I installed my LG's myself, but have some questions from others who have done it.

The O2 sensor wires basically run behind the heat shield and then drop out from under the shield and the sensors go to the bungs. Is there any chance the wire can get damaged or melted like this?

There's not room enough to position the clamps on the x-pipe so that the nuts & bolts are up beside the pipes so they hang down under the pipes. They become the lowest hanging object under the car. I can't see a way to position them any other way. I've also found that one of the wide band clamps does not tighten up evenly due to the cat being wider where the two pipes connect.

Anyone see similar stuff?

The car sounds awesome with these combined with the Stingers, but I want to make sure I don't have problems once the snow melts enough here to drive it!

Thanks.

 

I know that there is drilling involved,or i should say "can be drilling involved" of the heat shield for routing i presume. I think Lou has posted on it i cannot find where.
I should be at that point tomorrow. BTW do you mind sharing details of how you dropped them in. I cannot seem to clear the starter on the pass side (with v cover off) & it looks as though i will have to remove the alternator to get the damn manifold out (oh well) on the drivers side.
Oh and i forgot to disconnect the battery and hit the starter with the header (duh) and sparks ensued. I am only a bit concerned about any effects from that...if any body has done that and will admit it please let me know.

 

The driver's side goes in from the bottom and the passenger side from the top. It's tight, but they'll go in. I believe I pulled both of the stock manifolds out from the top and I did remove the alternator to do it. I didn't have to remove anything else on either side other than the coil packs and plug wires for clearance sake. Be careful to NOT rest the headers on the plugs (it's easy to do!) or you might crack a plug and not know it until you start it up and it runs like crap! On the driver's side watch out for the coolant sensor plug on the front side of the head. I broke mine off and had to get a new one and install. Good luck!

 

i did mine.on the o2 harnesses,i took the original clips and turned them around and reused them.i looped my harnesses like you,but got some old rubber weatherstrip and cut a piece and sliced it down the middle and glued it to the heatshield where the harness looped under.i didn't make it supertight under the shield and wired tied the o2 connectors at the original locations.for the cat band clamps,i cut off the excess.
mirak-i took out the alternator,made life very easy.on the right side,take out the battery.it will allow you to twist the header down and in.for the zap on the starter,it is possible to burn up control units,depending on how long you were grounded.

 

C5LOU.......I started my LGM header install this morning. I have only cleared out the drivers side of stock hardware as of now. Did you notice that your header bolts appear to have Loctite on them? Did you clean and apply more Loctite when you bolted up the headers? Also did you replace you spark plugs before you bolted up the hearders. I did and now don't know if that might be a mistake. Maybe I should have waited until after the header is all bolted up.
Thanks for you advice
leo

 

I did NOT use Loctite on the header bolts. I used anti-sieze on them. I don't think you want to use Loctite because you might want to take them off again someday. It may also be a problem using Loctite on the aluminum heads as well. I took the good advice of other more knowledgeable mechanics on the Forum and used anti-sieze. I did not replace my plugs during the header install process. I was very careful to not hit the plugs during the install and even though I did a bunch of other stuff wrong I didn't break any plugs! I figured that if I had a plug problem I could address that later. The car runs fine since the install so I didn't need plugs. I'm sure it would be easier to install the plugs when the headers are off, so if you've done the plugs already just be careful when you're maneuvering the headers around them. I found the install to be harder than I expected, but in hindsight some patience would have helped alot! :crazy:

 

Ok, anti-sieze is what I will get. I new there was something on them but wasn't sure. I know what you mean with this being more difficult than you expected.....that rear header bolt on the drivers side was a bitch to get to. Hope it goes back together easier than coming out.
Thanks again.

 

Leo, I had virtually no problems at all with the passenger side, but I had quite a bit of trouble with the driver's side. The header will slide in from the bottom, but pay close attention to the wires that go to the O2 sensors. I had to really tuck them aside as far as I could to get the LG to slide in. I wasn't interested in taking more parts off (like the steering arm, valve covers, etc), and I had a heck of a time getting that header in. I called the guys at LG and they gave me the tip on tucking the wires back and once I did that it slid right in - something so simple and logical (guess that's why I missed it on my own!) made a huge difference!! Take your time - it can really try your patience. Sometimes the best decision you'll make is to walk away from it and come back later!! Grab a cold beer now & then - great attitude adjuster! :cheers:

 

Hey Lou, things starting to warm up a bit ? :yesnod:
Let me know how she runs :chevy

 

Hey, Al, good to hear from you! I was going to drop you an email to say hello! We're getting closer and closer to Spring up here! I'm tinkering around with the car now & then just to keep from going completely crazy! As soon as we get some rain so it'll wash the salt off the roads I'll be putting the insurance back on it and getting out to do some driving!

