Hooker Header Install
08-20-2004, 08:27 AM
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Staging Lane
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Hooker Header Install I've decided on getting a set of Hookers. After I get them in I'll have duels put on without cats (2-1/2” pipe, single chamber flow masters dumped). Could someone enlighten me as to what I'll need... O2 ext., gaskets, etc.
I was looking at the right side… looks like total hell. To be honest, I don’t see how to even get the right manifold out. I hear this is pretty easy to do, time consuming but not difficult. A little help here too would be great. Also on the right side, what is the tube going into the first pipe on the manifold? Will the new headers have this connection? Thanks.
Dave
I was looking at the right side… looks like total hell. To be honest, I don’t see how to even get the right manifold out. I hear this is pretty easy to do, time consuming but not difficult. A little help here too would be great. Also on the right side, what is the tube going into the first pipe on the manifold? Will the new headers have this connection? Thanks.
Dave
08-20-2004, 08:47 AM
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Well you'll need two o2 extensions in order to plug the sensors into the headers. With your setup after the headers, you're probably going to need some o2 sims or have tuning delete your rear o2 sensors. I'm assuming you have an 01 or 02 LS1. That provision you see coming off the header and the tube connecting to it is the AIR system. It's basically an emissions hookup. If your new headers don't have this provision, you're going to have to use a block off plate for the AIR tube and then rig it in a secure place. Try doing a search and you can find lots of info about the AIR system.
As far as the install goes, it's very easy in technical terms (just a bunch of bolts). Getting the the bolts on and off is pretty high on the PITA scale. If you have some jackstands and a floor jack you can do it yourself. A search will also give you tons of info on this one. Good luck man.
As far as the install goes, it's very easy in technical terms (just a bunch of bolts). Getting the the bolts on and off is pretty high on the PITA scale. If you have some jackstands and a floor jack you can do it yourself. A search will also give you tons of info on this one. Good luck man.
08-20-2004, 06:54 PM
#6
Here is a write-up on installing headers. I found this from another link, some of the info is questionable, but it will give you a good idea of what all is involved. I'll be finding out in a couple of months, I just put an order in for StainlessWorks headers.
Header Installation Guide
1. Drive the front tires onto 2x4s or equally thick items THE NIGHT BEFORE and set the parking brake.
2. Let the car cool overnight or for at least 4-5 hours.
3. Unplug the negative battery lead.
4. Unbolt the AIR tube that connects into each manifold, and put them on top of the intake manifold.
5. Remove all 8 plug wires. Turn the end on the coil pack side to side while pulling.... "POP". Then on the ends over the plugs, twist the rubber part while pulling, the whole piece, rubber and metal, will pop off. The back ones on the passenger side require patience. The rearmost took me 10 minutes! All total the plugs and wires took me 1.5 hours!
6. Remove all 8 spark plugs. You will need a 5/8" spark plug socket, a 1" U joint socket, a straight ratchet, a flexible head ratchet, and possibly an adjustable wrench. Basically for each plug, use any combination of the above that will work best. Each plug requires a different combo. I was able to do all 8 from above without the adjustable wrench, but using all the others.
7. Unbolt the one bolt holding the dipstick holder to the engine, pull the dipstick and tube up until it comes out.
8. Chock the front and back of the rear tires, set the parking brake.
9. Jack the front of the car by the K-member. Put a set of jack stands under the subframes at the stands' lowest settings.
10. Remove the 4 bolts from the crossbrace bracket midway to the back of the car. This is the piece of sheet metal with the Y-pipe and beginning of the driveshaft above it. Remove the bracket and set aside.
11. Loosen the cat-back and push backward to remove the Y-pipe and cats. Remove all 4 oxygen sensors carefully and set them aside.
12. There are 6 header bolts on each manifold, remove all 12, and remove the manifolds from the bottom of the car.
13. Follow the SLP instructions for the wiring slack and extension of the passenger side O2 sensor.
14. Remove the two bolts from the steering linkage, one on the top and one on the bottom (remove the bottom one from under the car). Tap and push the linkage down toward the bottom of the car so it comes off the top, then pull up and remove it completely.
15. Take a break and if you have a rotary tool or wire brush, clean the threads on all 12 header bolts and the two steering linkage bolts to remove the old loc-tite and rust, etc. I also cleaned all 4 O2 sensors' threads.
