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Howdy all,
I'm about to embark on swapping in a set of Speed Engineering headers and x pipe into my '99 C5. The car already has a Borla Stinger on it, so that part is done already. I am aware that the I'm supposed to cut the flange of the cat back, but I have a remedy that should save the expensive Borla exhaust from a sawzall. I would like thoughts on what else I might need and if my thoughts are in the right place for all of this before I dive into it. Also, this is the most involved mod (or work, really) that I've done on a car.
Concerns:
-AIR pump - the headers have no provisions for this, so from my understanding I can remove this, is that correct? Should I leave all the parts in place and instead plug it?
-I'll have to do a mail order tune, probably from ECS as they seem knowledgeable and the price is right - will my car run "well enough" for a week or so until I can get the ECU sent out? This is my only car for the time being and I will need to drive it. Will it "just" throw error codes, or are there legit concerns for safety of myself or the car?
-How hard is it to put high flow cats in after the fact? After reading a bit, it seems like the better option is to go with the HFC's, but the test pipes are here now and I'll use those for a bit.
Last edited by FinallyAC5; Jul 11, 2017 at 01:14 PM.
Howdy all,
I'm about to embark on swapping in a set of Speed Engineering headers and x pipe into my '99 C5. The car already has a Borla Stinger on it, so that part is done already. I am aware that the I'm supposed to cut the flange of the cat back, but I have a remedy that should save the expensive Borla exhaust from a sawzall. I would like thoughts on what else I might need and if my thoughts are in the right place for all of this before I dive into it. Also, this is the most involved mod (or work, really) that I've done on a car.
I will answer you in BLUE reply letters:
Stuff I have:
-headers/xpipe/test pipe (much easier to install headers if you have headers) Speed Engineering LS1/LS6 C5 Corvette headers and x pipe
-cat back - Borla Stinger Quad Tip
-quickjack bl5000x lift
-header wrap WHY would you WRAP the headers? I HIGHLY recommend getting the headers ceramic coated. Much more superior and will do a better job on heat retention and keeping the engine bay cooler. Looks better also!! [/COLOR]-new plugs
-new wires
-spark plug heat shields
-O2 extensions
-Dipstick and dipstick tube (from Cultrag) (12563817 and 12574889, respectively)
-PB blaster
-anti sieze
-various hand tools
Concerns:
-AIR pump - the headers have no provisions for this, so from my understanding I can remove this, is that correct? YES and NO You have to have the A.I.R. system and DTCs tuned out of your PCM or you will throw DTCs and never pass emissions. You can drive the car with it disconnected. It will set DTCs. \ All the AIR pump does is make the CATs light off faster to comply with emissions better during cold start.
Should I leave all the parts in place and instead plug it? Unless you like looking at the unless pump, remove all the stuff and enjoy the weight savings! -I'll have to do a mail order tune, probably from ECS as they seem knowledgeable and the price is right - will my car run "well enough" for a week or so until I can get the ECU sent out? This is my only car for the time being and I will need to drive it. Will it "just" throw error codes, or are there legit concerns for safety of myself or the car?
YES, the car will run and work fine. It will most likely run rich and not very efficient. Your fuel mileage will SUCK. Just don't run it hard until you get the tune just to be safe. I STRONGLY recommend replacing the old primary O2 sensors with two Primary O2 sensors as soon as the new tune is running..
-How hard is it to put high flow cats in after the fact? After reading a bit, it seems like the better option is to go with the HFC's, but the test pipes are here now and I'll use those for a bit.
Bill Curlee
Last edited by Bill Curlee; Jul 11, 2017 at 12:55 PM.
Pull the lines from the air pump and cap off the air pump and air filter. You can buy a rubber cap from advance or autozone.. etc.
There is a bracketed line that goes behind the intake manifold, hard line. There is a bolt that holds this bracket to the head, it is slotted so you don't have to completely remove the bolt. I believe I didn't even try to loosen it, I just rotated the bracket enough to loosen it and slid it off. (this will be a pain to remove with the manifold on, if you don't want to try and take it off, then you can leave this tube on the engine and not worry about it.
Unplug the connector into the air pump so it cannot run. Remove it if you would like, but the bumper would need to come off I believe to get it out of there. I have mine unplugged and the connector is capped off from moisture.
You will be fine just cruising around till you get your tune. Do not beat on the car though or it may act up (nothing detrimental will happen though). You will get codes for the rear 02 sensors not being there as well as the air pump not being connected.
Lastly, I cannot stress this enough... Do not cross the o2 sensors into the opposite banks. The car will hate you... and it will freak you out.
I know you are probably thinking, I'm not an idiot and I wouldn't do that... But it is very common to do this. How the sensors are ran down the tunnel and how they enter the xpipe makes it seem that they should cross to enter, but no, they come back, towards the center, then a hard 180 back into the pipes.
Thanks for the insights everyone, it sounds like I can leave the AIR system in place but capped off until I can take the front end apart and get the pump and stuff out of it. I updated the original post to also include the O2 extensions and spark plug shields I bought.