 

I do not see how one can drop these in without removing the starter...oh well i'll handle that tomorrow, i hope that it is not too complex.
I removed the alternator but the drivers side seems as though it still will have to go in from the bottom.
Almost there.

 

I remember those days from living in north east Ohio.
You need to be thinking about a mid-spring mod............ :rofl:

I picked up a LS6 intake just after Christmas, come on down, we'll have a few drinks, eat some good food, maybe even install the intake. :lol:

 

I added a Halltech T1C air filter and lowered it the other day, put on the European amber turn signals and now I'm thinking of adding some black Z06 Motorsports wheels. After that I'd better stop or my wife will run out of patience!! I'd like to get it tuned somewhere in the Spring so I can squeeze all the HP out of it possible, but I don't know of anywhere local that can do it with LS1 Edit. I know Vette Drs on Long Island can do it, but that's still a long ways away for me. Would love to come down your way and work on your car with you and take you up on those drinks! We'd have some fun!

 

Mirek, you're correct - the driver's side goes in from the bottom. You can put the passenger side in from the top without removing anything but the coil packs. Believe me, I'm no mechanic and I did it! It takes some patience and some maneuvering, but you do not have to remove the starter to get it in.

 

I removed the starter for pass. side. then slide the headers down. Let them hang there and bolt the starter back up don't bolt the headers in before you bolt up the starter or you will be taking it all apart again. Don't ask me how I know That ! The o2 sensers - I think the best way to handle that is to splice the wires at the old juction with strink connectors and put the slip connectors about 8" away from the sensers. So you won't have to undo the wiring to remove and install the heat shield. I had to longate the holes on the bellhosing brackets to get the proper spread for the x pipes. About the clamps at the cats, they don't get tight enough. I am going to have them welded because my cat backs won't stay level. It was fun installing them but not real fun !

 

:cheers: Sounds like a nice set of mods you've installed.

Maybe I'll see you around, I'm in Rochester almost every month and currently trying to put together race events with drivers from Rochester vs. Syracuse clubs but anyone may attend club or no-club.

Lance

 

Thanks for your words of encouragement Lou. I'm heading to the garage soon to look for the O2 harness on the drivers side to see if I can move it to get it out of the way. Great Tip your passing on to everyone. I'm purposely taking my time on this project as I don't want to get into any trouble. So my goal today is to get the drivers side in and buttoned up and start taking apart the passenger side.
I'm sure I need more help so look in here tonite for a post.
Leo :cheers:

 

Lou, can you ellaborate on that tip?

 

Did the install with my son on the LGM LT's. The starter does not have to come off!. As with previous posts tuck the wires up near the back at the firewall on each side before header installation, this really simplfies the install. I put both sides in from the bottom; also removal of the coil packs will gain the needed clearance as well as taking the plugs out. Had more trouble getting the old exhaust manifolds out than putting the LT's in. In hindsight, removing the ALT. would have simplified the removal on the driver side. I placed both my simms up high, slightly higher than the valve covers at the firewall and zip tied them..very easy to get to and check periodicaly. Also after rough placement of both headers, to see where the O2 bungs would be positioned , I marked a spot in the center of the heat shield and drilled a 3/4'' hole and fitted a rubber grommet for the O2 wires to pass thru to the headers. Pass one wire at a time then install grommet to the hole. The sound and performance, especially with the borla stingers is incredible!!!! :hurray:

 

The thing with the wires is no great technical magic. I got to the point where I didn't think there was any way I could get the driver's side header in from the bottom, so I called LG. They assured (reassured!) me that it would go in from the bottom and suggested I really make sure to tuck the O2 wires back away from the engine as much as possible. So, out I went again and gathered the wires up and even pulled them out of their retaining clips and slid them as far towards the outside of the car as possible. When I did that the header slid in. Again, it's common sense, but on this particular day I'd been at it a long time, had tried from the top and bottom and was really getting frustrated. I guess when you get to that point the things that would seem natural to do somehow don't seem so obvious!