16. I jacked the car up onto 2 more stands so it was level. You may be able to skip this step, but I'm not sure how much more trouble it would be. To do this, leave the front stands at their lowest setting, jack up the rear by the differential, and place 2 stands at their lowest setting under the LCAs. Note, while jacking the back, if you have a rolling jack that comes up at an angle, make sure the jack is rolling slightly forward as you jack the car up, and KEEP AN EYE on the front stands to make sure all 4 legs remain on the ground, or you could tip them over. If you have a rough area that you're working on, you can put the jack on a piece of plywood to make smoother rolling. Mine rolled right along the pavement fine and the front stayed on all 4 feet fine. Next jack the front up as far as the jack will go (20" in my case) and set the stands to fit this new level. AGAIN keeping an eye to make sure the jack is rolling slightly and the rear stays planted. Then jack up the rear to match the new front height and set the stands. Yes, AGAIN keeping an eye out. This is a slightly dangerous process so be very careful if you have a rolling style jack.
17. Place the jack under the transmission mount (black crossbrace held up by 4 bolts, there is the end of a bolt sticking down through a hole in the middle of the mount) and raise it so it is snug up against the mount. Remove the 4 mount bolts. Let the jack out until the transmission stops coming down, then close the valve and re-snug the jack to the transmission mount.
18. There is a sharp curved piece of metal to the outside of the hole where you'll be sliding the header up. It is where the front wheel assembly attaches to the body. Cover this sharp part with 2-3 layers of masking or duct tape. Do this on both sides.
19. Carefully slide the passenger side header as far as it will go, and have someone hold it there. Raise the transmission back up so the mount is near the body. The header will slide up a bit more. Now place a 2' section of 2x4 between the body and rear of the transmission just in front of the mount, and push it toward the driver side while the other person pushes up on the header, it will slide up once the welded joint clears the sharp piece you masked.
20. Place a new header gasket between the header and the head, making sure "manifold side" points toward the header, and the "down" arrow points down. Hand thread all 6 bolts a few turns and leave it loose.
21. On the drivers side it should slide right up in with the transmission still in the raised position. Since I needed an oil change anyway I removed the filter. You may have to lower and push the tranny a bit if you keep your filter on.
22. Again with the gasket and hand threading all 6 bolts.
23. Raise and reconnect the transmission very tightly (I torqued mine to 70 ft-lbs).
24. Slide a clamp over a cat or race pipe, whichever you're using, and slide the cat/pipe onto the collector of either header. If you're using cats, make sure the side that says "top" is facing up toward the car. Tap the end (very gently if its a cat) with a hammer to make sure its all the way on the collector. I made sure the clamps were put on so that the nuts were on the inside, toward the middle of the car, and facing down. Slightly tighten the clamp, just to get it started, with an adjustable wrench, but leave it loose. Same on the other side with another cat/pipe and clamp.
25. Slide a clamp over both sides of the Y-pipe. Slide the curved side over the end of the driver's side cat/pipe, then the straight side over the passengers side. Wiggle it side to side and up and down until it slides on all the way. Tap the end of the y with a hammer to make sure its on. This is why you left the headers loose, so they will move and allow the y-pipe on. Tighten both clamps a bit, again, just to get them started, but leave them loose.
26. Reinstall the y-pipe crossbrace and tighten all the way.
27. Bolt the Y-pipe to the hanger under the car with 2 bolts and nuts, leave loose.
28. Reconnect the muffler, leave loose.
29. Install all 4 oxygen sensors carefully, noting the ones that were originally pre and post cat, and put them in the same place they were.
30. If installing race pipes, tie wrap the ends of the post-cat sensors somewhere out of the way, and attach the O2 simms to the plugs, and tie wrap them out of the way as well. The front O2 sensors should be plugged in regardless of cat or pipe.
31. Install a new oil filter and replace the plug if you drained your oil.
32. Lower the car in the reverse order you raised it. WATCH the stands and jack!!!!
33. Tighten all 12 header bolts, the rearmost one on the passenger side is easiest from underneath the car so save that one. Again you may need a combo of several tools, a 3" extension came in handy here too. A small amount of medium strength loc-tite may be a good idea on each one of these. Try to evenly tighten all the bolts, not putting any one in all the way until the others are close. My passenger side took quite a bit of playing with the order of installing the bolts to get all 6 in there. Just be patient. Double check the tightess. Now raise the car back up (just the front this time is fine) and tighten that last bolt on the passenger side.
34. Reinstall the steering linkage in the opposite order you removed it, slide over the bottom then onto the top. Make sure the steering wheel and tires are both straight (for proper alignment). A little loc-tite on each bolt again.