So is header wrap not advised? It would look like hell but my main concern was melting other stuff around the headers, not really how it looked. Can I take the headers some place local to get them coated or is there a DIY for that?
I live in a county in Ohio that doesn't have E-Check any more, so I'm less concerned about passing checks than I am about the environment and overall noise levels.
Ok, well if the consensus is to not wrap them then that'll save me $30 and I can send the wrap back. I took a minute and it seems that people use high temp grill spray to coat their headers, that seems... doable but dubious. I think I'll wait on all that stuff until I learn more about it. If there are more tips and tricks to this install then I'm all ears. I've read and re-read the stuff on the LS1 how to website, but anecdotes are (well, mostly) always helpful.
Thanks for the insights everyone, it sounds like I can leave the AIR system in place but capped off until I can take the front end apart and get the pump and stuff out of it. I updated the original post to also include the O2 extensions and spark plug shields I bought.
So is header wrap not advised? It would look like hell but my main concern was melting other stuff around the headers, not really how it looked. Can I take the headers some place local to get them coated or is there a DIY for that?
I live in a county in Ohio that doesn't have E-Check any more, so I'm less concerned about passing checks than I am about the environment and overall noise levels.
I believe header wrap is not suggested due to moisture/heat screwing with the welds or causing premature corrosion. If it means anything, I'm not coating mine. I think most people on the forum get their headers sent out directly from the vendor, or ship them personally. Jet Hot is a popular name for that. Not sure if a DIY is easy, or possible without some special tools.
Small world, I used to live in Oakwood, just north of Centerville.
Last edited by ArtClassShank; Jul 11, 2017 at 01:30 PM.
I believe header wrap is not suggested due to moisture/heat screwing with the welds or causing premature corrosion. If it means anything, I'm not coating mine. I think most people on the forum get their headers sent out directly from the vendor, or ship them personally. Jet Hot is a popular name for that. Not sure if a DIY is easy, or possible without some special tools.
Small world, I used to live in Oakwood, just north of Centerville.
Ok, that makes sense. When I was ordering the wrap my biggest concern was trapping something inside the wrap, aside from it looking terrible. I think at this point I'll not use the wrap and be very careful with the routing of wires and such.
I live in the very north part of Centerville, basically southern Kettering, I'm quite familiar with Oakwood, it's a great area.
I ran my 1 3/4 Stainless Works headers uncoated / unwrapped for 5 years and never damaged anything. Granted, I made sure that all the wires, pipes and cables were tucked far enough away or covered in some sort of heat barrier to preclude any header damage.
Over time, any stainless header will turn a muddy tan color so, I had them ceramic silver coated. Man what a difference it made for under hood temps!
I made my own starter and AC Compressor heat shield also.
Last edited by Bill Curlee; Jul 11, 2017 at 02:05 PM.
I ran my 1 3/4 Stainless Works headers uncoated / unwrapped for 5 years and never damaged anything. Granted, I made sure that all the wires, pipes and cables were tucked far enough away or covered in some sort of heat barrier to preclude any header damage.
Over time, any stainless header will turn a muddy tan color so, I had them ceramic silver coated. Man what a difference it made for under hood temps!
I made my own starter and AC Compressor heat shield also.
Ok, so it seems that more than wrapping the headers I should be protecting the delicate stuff around them. I've obviously never done this, so is this the kind of stuff you guys would use for it Heat shielding?
Sounds like your really cheaping out on this mod . You probably should have waited till you can afford a good set of headers and a tune . 360 dollars headers have got to be stamped and very thin .with a vette you can go broke trying to save money
Last edited by Lexybird; Jul 11, 2017 at 07:28 PM.
Sounds like your really cheaping out on this mod . You probably should have waited till you can afford a good set of headers and a tune . 360 dollars headers have got to be stamped and very thin .with a vette you can go broke trying to save money
We'll have to see. I looked around at different sets quite a bit before purchasing these, the reviews I saw were all pretty positive so I'm willing to take a chance to save close to a grand. Worst case is that they're terrible, I sell them and buy something ostensibly nicer. At least at that point I'll know the difference. And the same can be said for buying a car - we "settled" for a Corvette when really if we had saved for just a while longer we could have gotten that Ferrari, I guess it just depends on your tastes, interests and budget.
Sounds like your really cheaping out on this mod . You probably should have waited till you can afford a good set of headers and a tune . 360 dollars headers have got to be stamped and very thin .with a vette you can go broke trying to save money
Fun Fact: I have Speed Engineering headers on my Silverado and I HATE them.. The Flange to the head and the 02 bung are NOT stainless, they WILL rust. In fact the entire header/x-pipe combo has terrible surface rust.. The bung was also welded in the wrong spot for the O2 and it hits the damn floor.. Cheap Chinese Junk! They looked good brand new..
Header and X Pipe install sanity check
I HIGHLY recommend getting the headers ceramic coated. Much more superior and will do a better job on heat retention and keeping the engine bay cooler. Looks better also!!
