Man...what a ton of work. I've done a lot of DIY work over the past 3 years, and this amount of R&R sure seems excessive for something like a set of headers. Hopefully my opinion will change once they're in place and I get to hear the car and drive around some. :skep:

Things started out going relatively smoothly, around 5:00. I removed the H-pipe the night before - which included breaking off all six header-to-h-pipe bolts, since they were basically rusted in place. No matter - they're never going back on.

I removed the manifolds, alternator, and everything else, no problem there, either. The first snag came when I tried to remove the valve covers - the PVC line going from the driver's side to the passenger side, behind the intake manifold, crumbled in my hand when I tried to remove it. Grr. Replacement part #1 to order today.

Valve covers and coil packs came off fine, but boy are those harnesses crusty and brittle after 85,000 miles of running the car. On the upside, the heads have absolutely no varnishing to them, and look brand new.

The problems started when I tried to get the Kooks in. I pulled the steering shaft nut - easy, and pulled both of the nuts on the engine mounts. Was thinking to myself "What a bunch of weenies these CorvetteForum DIYers are" at this point. So, I started with the passenger side, thinking it was going to be the easy one.

I raised the motor about as high as I could possibly think of doing it - hearing all sorts of bad noises coming from under the firewall as I did it, since I kept needing juuuuust a little more space for the header to *maybe* get in. I kept checking clearances there to make sure stuff was mostly OK, so hopefully nothing back there got too messed up. Isn't there a MAP sensor back there somewhere that gets close to the firewall? I'm worried about something back there having gotten squished or cracked. Unfortunately, there was absolutely no other way to get the passenger side header in - the A/C line that runs by the frame rail there was in the way in too many places....Ugh!!

Finally, after a while, it dropped in. On to the driver's side. Hah - yeah right.

After about an hour of fighting with it - and breaking off the head of that small sensor near the front of the driver's side head - I finally decided there was no way the header was going in without removing the alternator bracket. The brake lines by the brake booster were in the way, and the alternator bracket made it such that there simply wasn't room for the flange to move downward. The motor was jacked up so high it wasn't even on the stud of the motor mount anymore, and the black part of the firewall, up by the windshield wipers was bulging from the bracket of one of my fuel rails. :(

I'm sure my install was complicated somewhat by the oil cooler and AN lines that I have installed - but I had to remove the oil filter, the filter adapter with the cooler lines running out of it, and finally the alternator bracket, which involves removing the power steering pump for acces to the last alternator bracket bolt.

Finally, after I got all that stuff removed or loosened, the driver's side header slipped in easily enough and then I spent the next hour fighting with the power steering bracket and alternator bracket, trying to get everything properly lined back up again. What a mess. Called it a night at 11:00PM.

So, now I have to re-run my oil cooler lines, since the headers now occupy the space where they went before. I think I'll run one next to the framerail, by that lower brake or clutch line, and the only place I can see for the other one is between the engine mount and the subframe of the car. There's already a wiring harness running through there from GM, so I imagine another -12AN line won't hurt either, as long as I can get everything lined up again.

Then it's time to reattach the steering, starter, plugs, wires, valve covers, coils, alternator, oil filter O2 sensors, dipstick, cats, x-pipe and then replace the broken sensor, AIR tube gaskets, and PCV line.

What could be easier? :rolleyes:

Yeesh.

-Jake

 

Easy? You want easy? HAH! :lol:

Sounds like it's going okay, other than the couple of bad factory items. This gives you a chance to take it slow and double check everything.

Cheers!

 

Wow! You did have a lot of "extras" involved. I helped Blorton on his Kooks install a few weeks ago and the only real gotcha was that his catback flange bolts had been welded by the installer so he had to cut those while I worked on other things. Other than that, it was straightfoward.

Sounds like you are on the downhill side now so it should go smoother from here on out.

Hang in there - it IS worth it. :yesnod: :cheers:

 

Geez, my Kooks headers went in really easy (thanks Marc and Chris at ECS, :jester ).