35. Reinstall the dipstick, insert into engine then install the bolt.
36. Reinstall all 8 plugs and wires, hit each plug's threads with some anti-sieze, hand thread it to make sure it goes in easy. Hand thread it with the socket and no ratchet until you can go no further. Then use the ratchet to tighten it 1/4 turn.
37. Reinstall the AIR tubes.
38. Reconnect the negative battery lead.
39. From under the car, use pieces of plywood, 2x4, etc to try to get the Y pipe in a place where it is 1/2 inch or so from every part where it could touch the car. Also about 1/2 above the Y pipe hanger that it passes above. Tighten all clamps and the Y pipe mount bolts, as well as anything else still loose.
40. Clean up your tools (no playing before you finish the dirty work!)
41. Double check EVERYTHING.
42. Fire it up and let it run for a while. Listen and look for anything wrong.
43. Take it for a spin. The point here is to get them good and heated to run them through a full heat cycle to break them in. A few more full heat cycles should be in order before you decide to start ripping on it or racing it.
44. If you have major banging, you need to loosen the clamps and try to get the Y pipe further away from the body. If it is just rattling a bit, there is a good chance it will settle out on its own, so give it a week or two. If not, try making some adjustments.
Header Installation Guide
1. Drive the front tires onto 2x4s or equally thick items THE NIGHT BEFORE and set the parking brake.
2. Let the car cool overnight or for at least 4-5 hours.
3. Unplug the negative battery lead.
4. Unbolt the AIR tube that connects into each manifold, and put them on top of the intake manifold.
5. Remove all 8 plug wires. Turn the end on the coil pack side to side while pulling.... "POP". Then on the ends over the plugs, twist the rubber part while pulling, the whole piece, rubber and metal, will pop off. The back ones on the passenger side require patience. The rearmost took me 10 minutes! All total the plugs and wires took me 1.5 hours!
6. Remove all 8 spark plugs. You will need a 5/8" spark plug socket, a 1" U joint socket, a straight ratchet, a flexible head ratchet, and possibly an adjustable wrench. Basically for each plug, use any combination of the above that will work best. Each plug requires a different combo. I was able to do all 8 from above without the adjustable wrench, but using all the others.
7. Unbolt the one bolt holding the dipstick holder to the engine, pull the dipstick and tube up until it comes out.
8. Chock the front and back of the rear tires, set the parking brake.
9. Jack the front of the car by the K-member. Put a set of jack stands under the subframes at the stands' lowest settings.
10. Remove the 4 bolts from the crossbrace bracket midway to the back of the car. This is the piece of sheet metal with the Y-pipe and beginning of the driveshaft above it. Remove the bracket and set aside.
11. Loosen the cat-back and push backward to remove the Y-pipe and cats. Remove all 4 oxygen sensors carefully and set them aside.
12. There are 6 header bolts on each manifold, remove all 12, and remove the manifolds from the bottom of the car.
13. Follow the SLP instructions for the wiring slack and extension of the passenger side O2 sensor.
14. Remove the two bolts from the steering linkage, one on the top and one on the bottom (remove the bottom one from under the car). Tap and push the linkage down toward the bottom of the car so it comes off the top, then pull up and remove it completely.
15. Take a break and if you have a rotary tool or wire brush, clean the threads on all 12 header bolts and the two steering linkage bolts to remove the old loc-tite and rust, etc. I also cleaned all 4 O2 sensors' threads.
16. I jacked the car up onto 2 more stands so it was level. You may be able to skip this step, but I'm not sure how much more trouble it would be. To do this, leave the front stands at their lowest setting, jack up the rear by the differential, and place 2 stands at their lowest setting under the LCAs. Note, while jacking the back, if you have a rolling jack that comes up at an angle, make sure the jack is rolling slightly forward as you jack the car up, and KEEP AN EYE on the front stands to make sure all 4 legs remain on the ground, or you could tip them over. If you have a rough area that you're working on, you can put the jack on a piece of plywood to make smoother rolling. Mine rolled right along the pavement fine and the front stayed on all 4 feet fine. Next jack the front up as far as the jack will go (20" in my case) and set the stands to fit this new level. AGAIN keeping an eye to make sure the jack is rolling slightly and the rear stays planted. Then jack up the rear to match the new front height and set the stands. Yes, AGAIN keeping an eye out. This is a slightly dangerous process so be very careful if you have a rolling style jack.
17. Place the jack under the transmission mount (black crossbrace held up by 4 bolts, there is the end of a bolt sticking down through a hole in the middle of the mount) and raise it so it is snug up against the mount. Remove the 4 mount bolts. Let the jack out until the transmission stops coming down, then close the valve and re-snug the jack to the transmission mount.
