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Looking to purchase shorty headers. Can't decide between Hooker Blackharts or Magnaflow.
Really don't want to go the long tube route,have to use cats,just can't justify expense. No future mods are planned either. Iam kinda crippled and in my late 60's,so want something easy to install
Already have a Borla x pipe added to the system.
Any advise?
I've installed Magnalfows on an LS3 before. You will be going over/under a few times getting the old manifolds, and cats out. Don't need to remove the midpipe, so only you can plan based on your individual needs. If you don't have a lift it is OK from a clearance standpoint. Cats and manifolds will come out w/o much ground clearance needed.
Going in, the passenger side manifold will go in from the bottom, the driver's side has to be dropped in from the top. The dipstick on Magnaflows is relocated slightly. The trick is getting the dipstick tube reshaped (slightly) so that it enters into the block opening straight; otherwise, it will leak.
ONE IMPORTANT NOTE: Before you start, you will need an O2 sensor extension on the driver's side (pass side is OK). Purchase it BEFORE you start, or you'll finish the install and realize you cannot start up.
Last edited by BlindSpot; Dec 5, 2016 at 03:15 PM.
ONE IMPORTANT NOTE: Before you start, you will need an O2 sensor extension on the driver's side (pass side is OK). Purchase it BEFORE you start, or you'll finish the install and realize you cannot start up.
Is the extension needed for the front or rear sensor?
Been thinking about the Shorty route also. A lot of people go with the Z06 manifolds and exhaust, say it's better than the shorty headers but in the end the Shorty headers should have a carb sticker and that's important for the smog police in CA. I'm going to be doing some other mods and may do this at the same time. Good luck with your decision.
Looking to purchase shorty headers. Can't decide between Hooker Blackharts or Magnaflow.
Really don't want to go the long tube route,have to use cats,just can't justify expense. No future mods are planned either. Iam kinda crippled and in my late 60's,so want something easy to install
Already have a Borla x pipe added to the system.
Any advise?
i've had BOTH. Didn't install the magnaflow because the quality was so bad, terrible looking welds, scratched ceramic coating etc. Decided to sell and purchase Hooker, much better quality construction and hooker had a merge collector inside that magnafliw didn't. Installed and had a noticeable change. Hooker will also provided the dyno below Don't make the mistake I made with magnaflow . And yes, contrary to what longtube guys often claim there is a notcabke improvement with shorties. Just less as you'd expect
i've had BOTH. Didn't install the magnaflow because the quality was so bad, terrible looking welds, scratched ceramic coating etc. Decided to sell and purchase Hooker, much better quality construction and hooker had a merge collector inside that magnafliw didn't. Installed and had a noticeable change. Hooker will also provided the dyno below Don't make the mistake I made with magnaflow . [/img]
Very surprised by you comments about MagnaFlow. I have their products on several of my vehicles and the quality has always been top botch.
Very surprised by you comments about MagnaFlow. I have their products on several of my vehicles and the quality has always been top botch.
i was surprised too. I thought magnafliws would be good quality. But the difference between them and hookers was significant. And the complete lack of inner velocity spike where tubes come together on magnaflow versus the presence of one on the hooker makes me believe the hooker will perform better as well as last longer. Hooker 304SS too, versus magnaflow mild SS that's poorly coated.
For the price of shorty headers, to me it is not worth it for the minimal power gains. Have you thought about getting a set of used Z06 exhaust manifolds, cats, and H-pipe? People that have swapped out the LS3 exhaust parts with the Z06 ones say decent power gains for cheap. Been thinking about that myself for my LS3.
i've had BOTH. Didn't install the magnaflow because the quality was so bad, terrible looking welds, scratched ceramic coating etc. Decided to sell and purchase Hooker, much better quality construction and hooker had a merge collector inside that magnafliw didn't. Installed and had a noticeable change. Hooker will also provided the dyno below Don't make the mistake I made with magnaflow . And yes, contrary to what longtube guys often claim there is a notcabke improvement with shorties. Just less as you'd expect
Hi 08, when you received our headers, did you contact our customer support? It is very uncommon to hear of issues like the ones you described, but we would have been happy to replace them with an entire new set under our lifetime warranty. We stand behind our quality 100% and do our best to address any concerns our customers may have with new product.
We design certain header applications with a velocity spike, however it did not produce any additional power benefits on the stock C6 tuning, and added additional cost to the product, so it was not used in our final design.
If there are any other questions we can answer for you, please don't hesitate to contact us at 1-800-990-0905.
Last edited by Magna_Flow; Dec 6, 2016 at 02:19 PM.
I didn't have more than one experience installing a set of Magnaflows (and no experience with the Hookers), but the form, fit, finish on the Magnaflows were excellent. Nothing like what was described herein.
i've had BOTH. Didn't install the magnaflow because the quality was so bad, terrible looking welds, scratched ceramic coating etc. Decided to sell and purchase Hooker, much better quality construction and hooker had a merge collector inside that magnafliw didn't. Installed and had a noticeable change. Hooker will also provided the dyno below Don't make the mistake I made with magnaflow . And yes, contrary to what longtube guys often claim there is a notcabke improvement with shorties. Just less as you'd expect
Been looking at the hooker shorties for awhile now. How was the install? Did you go from the top on both sides?
Shorty Headers
