it. I was not able to move the engine to the right at all, I am not sure if I was doing it correctly. And thanks, I went with 3/8"

I considered this, but for the price point, and what my goals were, weighed against the solution, and the fact that the job was mostly done, I decided to keep them. Other than the fitment, they look like they are good quality. The XSPs seem like good value.

See Above

I wish I read this before, you're right, it probably would have looked better, but a spin on the wire wheel and it was ok.

All in all it was a 12 hour job, not including the trips to the parts store. not bad for a rookie I'd say. After driving it for a few miles I can hear a huge difference, even with the stock mufflers. After some time I may change these too. No leaks that I can tell, the only thing that I found so far is that it backfires, but I am assuming it will take some time for it to adjust to the new airflow. I will drive it for a couple of weeks before I get it tuned, just to see if anything crops up as a result of the upgrade.

Thanks for all the assistance, I truly appreciate your input.

Doug

 

OP go to the parts for sale forum, there is a huge thread on this very issue. My guess is the vendor you purchased these through is also very involved in the discussion.

 

What LG's are those? Super Pro's or Streets? And what size? 1 3/4" or 1 7/8"?
I bought the S Pros 1 7/8"s but have not installed them yet. Been worried about the clearance as well.

As far as the XS the OP has, I've followed their thread. The newest versions have been said to clear. When did you buy yours and did you see if they will swap them out?

 

1 3/4" supepros, I don't think they offered 1 7/8" at the time I bought mine or I probably would have went with those... I also had them jethot coated which helps a ton... they clear the ac line on the passenger side by about 2 fingers and as you can see they clear the steering shaft just fine... the spark plug wire routing isn't the best though, I suggest you get a wire that can be bent like msd (but make sure to ohm those because I have personally had new ones bad right out of the box) and you will need heat socks also

 

I bought in Sept, must have gotten the last of the old stock as they were discounted, Honestly I read many, many posts in that thread and must have missed, or forgotten about the clearance issue. No big deal though, other than the dent, and the fact that I had to install the drivers side twice, they were perfect for my application. I really don't think the dent will bother me at all or detract from performance or appearance to 99% of the people who will look.

I didn't ask about swapping them out, and won't follow that path, it is more trouble than it is worth, with nothing to gain at this point.

 

I actually ordered the 1 3/4" SP's and they sent me these. I said screw it on swapping them. I also had them delete the air tubes. I have a fresh set of the GM red wires and the DEI heat socks. Will get some DEI wrap for the AC lines and anything else that comes close. Just hoping the 1 7/8"s have adequate clearance.


Voodoo, dimple them and go! They were clearance anyway.

 

well you got lucky... I thought I was going to stay n/a but now I'm boosted so the 1 7/8" would have been a better choice but I don't know if the difference would justify buying another set... I should have had the air tubes deleted, oh well... I did have Anthony weld in a bung for a wideband when I bought them, that was a good decision because I didn't have to totally remove the header later on to have a bung welded in when I got around to installing my wideband... if I build another motor in the future I'll probably swap them out for the 1 7/8"

 

I don't ever plan to be boosted so I'm sure they will never be ideal on my motor. But down the road I could end up with an LS2 or LS3 so I'm future proof.