18. There is a sharp curved piece of metal to the outside of the hole where you'll be sliding the header up. It is where the front wheel assembly attaches to the body. Cover this sharp part with 2-3 layers of masking or duct tape. Do this on both sides.
19. Carefully slide the passenger side header as far as it will go, and have someone hold it there. Raise the transmission back up so the mount is near the body. The header will slide up a bit more. Now place a 2' section of 2x4 between the body and rear of the transmission just in front of the mount, and push it toward the driver side while the other person pushes up on the header, it will slide up once the welded joint clears the sharp piece you masked.
20. Place a new header gasket between the header and the head, making sure "manifold side" points toward the header, and the "down" arrow points down. Hand thread all 6 bolts a few turns and leave it loose.
21. On the drivers side it should slide right up in with the transmission still in the raised position. Since I needed an oil change anyway I removed the filter. You may have to lower and push the tranny a bit if you keep your filter on.
22. Again with the gasket and hand threading all 6 bolts.
23. Raise and reconnect the transmission very tightly (I torqued mine to 70 ft-lbs).
24. Slide a clamp over a cat or race pipe, whichever you're using, and slide the cat/pipe onto the collector of either header. If you're using cats, make sure the side that says "top" is facing up toward the car. Tap the end (very gently if its a cat) with a hammer to make sure its all the way on the collector. I made sure the clamps were put on so that the nuts were on the inside, toward the middle of the car, and facing down. Slightly tighten the clamp, just to get it started, with an adjustable wrench, but leave it loose. Same on the other side with another cat/pipe and clamp.
25. Slide a clamp over both sides of the Y-pipe. Slide the curved side over the end of the driver's side cat/pipe, then the straight side over the passengers side. Wiggle it side to side and up and down until it slides on all the way. Tap the end of the y with a hammer to make sure its on. This is why you left the headers loose, so they will move and allow the y-pipe on. Tighten both clamps a bit, again, just to get them started, but leave them loose.
26. Reinstall the y-pipe crossbrace and tighten all the way.
27. Bolt the Y-pipe to the hanger under the car with 2 bolts and nuts, leave loose.
28. Reconnect the muffler, leave loose.
29. Install all 4 oxygen sensors carefully, noting the ones that were originally pre and post cat, and put them in the same place they were.
30. If installing race pipes, tie wrap the ends of the post-cat sensors somewhere out of the way, and attach the O2 simms to the plugs, and tie wrap them out of the way as well. The front O2 sensors should be plugged in regardless of cat or pipe.
31. Install a new oil filter and replace the plug if you drained your oil.
32. Lower the car in the reverse order you raised it. WATCH the stands and jack!!!!
33. Tighten all 12 header bolts, the rearmost one on the passenger side is easiest from underneath the car so save that one. Again you may need a combo of several tools, a 3" extension came in handy here too. A small amount of medium strength loc-tite may be a good idea on each one of these. Try to evenly tighten all the bolts, not putting any one in all the way until the others are close. My passenger side took quite a bit of playing with the order of installing the bolts to get all 6 in there. Just be patient. Double check the tightess. Now raise the car back up (just the front this time is fine) and tighten that last bolt on the passenger side.
34. Reinstall the steering linkage in the opposite order you removed it, slide over the bottom then onto the top. Make sure the steering wheel and tires are both straight (for proper alignment). A little loc-tite on each bolt again.
35. Reinstall the dipstick, insert into engine then install the bolt.
36. Reinstall all 8 plugs and wires, hit each plug's threads with some anti-sieze, hand thread it to make sure it goes in easy. Hand thread it with the socket and no ratchet until you can go no further. Then use the ratchet to tighten it 1/4 turn.
37. Reinstall the AIR tubes.
38. Reconnect the negative battery lead.
39. From under the car, use pieces of plywood, 2x4, etc to try to get the Y pipe in a place where it is 1/2 inch or so from every part where it could touch the car. Also about 1/2 above the Y pipe hanger that it passes above. Tighten all clamps and the Y pipe mount bolts, as well as anything else still loose.
40. Clean up your tools (no playing before you finish the dirty work!)
41. Double check EVERYTHING.
42. Fire it up and let it run for a while. Listen and look for anything wrong.
43. Take it for a spin. The point here is to get them good and heated to run them through a full heat cycle to break them in. A few more full heat cycles should be in order before you decide to start ripping on it or racing it.
44. If you have major banging, you need to loosen the clamps and try to get the Y pipe further away from the body. If it is just rattling a bit, there is a good chance it will settle out on its own, so give it a week or two. If not, try making some adjustments.