[Modified by Geneus, 3:38 PM 4/7/2004]

 

Header installations are interesting. Before I installed my KOOKS, I read several "install" write ups, and the majority indicated no issues. I am no rookie at installing headers on vehicles, especially Vettes. I have installed them on C3s with big blocks, C4s and now a C5, and this was the hardest install. I did all of the recommended tips, including removing the starter (which one Forum member said he didn't have to do) oil filter, alternator, jack engine, etc. and still had major problems getting the headers to go into the car. :smash:
The only thing I can think of is that maybe a couple of the header jigs they use to build the headers at the factory are off just a little :rofl:

 

why you... :boxing :mad :cuss

:D :jester :lolg:

Yep, I think I'm on the back side of it now. Got my parts ordered today, they'll be here tomorrow, which means I'll have plenty of time to make sure I get everything sorted back out this afternoon when I get home from work - probably have the car done by Thursday night, I'm thinking?

I can't wait to start it up for the first time!

-Jake

 

I don't think i'll do the install myself :nonod: :D :cheers: .

 

FLP's :p:

 

Same experience a month ago with Kooks, although the passenger side was done first and went right in. The driver's side looked like it would be easy as the opening seemed a lot more "open" than the passengers side. I kept getting the left side header jammed between the alternator bracket and the brake booster, which I had to sand off the scratches and spray with satin black later. I did remove the coolant sensor on the driver's head, and hardly any coolant came out with that side jacked. I just kept poking the collector end around at various places and it seemed about to go. A few taps from a LFH and she dropped in. The next pain was getting the engine mount bolt lined up with the hole. This took a little nudging with a 2 X 4 until it aligned. I nearly had a coronary here as I got a reddish-borwn, slippery fluid drip that I thought was coming from a cracked oil pan, but it turned out to be coolant from the sensor hole. Don't forget to tighten the 2 engine mount nuts before you put bolt the headers to the heads. I bolted the headers to the heads first because I didn't want to "pull" them in place with 6mm bolts threaded into aluminum. So, the collectors were a little farther apart than the X-Pipe, so I drove some wooden wedges between the collectors and the frame rails to allow them to mate. After tightening the collector to X-Pipe bolts, the rear of the X-Pipe was not straight, so I had to drive a wedge on one side to get it running straight back. Once everything was bolted tight, the wedges came out fairly easy. This is definately not an R & R job for a begineer! :cheers:

 

As for the "After about an hour of fighting with it - and breaking off the head of that small sensor near the front of the driver's side head " Do not feel bad, a slip of the hand I broke mine off as well. It is the Engine Temp Control Sensor (22 bucks from my dealer). The GREAT news there is, while yes it is in a water jacket, only like a half cup of cooloant comes out when you remove it!

Sounds like you are getting it all dialed in! I look forward to your first drive impressions!

It does sound like the FLP's were WAY easier to install

 

Glad to know that my experience isn't atypical anyways. I'm sure that the surprises aren't over with, but I think the hardest parts are past.

I've got the sensor on the way - I'm glad a whole bucketload of coolant doesn't come out - I wasn't looking forward to that...

Of course, after getting everything aligned and in place, I'm sure I'll have some O2 sensor codes to deal with. Arg! ;)

Now I just am waiting until 5:00 so I can go home and get back to work on the car...

-J

 

Jake, let me know how you like them. Lowdowndirty has them on his car as well but I have not talked to him since he did the instal. I am still in Florida for another month or so. Kaley

 

Was there a production change between 2000 and 2001? I'm noticing that most people who're complaining about the Kooks install have '97 to'00 vettes! Those with newer seem to say they practically fall in. Hmmm... hope it goes that well for me got some on their way to go on my '03.

 

I gotta 2000(6spd.) & didnt have any problems,possibly some arent lifting the engine up enuff ,I kept my valve covers on as well.